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The Detroit Water Project (YC W15) Connects Donors to Unpaid Water Bills

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Re: The Detroit Water Project (YC W15) Connects Donors to Unpaid Water Bills

#31

Post by tiffani »

jaebrown wrote: post #30

I have a problem with this and question YC for taking on The Detroit Water Project. I'm truly not trying to be difficult but I do not see the full context of the situation here or in the TC article. I'm a native Detroiter (not the suburbs and live in the city now) and know that this problem is not as severe as often publicized. There are programs already in place for people who are struggling to pay their water bills…

Thanks for the comment. Yes, there are programs in place that help people with their bills. They've a number of problems, however. Some ran out of funds and couldn't help any more people. What's interesting about those programs is that a few (including the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department itself) started referring people to us. Others (such as state-run programs) moved too slowly to prevent shut-offs.

Yes, there are people who simply choose not to pay their bills. When we determine that's the case with an applicant, they don't get assistance. Simple.

On top of that, we provide one-time assistance, so there isn't an opportunity to just decide to lean on us and stop paying a bill.

Re: The Detroit Water Project (YC W15) Connects Donors to Unpaid Water Bills

#32

Post by tiffani »

xhrpost wrote: post #29

Pretty neat, just made a small donation. I think it would be cool to see real-time statistics and various metrics. Like how much has been given (regularly updating). What goals there are to reach people in certain priority levels, like 45% complete on P1 which is customer's water is scheduled for turn-off within the month. Show what numbers of monthly commitments would be needed. Etc. Donors could then better see the…

Thanks for the donation! And these are really good suggestions. That transparency is definitely a goal.

Re: The Detroit Water Project (YC W15) Connects Donors to Unpaid Water Bills

#33

Post by jaebrown »

tiffani wrote: post #31
jaebrown wrote: post #30

I have a problem with this and question YC for taking on The Detroit Water Project. I'm truly not trying to be difficult but I do not see the full context of the situation here or in the TC article. I'm a native Detroiter (not the suburbs and live in the city now) and know that this problem is not as severe as often publicized. There are programs already in place for people who are struggling to pay their water bills…

Thanks for the comment. Yes, there are programs in place that help people with their bills. They've a number of problems, however. Some ran out of funds and couldn't help any more people. What's interesting about those programs is that a few (including the Detroit Water & Sewerage Department itself) started referring people to us. Others (such as state-run programs) moved too slowly to prevent shut-offs. Yes, there a…

When looking through your website, I didn't see any information regarding any of what you've mentioned. As a Detroiter, I take it personal when organizations try to award pity on the city, as if we're some type of charity case. Yes there are some that are in real hardship for the moment, while other make choices. It is those choices that has led to the ruin porn of Detroit. I simply don't agree with providing assistance every time a hardship is presented versus providing resources for people to ensure it never happens to them again. I probably don't have to tell you the story of "Teach a man how to fish" or provide links on how giving away anything has statistically not helped; which others have already done.

I know people taking advantage of the programs already established and organization like yours. As you may determine a fraud case with some applicants, I would find it very hard to believe there is no fraud.

Re: The Detroit Water Project (YC W15) Connects Donors to Unpaid Water Bills

#34

Post by toomuchtodo »

tiffani wrote: post #23
csixty4 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Detroit has also raised the price of water a couple times over the last decade to make up for budget shortfalls from lower tax revenue. I think it's more than double what it was in 2005.

Right. There have been increases in the price of water in Detroit. And they're angling to increase them again.

So shouldn't the project focus on providing decentralized water management to residents (roof capture, condensing from the air) instead of funneling money into a system used for tax collection with the side effect of providing water?

Solar can be used for distributed generation, why can we not provide distributed water production?

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