NEWS RELEASE
SUPERIOR WATERSHED PARTNERSHIP
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MARQUETTE — The Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) Energy & Climate Office received a MI Impact grant for $1.57 million from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, expanding heat, electric, water and waste utility assistance for both low and moderate income U.P. households.
The SWP provides unprecedented utility assistance to low-income and ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) residents in the UP. “This is a one-of-a-kind program to help households who are not eligible for State Emergency Relief utility assistance. With low-income Michigan residents spending an average of 15 per cent of their income on energy bills alone, this funding couldn’t come at a better time to help people in the UP,” said Kasey Grieco, Program Manager.
This assistance is intended to reduce energy and utility burdens, thereby allowing households to redirect funds for other needs. 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 data from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan the average UP household spends 50 per cent of their income on high transportation costs, food, employment, education and housing, leaving households struggling with day-to-day expenses.
Households with incomes up to 150 per cent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) that have been approved for State Emergency Relief since Oct. 1, 2024 may qualify for assistance with participating water and waste bills, and households with incomes between 151 per cent and 300 per cent FPL may qualify for heat, electric water and waste with participating providers.
Since 2013, the SWP has worked with over 9,000 income-qualified households to provide heat and electric assistance. Realizing that many more households needed assistance than those who had previously been eligible, the SWP began seeking additional funding to expand its services to more UP residents in need, as well as to offer assistance with utility bills that many assistance programs exclude, such as water and waste.
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The SWP is one of 10 Michigan non-profits, and the only one in the UP, awarded funds from the MI Impact Grant program, which aims to address disparities that affect Michiganders’ abilities to afford necessities such as housing, child care, food, health care, and transportation, with the goal of lifting 100,000 families out of poverty during the next five years. This funding is supported through the American Rescue Plan Act, Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, with a goal to build a strong, resilient and equitable recovery by making investments that support long-term growth and opportunity.
UP residents who may benefit from this program should contact the SWP Climate & Energy Office at 906-273-2742, or visit the website for more information and eligibility guidelines.
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