Toledo Approves Increase In Water Help Available

Toledo Council, Mayor Mix, City Manager Huebner and Lt. Dell'Olio

The Toledo City Council approved a new contract with the Salvation Army to double the annual assistance available through the city’s H2O program, increasing the maximum benefit from $100 to $200 per eligible recipient. The council voted 5–0 at its June 3 meeting to authorize the city manager to sign the updated agreement, following an earlier presentation from the Salvation Army in late April on how the program was working and why more aid was needed.

City Manager Rich Huebner told the council the revised contract was largely a cleanup of the existing agreement but included the key policy change to raise the annual cap. “The proposed contract increases the amount that eligible recipients are eligible for, it increases it from $100 a year to $200 per year,” he said.

Huebner emphasized that the H2O program is not paid out of the city’s general fund. “This program is funded entirely through donations by our residents, so we will be working hard to promote the awareness of the program as we’re increasing the maximum amount that recipients may receive,” Huebner said. “If we don’t increase the donations that fund the program, then we’ll be able to impact less people overall.”

Given inflation and higher household costs, city staff said the adjustment was overdue. “Given the increasing costs of everything in the world right now, we really felt that this was appropriate to increase the flexibility of this program,” Huebner told the council. Lt. Michele Dell'Olio of the Salvation Army attended the Toledo City Council meeting on April 15 about the city’s water assistance partnership and urged councilors to support raising the maximum aid available to struggling customers.

Dell'Olio said The Salvation Army has been working with the City of Toledo “for several years now” to help residents who fall behind on their water bills due to financial emergencies. Under the current agreement, eligible households can receive up to $100 in assistance in a 12‑month period, once per year. Applicants must live in Toledo, present identification, and show proof of a past-due or shutoff notice or other documented financial hardship, such as a hospitalization or loss of income.

“At this point, we are currently able to assist them with up to $100 in a 12‑month period,” she told the council. “What we have noticed is that a lot of the assistance requests that we get tend to be a lot higher than $100.” She noted one recent case where the customer owed about $450 on their water bill. Dell'Olio asked the council to consider increasing the cap to at least $150, and preferably $200, “so that we’re able to make a little bit more of an impact and help those families just a little bit more to get their feet back under them.”

The Salvation Army coordinates with the city and other agencies when a client applies. After verifying the documentation, staff create a voucher and send payment directly to the city’s utility department, not to the customer. “We always try to give a little bit of a follow-up too,” Dell'Olio said. "We encourage applicants to call the city, let them know you’re getting this and that you’re working on it. And here’s a list of other places that can help you make up that difference.”

Those wanting more information, or who may be in need of help, can contact the Salvation Army of Lincoln County or if you want to donate to the fund to help others, you can contact the city of Toledo or check your water bill for more information.