In conjunction with October’s “Imagine a Day Without Water,” a national day of action that brings together diverse stakeholders to highlight how water is essential, invaluable and in need of investment, Northeastern Law’s Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) released the latest publication in its series on water and human rights in the US, “How Five Creative Water Utilities Are Assisting ‘Hard-to-Reach’ Renters as Water Rates Rise.”

“Renters have long been excluded from many assistance programs aimed at helping low-income consumers with rising water costs, even though they pay for water either directly or indirectly,” said Professor Martha Davis, a PHRGE faculty co-director who authored the report with Zain Walker ’24. “This briefing paper highlights five water utilities that have recognized the equity and human rights issues created by renters’ exclusion and have taken creative steps to ensure that renters get the assistance that they need. We hope that the information in this briefing paper will encourage other water utilities to likewise think outside of
the box.”