Nearly 40% of Michigan households struggle to pay for basic needs like food, housing, childcare, and health according to a United Way report. That statistic prompted more than 120 low-income advocates known as the Coalition to Keep Michigan Warm to go public, asking for immediate help for those struggling to pay their energy bills.
“To help working households, seniors, that maybe barely just don’t qualify for normal channels of assistance, to hopefully get them some.”
Coalition Chairman Angie Sterner says a growing number of people are in low-wage households, earning just enough to disqualify them from state programs that help pay energy bills, but not enough to pay for the bare necessities which are more expensive due to rising inflation.
“These are families that are just one emergency away from needing help – one emergency repair to household, or car repair, one thing that comes up and takes the money they would normally have set aside for utility bills.”
Advocates say without some changes, they have a limited ability to help those who are falling through the gap. The group is asking the government to raise household income caps so more families will qualify for aid, and to increase funding to meet that demand.
“To have that safety net there when they need it. They’re not going to need it all the time, but in cases when those emergencies do pop up, they’ll have a place to turn to when they do need that help.”
