The social fund is a financial mechanism, based on the participation of water suppliers, CPAS (Public Center for Social Welfare), and the SPGE. It applies to the whole Walloon Region, except to municipalities of the German-speaking Community.
Il allows to take part in the payment of water bills of consumers with payment difficulties.
The principle of this mechanism is based on the constitution of a fund and drawing rights.
Any natural person having directly or indirectly water in his/her main residence, exclusively for domestic use, can benefit from this fund.
The fund is fed on the basis of a usage fee of €0.0125 per m³ of billed water. The supplier pays it and can pass it on to the consumer.
The fund subsequently built up is devoted to drawing rights at 85%, to operating costs of CPAS and the SPGE at 10%, and to technical improvements allowing suppliers to assist receiving consumers at 5%.