Can’t pay your water bill? Here are some resources that can help.

211 is a 24-hour phone referral service for people needing assistance with paying utility bills, food, health services, domestic violence assistance, shelter and many other needs. When you call, you get an actual human on the phone who will do a database search to help you find solutions. Often, water bill funding is quickly depleted in San Diego County, but 211 researchers can help find potential funding for other utilities to offset costs. Online: www.211.org.

San Diego County United Way fund: is intended to help with utility bills, rent and mortgage payments. It’s for low-wage workers who need support for a limited but undetermined length of time. Online: https://uwsd.org/covid19/

Modest Needs Foundation: is a grant program. It is for unusual or emergency situations, and if approved, Modest Needs would pay the bill in its entirety. You would not be expected to repay the grant. Online: www.modestneeds.org

Payment Plans: FPUD can work with you to make creative payment plans, stretching payments out over a year if necessary. Call us! We’re happy to help! 760-728-1125

Why can’t you just forgive my bill? We can’t, unfortunately. Prop. 218, voted into law by California voters in 1996, prohibits government agencies from allowing some customers to subsidize other customers. Doing so would be illegal for FPUD since we are a non-profit, government agency. We don’t make a penny on the water we sell. The reason electric companies, phone companies and other utilities can offer discounts and bill forgiveness is because they are for-profit agencies.

County of San Diego water, utility & rent bill relief

Additional information on statewide efforts to control the pandemic are being provided by the State of California at: covid19.ca.gov