September 21, 2017 - 1:00 pm
The Cost Of Unaffordable Water: The Toll That Rising Water Costs And Water Shut-Offs Take On Health, Households And The Most Vulnerable Communities
With water costs skyrocketing in some regions, the lowest 20 percent of earners can pay almost one-fifth of their income for water. Some families reduce their expenditures for healthy food, heat, and air conditioning to just to keep their water on. Shutting off water service is one of the mechanisms utilities use to enforce payment. And there are few policies in place to protect small children, the disabled, pregnant women, or older Americans. In some states, children have been separated from their families and placed in foster care when water service is cut off. And the problem is expected to get far worse. Learn about the threats of unaffordable water, how advocates have organized to confront the problem, and how some communities have pioneered solutions. Speakers include Nancy Stoner, Water Program Director and Senior Fellow, Pisces Foundation; Elizabeth Mack, Assistant Professor, Michigan State University; Radhika Fox, CEO, U.S. Water Alliance; Monica Lewis-Patrick, Co-founder, President and CEO, People’s Water Board, Detroit. Sponsored by Health and Environmental Funders Network and Grantmakers in Health.