Implementation and Impact Evaluation of Local Interventions for Financial Empowerment through Utility Payments (LIFT-UP)

Prepared for The National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families

Report By:

Stephanie Moulton*, The Ohio State University, CFS Affiliate
Danielle Harlow, The Ohio State University
Olga Kondratjeva, The Ohio State University
Stephanie Casey Pierce, The Ohio State University

"When families fall behind on payments for basic necessities like water, it may be a sign of financial instability. Local Interventions for Financial Empowerment through Utility Payments (LIFT-UP) is a model that targets families who have missed payments to utilities or other municipal entities and offers FE interventions at the onset of the debt collection process. LIFTUP is designed to reconcile a “missed opportunity” to connect residents who are struggling to pay for municipal debts, like water utility bills, with FE services."

Check out this report from our partners at the National League of Cities (NLC) on the impact and effectiveness of such programs.