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OWASA Quarterly Report 3 <br /> January 26, 2022 <br /> Page 2 <br /> Bill Assistance: <br /> A new temporary program called the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program <br /> (LIHWAP) announced by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC <br /> DHHS) will provide funding assistance to eligible OWASA customers with overdue water bills. <br /> Until funds are exhausted, LIHWAP funds can be used to pay off 100% of an eligible customer's <br /> overdue water bill. <br /> OWASA has been in direct contact with customers with overdue bills to alert them to this <br /> program. We have also worked with Orange County Department of Social Services to efficiently <br /> distribute these funds and communicate with customers as their account balances are paid. <br /> OWASA is grateful to local partners for helping spread the word about this program. <br /> Households can apply for funding through September 30, 2023, or until funds are exhausted. <br /> This is a temporary program supported by federal COVID relief funding. <br /> More information is available from the North Carolina DHHS and on the OWASA website. <br /> OWASA is also grateful for the additional temporary funding that helped support OWASA <br /> customers during this challenging time. Although the NC HOPE Program is no longer available <br /> to provide water bill assistance, in 2021, the NC HOPE Program provided a total of over$27,000 <br /> of water bill payment assistance to 169 OWASA customers. In addition, the Orange County <br /> Emergency Housing Fund provided over $30,000 of water bill assistance to 51 OWASA <br /> customers. <br /> COVID-19 Update: <br /> OWASA is continuing to monitor recent developments with the COVID-19 pandemic as cases <br /> have increased due to the omicron variant. <br /> OWASA's vaccination rate among employees is at 85% as of January 3, and we continue to <br /> encourage those who have not done so to begin the vaccination process and to stay up to date <br /> with booster shot eligibility and availability. Employees who have not provided proof of <br /> vaccination to Human Resources have been required to submit weekly COVID-19 tests to be <br /> authorized to report to work since September 1, 2021. <br /> We've also been partnering with UNC and state health officials to monitor our wastewater for <br /> COVID-19 trends in the community. That helps all of us stay informed by showing the very <br /> early signs of any possible changes in prevalence of the virus in our area. <br /> OWASA's Incident Management Team continues to meet and discuss action items needed to <br /> help protect employees while also being able to continue delivering essential services to <br /> customers across the community. <br /> Diversity and Inclusion: <br /> Promoting diversity and inclusion is a top priority for OWASA, which has had an active <br /> Diversity and Inclusion program since 2016. <br />