Consumer services

The Human Utility

Website

Overview

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.

Company description As recorded 2026-11-08
About
Consumer servicesMarketplaceConsumersConsumer

Product & workflow

If you’re a community organization in Detroit or Baltimore working to connect residents with services and support, we’d love to partner with you.

Source-reported As recorded 2026-09-16

Founders & team

Previously Detroit Water Project

Company history As recorded 2026-11-08

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. Always chewing gum. Quant.

X
Founder profile As recorded 2026-09-15
2team members reported
Source-reported As recorded 2026-09-15

News & product activity

Sources & observations

Y Combinator

Profile depthenriched profile
Website observationwebsite reachable
Last website check2026-11-11
Location · source statedSan Francisco, CA, USA; Oakland, CA, USA; Remote
Pricing evidenceA pricing page was detected
Maturity: Not assessed · 4 of 6 areas documented

Source-based assessment · automated evidence rules

The retained text does not establish product availability or customer use.

Maturity is an evidence-based assessment, not a success rating. It may understate the current stage where evidence is limited. Coverage records documented areas, not a complete or independently audited company history.

Stage definitions
independent websitesource corroborationreachable websitedescriptive evidenceclassified market and modelsourced peoplepricing page observed
startup.observe Directory coverage · Sources & method