The Business Case for Low-Income Affordability Programs

Throughout North America, water and wastewater utility rate increases are far outstripping inflation rates, imposing potentially untenable burdens on the economically disadvantaged. Low-income affordability programs offer water and wastewater utilities means to ensure access to service for all households in their service areas, fulfilling their responsibilities as major economic actors in their communities and safeguarding the human right to water and sanitation. This paper outlines traditional legal and policy perspective barriers to funding low-income affordability programs and the business cases that may be made to overcome them.