MI Impact grant, Superior Watershed Partnership help with summer utility expenses

What's happening: Upper Peninsula residents now have a new resource to help with increasing energy and utility costs, thanks to utility assistance funding through the Superior Watershed Partnership. Households that make up to three times the Federal Poverty Level may be eligible for electric, water, heat and/or waste expenses. This also includes Asset Limited, Income Constrained and Employed (ALICE) populations for the first time. Funding comes from a $1.57 million MI Impact grant from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. 

A year-round utility problem: Problematic energy and utility costs in the Upper Peninsula are usually associated with colder winters and heavy snow loads disrupting heat and electricity. However, the summer heat can also put additional stress on infrastructure and household budgets to irrigate gardens for food independence or to keep people cool in improperly insulated buildings. Additional assistance programs to help with rising utility costs and usage would help with the overall health and safety for qualifying U.P. residents. 

What they're saying: “Costs for everything keep increasing — food, fuel, utilities, you name it,” said Kasey Grieco, program manager. “But wages aren’t increasing at anywhere near the same rates, and families who have previously been able to get by are now finding themselves unable to stretch their paychecks far enough. They’re having to make impossible choices about where the money goes. That’s where we come in.” 

What's next: While a number of utility companies are already signed up for the program, the Superior Watershed Partnership is looking to sign up more water, wastewater and garbage providers. More utility providers involved creates the opportunity to help more Upper Peninsula residents, while also providing new financial reconciliation possibilities for the utilities. For information, potential participants should contact the SWP Climate & Energy Office at 906-273-2742.