Assistance program helps low income Detroiters with water bills

A new program launched Tuesday to help lower income residents pay their water bills.

Gary Brown, director of the water and sewerage department, calls it a "game changer."

"Over the next 10 years there is going to be more than $40 million available for assistance of poor people in the city of Detroit," said Gary Brown, director of the water and sewerage department

It is called the Water Residential Assistance Program, or WRAP for short.

If you're single and making less than $18,000 or under $36,000 for a family of four, WRAP provides up to $1000 a year, plumbing repairs and relief from water bill debt in certain situations.

For more information, call the hotline at (313) 386-WRAP.

"There is a need, about 40 percent is below the poverty line in the city of Detroit," said Brown.

Officials say that there are about 5,000 people in the city that are on shutoff status. At the time there is a moratorium because they want residents in need to get into the program.

And people calling the WRAP  number might be surprised to find help with other things. 

"We provide homeless prevention services, home foreclosure prevention, anything you can think of that will get people out of a crisis," said Mia Cupp, Wayne Metropolitan Community Action Agency. "And into a place of self-sufficiency and stabilization. That's what we do."