Michigan Assistance Programs

Locate help and assistance in all Michigan cities and counties, including Detroit and Grand Rapids. Also, in addition to the state run programs below, you can also find organizations and charities in Michigan that can provide you with help paying a variety of bills.

The Michigan Department of Human Resources offers many programs including the following assistance programs:

Elder Prescription Insurance Program (EPIC)
A prescription drug medication assistance program for seniors living in Michigan. The plan provides year-round prescription coverage that can help with medical bills. Find additional ways to get help with medical bills and prescription drugs.

MiChild
This aid program will provide health insurance coverage to children living in the state of Michigan. There is a very small monthly premium of $5 per month with no co-pays and no deductibles.

Family Independence Program (FIP)
The main goal of the FIP program is to help families become independent and self-supporting. FIP is temporary cash assistance for struggling or lower income families with pregnant women or minor children. FIP helps these families pay for living expenses such as heat, rent, food, utilities, clothing, and personal care items. In addition, FIP applicants and recipients may be assigned to the Jobs, Education and Training (JET) program for assistance in finding a job or ways to develop needed job skills. Help with childcare, transportation, and other needs related to training and employment may be provided.

Mortgage Help and Foreclosure Assistance
Michigan provides various programs that will aid families with paying their mortgage and also help those who need assistance avoid foreclosure. More.

In addition, they have created a foreclosure mediation process that help bring lenders and homeowners to the table to review solutions. Click here to read more.

Food Assistance Program (FAP) Group
Eligibility for the Food Assistance Program will depend on the financial situation of all members of the household group. All persons who live in the household and purchase and prepare food together will be considered to be members of the same FAP group.

Child Care
For many families in Michigan and elsewhere, the cost of quality, safe, child care is a major strain on the family budget. DHS' Child Development and Care Program may provide aid and payment for child care services for  qualifying families if needed when the legal guardian, parent, or substitute parent is unavailable to provide the child care.

PeopleCare program
The Michigan Salvation Army and the utility company Consumers Energy have partnered together to offer this program to individuals and families across the state of Michigan. The assistance program can provide people with energy bill assistance, food, medical aid, and more. Read more on PeopleCare.

Home Repairs
SER assists residents with home repairs that will correct unsafe conditions and also restore essential services. Eligible home repairs may include the replacement or repair of hot water heaters, a nonfunctioning furnace, or a septic systems. In addition to this, there are also non-energy repairs available and they include all home repairs except furnace repair or replacement. (This will include hot water heaters as well as septic systems for client-owned housing.)

Home Ownership Services
Home Ownership Services can help prevent loss of a home by providing services such as:

• Grants for the payment of property taxes and fees
• House payments (which can include mortgage or land contract payments), including principal, interest, legal fees and escrow for taxes and insurance
• Mobile home lot rent for owners or purchasers of mobile homes
• Home insurance coverage that is required by a mortgage or land contract.

Health Care Coverage
Michigan offers numerous health care programs that are available to families, children, and adults who meet certain eligibility requirements. The goal of these various health care programs is to ensure that essential health care services are made available to those who need it and otherwise would not have the financial resources to purchase them or pay for medical bills.

Assistance From Michigan Cities and Counties

Bay County (Bay City)

Detroit

Delta County (Escanaba)

Grand Traverse County (Traverse City)

Hillsdale County

Ingham County (Lansing)

Jackson County

Kalamazoo County

Kent County (Grand Rapids)

Lenawee County (Adrian)

Livingston County (Howell)

Macomb County

Monroe County

Oakland County (Pontiac)

Saginaw County

St. Clair County (Port Huron)

Wayne County (Detroit)

Assistance With Paying Utility and Heating Bills

Michigan Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
The LIHEAP program is federal money that is given to each state to assist low-income families who need to with paying energy bills. In Michigan, the LIHEAP grant is used for the following programs:

• Home Heating Credit (HHC) was created to help lower income families living in Michigan with the cost of heating bills.
• State Emergency Relief (SER) is a crisis intervention program that provides various services such as a direct payment for electricity, heating fuel, and home repairs.
• Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Michigan's Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is a federal program that provides low-income residential energy conservation. The program offers many services and will provide free home energy conservation services to low-income Michigan homeowners as well as renters. These services provided will help reduce energy use and lower utility and heating bills, thus creating more self-sufficient households. Examples of the aid provided from this program include wall insulation, attic insulation and improved ventilation.

Citizens Oil Heat Program
Citizens Energy, working with numerous heating oil dealers and fuel assistance agencies across Michigan, delivers free heating oil to families in need. Citizens also cooperates with oil heat dealers in over 15 states to provide deliveries of free home heating oil to those in Michigan who need help paying heating bills.

Home Heating Bill Credit
A state tax credit that is available to assist lower income and struggling families living in Michigan with the cost of heating bills. The tax credit is based on total household income, the number of exemptions claimed by the homeowner, and the home total heating costs.

Winter Protection Plan
This plan protects low-income customers and seniors from natural gas or electric service shutoff, and also protects them from high utility and heating bill payments between December 1 and March 31.

The Winter Protection assistance program will allow eligible customers to make monthly payments of at least 7 percent of their estimated annual utility or heating bill, along with a agreed upon portion of any past-due amount, December through March, and they will avoid shutoff during that timeframe even if their bills are higher.

State Emergency Relief (SER)
The SER program provides limited help to customers and residents who have a limited income and who have an emergency that threatens their health or safety.