Michigan Assistance Programs and Benefits
Free help finding assistance programs, from Detroit to the Keweenaw
A plant layoff, a February gas bill or a hospital stay can knock a Michigan budget sideways. Helping Hands sorts out which Michigan assistance programs fit your household and tells you how to reach each one.
Start with the problem in front of you: rent, groceries, a shutoff notice. We point you to the programs, the basic rules and the Michigan offices that handle them.
Our guidance reaches all 83 counties in Michigan, on both peninsulas. You could live in Detroit, Grand Rapids or Lansing, in Wayne, Oakland or Kent County, or in an Upper Peninsula town where lake-effect snow piles up each winter. You get the same free information.
Michigan help comes from several directions: MDHHS programs, federal benefits, local charities, food banks and community action agencies. We help you see which ones apply to you.
Check Your Eligibility for Free
MDHHS and every other agency write their own rules. Your income, household size, age, disability status, housing costs and work history can all change what you qualify for.
Helping Hands helps you spot the programs that may fit and the first step for each one.
Michigan Financial Assistance Programs
A shutdown at the plant, a blown transmission or a medical emergency can wipe out a family's savings in a few weeks. Michigan has different kinds of financial help for different situations.
If you can't cover the basics right now, we help you find resources that fit and show you where to apply.
Helping Hands can help you locate information about programs and resources involving:
Michigan Food Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits
Food prices take a bigger bite out of a small paycheck every year.
Helping Hands explains Michigan food assistance programs, including the Food Assistance Program, Michigan's name for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Michigan loads benefits onto the Bridge Card, which you use like a debit card at approved stores.
Cupboards running low before payday? Checking your eligibility for food assistance is a good place to start.
You apply for food assistance, cash assistance and Medicaid through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), online at MI Bridges or at a local MDHHS office.
We can also help Michigan residents locate:
Michigan Utility Bill Assistance
Michigan winters run long, and lake-effect storms can keep your furnace going for months. A shutoff notice in January puts your family's safety at risk.
We can walk you through heating and electric help that Michigan households may qualify for, from Detroit to Sault Ste. Marie.
Resources may include information about:
LIHEAP Help in Michigan: MEAP
Michigan uses federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) money for State Emergency Relief (SER) energy help and the Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP), both run by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Local MEAP grantees can help with heating and electric bills and sign you up for affordable payment plans with your utility. Funding and rules change each year, so confirm the details with the agency near you.
We help you find the right office and get your request moving.
Michigan Rental Assistance and Housing Assistance
A rent increase or a few lost shifts can make the first of the month feel impossible.
Behind on rent, facing eviction, or searching for a place you can afford? We help you find Michigan programs and groups that may step in.
Helping Hands provides information about housing resources that may be available to qualifying Michigan residents, including:
Section 8 and Housing Assistance in Michigan
Michigan renters who need lower housing costs should learn about Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and other subsidized housing.
Local housing commissions and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority run these programs, and wait lists vary from one community to the next.
Helping Hands can provide information and resources to help you understand:
Michigan Eviction Assistance
Got an eviction notice or a demand for past-due rent? Move quickly. Once a case reaches court, it can move fast.
Look into rental assistance, eviction prevention, emergency housing, legal aid and local community resources in your part of Michigan, and we'll help you find them.
Help may come from nonprofits, legal aid offices, local agencies or housing programs, depending on your situation.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance in Michigan
Homeowners who fall behind should explore their options before missed payments stack up.
For Michigan homeowners, we share referrals for foreclosure prevention and housing counseling.
If losing the house keeps you up at night, get a HUD-approved housing counselor and your mortgage servicer on the phone before the next due date.
Michigan Assistance for Seniors
Older Michiganders may qualify for help with health care, food, housing, rides to appointments and monthly bills.
For Medicare and Medicaid questions, call the Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) at 1-800-803-7174.
Helping Hands provides information about resources that may be available to older adults, including:
Michigan Medicaid and Medicare Resources
Doctor visits, prescriptions and hospital bills weigh heaviest on seniors, people with disabilities and families with low incomes.
Helping Hands helps you find information about Medicare, Medicaid, the Healthy Michigan Plan and other medical resources that fit your situation.
Medicare and Medicaid follow separate rules, so check the current requirements for the program you want.
Disability Assistance in Michigan
Michigan residents living with a disability may qualify for specialized programs, home supports and community services.
Each program sets its own qualifications, so review them one program at a time.
Helping Hands can help Michigan residents locate information about resources involving:
Legal Assistance for Michigan Residents
A benefit denial, a landlord dispute or a debt collector can leave you needing a lawyer.
Michigan has nonprofit legal aid offices, and we can help you find legal aid and free legal resources if you qualify.
Those offices set their own limits on who gets free or low-cost help.
Legal assistance may be particularly relevant for issues involving:
Education, Employment and Training Assistance
Steady footing takes more than one payment.
Helping Hands also shares education, job training and workforce resources that can help you move into better-paying work in Michigan.
Resources may include:
Michigan Food Banks and Emergency Food Resources
Need food today? Michigan food banks and pantries serve both peninsulas, from Detroit neighborhoods to towns along Lake Superior.
We can point you to pantries and meal programs near you, with options for families, seniors, people with disabilities and anyone hit by a sudden crisis.
Out of food tonight or facing a shutoff tomorrow? Dial 2-1-1 in Michigan. Michigan 211 connects you with local services at any hour.
Assistance Available Throughout All 83 Michigan Counties
Our program information and guidance reach all 83 counties in Michigan, from the Thumb to the western U.P.
You'll find Michigan resources for places like:
- Detroit
- Grand Rapids
- Warren
- Sterling Heights
- Ann Arbor
- Lansing
- Dearborn
- Livonia
- Troy
- Flint
- Kalamazoo
- Saginaw
- Traverse City
- Marquette
- Muskegon
- Wayne County
- Oakland County
- Macomb County
- Kent County
- Genesee County
- And communities throughout Michigan
From a Detroit apartment to a cabin outside Marquette, the help you can get depends on your household and the programs in your area.
How Helping Hands Can Help
Agencies, forms, rules and wait lists can make finding the right program feel like a second job.
Think of Helping Hands as a guide who already knows the Michigan offices and programs.
Our goal is to help you:
- Identify programs that may match your situation.
- Understand basic eligibility requirements.
- Find the appropriate agency or organization.
- Learn where and how to apply.
- Locate additional resources if one program does not meet your needs.
Every Michigan resident can use our help and resource information for free.
Need Help in Michigan? Start Here.
Short on money for food, rent, heat or medical care? You don't have to hunt down every program alone.
We lay out your options and connect you with the MDHHS offices, nonprofits and local agencies that may help.
Common Michigan Assistance Programs
Food & Nutrition
- Food Assistance Program (SNAP)
- EBT information
- Food banks
- Food pantries
- Emergency food assistance
Housing
- Rental assistance
- Section 8
- Low-income housing
- Eviction assistance
- Foreclosure prevention
- Emergency housing
Utilities
- LIHEAP (MEAP)
- Electric assistance
- Gas assistance
- Utility bill assistance
Financial Assistance
- Emergency financial assistance
- Cash assistance
- Family assistance
- Single-parent resources
- Community grants and assistance
Health & Senior Services
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Senior assistance
- Disability resources
- Health-care assistance
Other Resources
- Legal assistance
- Education
- Job training
- Workforce resources
- Community services
Immediate Michigan Assistance
Need help now? Dial 2-1-1 and Michigan 211 will connect you with local food, shelter and utility help in your county.
For food assistance, cash assistance and Medicaid, contact the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) or apply through MI Bridges.
For Medicare and Medicaid questions, call the Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program (MMAP) at 1-800-803-7174.
Helping Hands makes the path to help easier to follow.
See what you may qualify for and start exploring Michigan assistance programs now.
Helping Hands is a resource and information service. Program eligibility, availability, funding, and application requirements are determined by the applicable government agency, nonprofit organization, housing authority, or other program administrator. Providing information about a program does not guarantee eligibility or approval.
