Here's how the city of Shreveport is helping residents with their water bills

Makenzie Boucher, Shreveport Times
·2 min read

The City of Shreveport is now accepting applications for those in need of help in paying overdue water bills.

On March 31, the Shreveport Department of Water and Sewerage started accepting applications for the Shreveport Water Assistance Program (SWAP).

The Director of Water and Sewerage, William Daniel said, "we know that many Shreveport residents are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and this program is another way we are committed to helping our customers bounce back.”

Eligibility

There are three criteria markers in which a customer must qualify with to be eligible for this program. These three are:

  • The property must be a single-family residence

  • The customer must have an active Water and Sewerage account

  • The customer must have income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guideline Level

Benefits

The benefits of this program are it will freeze the arrears balance, it will stop account delinquency actions, arrears will be eligible for payment arrangements and arrears can make payments to the account equivalent to 50% of the balance up to $1,000 to be applied in two equal installments.

More: Shreveport Mayor speaks to Broadmoor neighborhood about millage, bond ratings, city future

Requirements

Customers must:

  • Enroll in the program through one of our partners: Caddo Community Action Agency Center, Socialization Services, David Raines Community Center and Eddie Jones (Lakeside) Community Center.

  • Provide valid identification (Driver’s License, governmental-issued picture I.D., etc)

  • Provide income verifications (Federal Tax Return, recent paycheck stubs, wages and tax statements (W-2, 1099, etc) or acceptable forms

  • Sign payment agreement and agree to pay cutoff remaining past due account balance

  • Keep account current by paying monthly current charges AND payment arrangement portion

  • Make at least 3 payments within the last 6 months prior to applying for assistance

  • Remain in the program for 6 months

“I encourage everyone eligible to apply for this assistance,” said Daniel. The Water and Sewerage Department said that citizens can only apply once per year to receive this help in past due balances.

Read: Shreveport's water and sewage bond rating has been downgraded. What does that mean for you?

Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Do you need help with your water bill? Here's what Shreveport is doing