Life offers many challenges. Flushing your toilet should not be one of them.

Troy M., a 35-year-old quality control inspector, had been toiling at his job and paying his monthly bills without fail until months of guessing by Detroit Water & Sewerage resulted in a massive bill once the utility got around to reading his water meter.

Unemployment since 2014 without any job prospects has left Francine T. frustrated and she thinks age discrimination may be why.

Baltimore resident Danielle D. came within a couple weeks of losing her home due to an unpaid $1,600 water bill that had grown too high for her to pay.

Detroiter Felicia C. by profession was the person people seek out for assistance with various issues in the community, until she found herself needing help from some of the same agencies she routinely told others to seek out.

On July 18, 2016, a Detroit Water and Sewerage Department truck pulled up in front of Larry’s Westside Detroit home and a worker got out and promptly shut-off his water service.

Aaron knew it would be tough paying his monthly water bill when some money he was counting on didn’t materialize.

In 2014, Loria’s typical household budgeting struggles intensified when she lost her one significant source of income–her job.