The Human Utility
The Human Utility seeks to eliminate water service disconnections for…
Founded July 2014, The Human Utility (formerly known as the Detroit Water Project) matches families needing help with utility bills to people who want to help through payments directly to utility companies.
For over 40 million families in the United States, water and other essential utilities may be unaffordable. In order to afford utilities, families often forgo medication, food, and transportation. The Human Utility's platform divides a bill similar to a loan syndicate expanding the possible number of donors from around the world able to join together to ensure families never lose access to utility service. Donors are matched with a specific family or donate to a universal assistance fund.
Later, we use utility data to design interventions addressing the root causes of why people need help with their utility bills with the goal of never having them lose service again.
Active Founders
Tiffani Ashley Bell, Founder/Executive Director
Tiffani is the Founder and Executive Director of The Human Utility. Since July 2014, The Human Utility has helped thousands of people with their water bills.
She was a 2017 Technology & Democracy Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Tiffani is a programmer who earned a BSc in Systems & Computer Science from Howard University. She is also a Stanford Graduate School of Business alumna having earned an MS in Management as a Sloan Fellow in 2021/22.
Always chewing gum.
