Working to Make Utilities Affordable and Accessible for All
Aligning community-driven solutions with lived experiences and human rights standards
About KWEA
Our Mission
Knoxville Water and Energy for All (KWEA) is a partnership of East Knoxville members affected by unaffordable utility bills and disconnections and their community allies. As advocates of racial justice and human dignity, we call upon KUB to make utility services accessible and affordable to all and to end utility disconnections for customers with unaffordable bills, aligning solutions to lived experiences and human rights standards.
Our Work
Our grassroots organizing coalition
was founded in early 2020 in the midst of increased utility insecurity in Knoxville, Tennessee. As part of this effort, we access utility data through open records requests
to produce affordability and shutoff statistics that the utility will not share publicly. We transform these
findings into accessible/common language and messaging for community members affected by unaffordable
bills and then convene community meetings to share data, gather stories, and create solutions for addressing
the income and racial disparities in utility insecurity.
Our Current Project
KWEA has been demonstrating the well-being impacts of a Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) with select households in Knoxville. KWEA pays down household bills to no more than 10% of their income. We have gathered household responses and surveys to better understand what it means to households to have affordable utility bills.This project is funded through a University of TN, Knoxville CURCI grant.
Community Outreach
We believe community outreach, education, and empowerment is critical for understanding experiences with utility insecurity and for co-creating transformative solutions that matter.
Steering Committee Members
Current Steering Committee Members
- Briana (Bri) Knisley (she/her)
- Nikki Luke (she/her)
- Laila Malik (she/her)
- Erin Rose (she/her)
- Caity Southall (she/her)
Research Sub-Committee Member: York Haverkamp (he/him)
Former Steering Committee Members
Former Steering Committee Members
- Maya Rao (she/her)
- Brady Watson (he/him)
- Nzinga (Z) Amani (they/them)
- Louise Gorenflo (she/her)
- Reverend Calvin Taylor Skinner (he/him)
- Oslo Cole (he/him)
- Nick Geidner (he/him)
- Beth Hawkins (she/her)
