Since the start of the pandemic, and the waves of layoffs and furloughs that followed, many D.C. residents have been struggling to make ends meet. In terms of water bills alone, Washingtonians are collectively past-due roughly $20 million, up from $12 million nearly a year ago, according to DC Water.

There are a number of emergency assistance programs for people falling behind on water bills, but what about people whose landlords pay the water bills, passing on the cost in rent?

A new program provides assistance for renters in multi-unit apartment or condo buildings affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, who make less than 80% of the area median income.

“We realize there’s a segment of our population in the city — a big segment — that lives in apartments and they are also struggling financially. But the fact that they don’t pay a water bill doesn’t mean that there’s not a way for us to assist them,” says DC Water spokesperson Vincent Morris.

There are an estimated 180,000 people in the District who pay for their water usage through rent or HOA fees, according to Morris. Of that number, he says roughly 9,000 are thought to be income-eligible for the new assistance program.

“There’s a lot of people in the city who are hurting, who are unemployed or have had their income reduced significantly,” says Morris. “So we’ve tried to respond to that by adding these assistance programs.”

The new program goes into effect Monday, Feb. 8. It was approved by DC Water’s board of directors on Feb. 4. The program will provide a one-time credit of up to $2,000 per eligible customer — the exact amount to be calculated based on a building’s average water bill, divided by the number of housing units it contains.

Tenants must apply for the program, and the assistance will show up as a credit on their landlord’s water bill. Landlords must then pass on 90% of that credit to the eligible tenant in the form of a reduction in rent.

“We credit the owner and then the owner turns around and credits their tenant,” explains Morris.

In effect, DC Water, is helping pay the rent.

The program will cost DC Water an estimated $2.4 million to $4 million, funded by its cash surplus. The assistance program is currently slated to sunset at the end of fiscal year 2021, but could go on longer if DC Water’s board approves an extension.