Utility bill assistance expands through grant funding

More Upper Peninsula residents will be eligible to receive help paying for utilities due to grant funding from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.

Superior Watershed Partnership energy & climate office received the $1.57 million MI Impact Grant. The money will provide assistance to u.p. households for heat, electric, water, sewer and waste expenses.

“This is a one–of–a–kind program to help households who have never been eligible for utility assistance. With low–income Michigan residents spending an average of 15% of their income on energy bills alone, this funding couldn’t come at a better time to help people in the U.P.,” program manager Kasey Grieco said.

Households with incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level may be eligible for assistance through the grant. Approved households are encouraged to spend funds that would have been allocated for utilities on necessities such as healthy food, vehicle repairs, and medication, according to SWP.

Up residents in need of assistance should contact the SWP Climate & Energy Office at 906–273–2742.