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Heating assistance funding delay causing problem for Michigan families

Flickr User: Zdenko Zivkovic / https://flic.kr/p/9UVSmG

Some families may not be getting heat assistance this winter, due to a delay in federal and state funding.
 

Mid-Michigan Community Action Agency said they typically see grants for over a million dollars by September.

 

 

Right now they have only received $100,000.

Other action agencies are experiencing the same issue.

Jill Sutton is the Executive Director of MMCAA, that serves Midland, Clare, Bay, Mecosta, Osceola and Gratiot counties.

“We’ve been fortunate with warmer weather, so that’s helpful. But now that it's starting to set in and look like the season and the colder weather and temps at night, this is going to be the major time. But we kinda predict the January through March period as the worst times.”

Sutton said they are trying to determine who can receive funding at the moment.

“With a little bit of money, we’re trying to serve the people with the lowest, they've already outed their heat source such as zero percent in their tank, we're trying to get the people who are in the most crisis, however there are a lot of people on that list.”

Sutton said the action agency has received over a thousand calls about heating assistance.

She said they hope to receive funding by January.