Cruz-ing towards affordable water - Our latest ColLAB!

Today we bring to you the latest collaboration between the Osman and Fletcher Labs - “Addressing Water Affordability for Hard-to-Reach Populations in Santa Cruz”, which recently was recognized as a 2025 Community Engagement Impact project. This project will assess water affordability challenges faced by hard-to-reach and underserved populations in Santa Cruz. The project will inform the design of a customer assistance program by the City of Santa Cruz Water Department for renters and low-income households by engaging up to 200 community members. The funding will help support research assistants to develop and implement surveys, conduct literature and policy review. Additionally, it will support outreach and incentives for participants to share billing information.