Swp Expands Utility Assistance to More Upper Peninsula Families

A nonprofit in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has been awarded a $1.57 million grant to help some of the state's poorest residents pay their utility bills, the Marquette Mining Journal reports.

According to a press release, the Superior Watershed Partnership has been awarded the grant from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity to expand its existing heat and electric assistance program to cover previously ineligible expenses such as water, sewer, and trash disposal.

"This is a one-of-a-kind program to help households who have never been eligible for utility assistance," program manager Kasey Grieco says.

"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 UP."

A family of four earning up to $7,500 per month is eligible for assistance with heat, electric, water, and/or waste bills.

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