‘Customer service’ for residents who can’t afford to be customers

By Dennis Archambault

Empathy is often in short-supply when it comes to the machinations of policy formation. But it’s good to consider the plight of individuals enduring poverty. The Detroit News led its coverage of a new support service for people facing the challenges of unaffordable water bills with a brief profile on a resident, Tanya Averette, living in a rental property without who has lost water service. (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2019/10/21/detroit-um-team-help-residents-risk-water-shutoffs/3840114002/)

Consider these characteristics that the News reporter mentioned:
• She is 61 years old and she has been living without water service since early August. That means bottled water, limited hygiene, possible “borrowing” of water from alternate sources.
• She is living with a federal housing voucher, which places her at an extremely low-income level.
• She is living in a rental unit with plumbing and foundation issues. She is facing eviction – not for missing her rent, but because her landlord’s negligence let the property fall into foreclosure.
• She has been unemployed for two years due to health issues; no indication of an alternate source of revenue. She says that she can’t meet the payments required by the payment plan arranged through the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department (DWSD).
• There is no indication of the status of other utility and related bills; but given her income level she’s probably struggling with all bills and deciding which ones she will pay and how much. (“I can’t concentrate on anything but trying to get this water issue straight…”)
• She is a proud citizen who believes she is “capable of providing for myself” and doesn’t want to ask for help.

Tanya Averette is not one of those who has chosen to not pay their water bill in lieu of other household priorities – and settling their debt through a payment plan. She has been made vulnerable by circumstances and would likely qualify for the Healthy Michigan plan.

The News article details a new program that the University of Michigan has created will deploy social workers to help people who have fallen behind on water bills, don’t qualify for assistance programs and have been notified of their shutoff. “We know there are people who are never going to be able to pay…” noted Debra Pospiech, DWSD’s general counsel. That’s very similar to a comment Mayor Duggan made recently (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/editorials/2019/10/17/editorial-help-more-detroiters-stay-their-homes/3987494002/ ) in announcing an initiative to help low income homeowners: “You will never eliminate the blight if people keep moving out of their houses. I think we can agree that people below the poverty level have a right to be treated to be treated differently than the others.”

This is the point that Authority Health has been advocating on the water affordability issue and other social determinants: There is a segment of society that has be made vulnerable for various reasons. An affluent society can find ways to subsidize services essential to living a healthy life.

Dennis Archambault is vice president of Public Affairs for Authority Health.