![The city is offering assistance to those under economic distress due to the coronavirus pandemic. [Mark Arehart / WKSU]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/59cee87/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1536+0+0/resize/840x630!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2020%2F07%2F885848951_334375512.jpg)
Help is available for Akron water and sewer customers struggling to pay utility bills due to economic hardship from the effects of COVID-19.
Akron Cares, a local charitable program, is offering to help offset bills for those in need. The program is funded by private donations from individuals and corporations, including residents helping their neighbors during these trying economic times. Akron residents can qualify for Akron Cares funding if their household income is less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level, if they are enrolled in qualifying social assistance programs or if they have experienced loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
“In Akron, we know that many families already struggled to pay their water bills even before being hit with a pandemic, record high unemployment, and extreme social and economic stress. The crises of the last few months have only highlighted the importance of clean water and sanitation to our community, and the extraordinary financial burden of the city’s strict and inflexible consent decree," Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan stated in a press release. "I am simply unwilling to leave our customers in need without options or relief."
Horrigan had previously stopped all water service disconnections for Akron residents during the pandemic. As of March 12, Akron has not been issuing disconnection notices. The statewide moratorium on water service disconnections is set to expire on July 10. Horrigan has extended Akron's to Aug. 1.
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