On June 20th, 2017, the city of Philadelphia announced the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) which provides customers with significant savings on their water bill by offering a consistent bill based on their income. Program highlights include:
• Customers do not have to be behind on their bill • Expanded eligibility; approximately 60,000 customers are now eligible • More ways to apply: Online, in-person and by mail • Income-based, consistent monthly bill • Past due amounts are suspended and not enforced upon while enrolled in the program • Only a single application is required
TAP replaced the Water Revenue Assistance Program (WRAP) and TAP is for residents whose income falls below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is equivalent to $3,075 in monthly income for a four-person household (as of 2017). However, higher household incomes with a Special Hardship, may still qualify. Customers don’t have to figure out which program they fall into because trained representatives do that for them at the Philadelphia Water Department.
Philadelphia Office of the Mayor, "Philadelphia Launches New, Income-Based, Tiered Assistance Program", contributed by Morgan Sarao, Alison Kenner and James Adams, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 11 June 2021, accessed 20 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/philadelphia-launches-new-income-based-tiered-assistance-program
Critical Commentary
On June 20th, 2017, the city of Philadelphia announced the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) which provides customers with significant savings on their water bill by offering a consistent bill based on their income. Program highlights include:
• Customers do not have to be behind on their bill
• Expanded eligibility; approximately 60,000 customers are now eligible
• More ways to apply: Online, in-person and by mail
• Income-based, consistent monthly bill
• Past due amounts are suspended and not enforced upon while enrolled in the program
• Only a single application is required
TAP replaced the Water Revenue Assistance Program (WRAP) and TAP is for residents whose income falls below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), which is equivalent to $3,075 in monthly income for a four-person household (as of 2017). However, higher household incomes with a Special Hardship, may still qualify. Customers don’t have to figure out which program they fall into because trained representatives do that for them at the Philadelphia Water Department.