PARAMUS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Veolia reaffirms today its commitment to families across the country who may be facing extraordinary financial challenges during the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis and a sustained period of high inflation. The company has helped eliminate or reduce water and wastewater bills for eligible residents across the country through a number of programs amounting to more than $9 million in funding to date.
“The last few years have been challenging for people everywhere. Following an unprecedented pandemic, inflation is resulting in rising costs for almost everything,” said Karine Rouge, CEO of Municipal Water for Veolia North America. “This is particularly difficult for working families who may be struggling just to keep up with basic needs like water. Water is an essential resource and we must do our part to help those who need it most.”
The company has facilitated bill relief through multiple programs aimed at helping families.
The company has helped reduce or eliminate $2.5 million in payments in 2022 for customers as part of LIHWAP, a federally funded program administered by individual states to help low-income households with past due water bills. Individual customers can apply for up to $2,500 to pay down their water debt. Customers can visit their respective state LIHWAP websites, local social service agencies or call their local customer service center for more information.
Earlier this year, Veolia also worked closely with regulators in select states to forgive water bills that were in arrears totaling over $6.8 million. Eligible customers in this program received a one-time automatic credit on their bills, further relieving the financial pressures faced by working families.
Veolia Cares is a non-profit organization that has granted nearly $50,000, year-to-date, to customers who need temporary assistance with their water bills. Eligible households may have their water bills reduced once per year. To learn more, visit: cares.veolia.org.
“We encourage customers who may need help to take advantage of these programs if they have not done so already. While water bills are often the smallest part of a household budget, every little bit helps,” said Rouge.
By the end of 2022, these initiatives are expected to reach nearly $10 million across the company’s footprint, reflecting Veolia’s renewed commitment to the communities it serves.
About Veolia: Veolia Group aims to be the benchmark company for ecological transformation. With nearly 220,000 employees worldwide, the Group designs and provides game-changing solutions that are both useful and practical for water, waste and energy management. Through its three complementary business activities, Veolia helps to develop access to resources, preserve available resources and replenish them. In 2021, the Veolia group provided 79 million inhabitants with drinking water and 61 million with sanitation, produced nearly 48 million megawatt hours and recovered 48 million tonnes of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) achieved consolidated revenue of 28,508 billion euros in 2021. www.veolia.com
About Veolia North America: A subsidiary of Veolia group, Veolia North America (VNA) offers a full spectrum of water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Veolia North America has more than 10,000 employees working at more than 400 locations across the continent. www.veolianorthamerica.com