Home energy assistance available locally | News, Sports, Jobs – Marquette Mining Journal

MARQUETTE — Many agencies have exhausted their resources for the 2021-22 fiscal year, but the Superior Watershed Partnership’s Michigan Energy Assistance Program announced that it has funding for a limited time to assist Upper Peninsula residents with their heat and electric costs.

SWP urges U.P. residents struggling with paying their heat and electric bills to contact the SWP MEAP Energy and Climate Office for assistance with home energy bills and energy efficiency services at 906-273-2742.

The SWP MEAP team is available to help individuals through the state emergency relief program if they have trouble completing the application on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services MI Bridges website at www.michigan.gov/MIBridges.

Applicants must be at or below 150% of the federal poverty level and demonstrate their need for assistance, which could include a past due bill or shut off notice to qualify for SER and MEAP payment services. For example, a family of four must make $3,313 per month or less to qualify.

After a Michigan household has been approved for energy assistance through MDHHS, the SWP MEAP can help with copays and subsequent heating and electric bills.

The SWP MEAP also offers affordable payment plans and energy security services, including energy education, financial counseling, free home energy score assessments, home weatherization and free solar panel installation for up to five qualified households.

For more than a decade, the SWP MEAP team has helped thousands of U.P. residents pay their heat and electric bills and provided free services to improve home energy efficiency to lower future bills.

The SWP MEAP collaborates with participating St. Vincent de Paul societies of the Upper Peninsula, Native American communities of the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Community Action agencies, and other project partners to implement a step-by-step energy assistance program for low-income households across the U.P. This collaborative, community approach helps struggling families in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan pay their energy bills, become more aware of home energy conservation, and receive the tools needed to gain the confidence and knowledge to budget for future energy costs, SWP said.

The SWP Energy and Climate Office, located at 1104 N. Third St., Marquette, is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to assist residents with any energy-related needs, including: MI Bridges account creation, SER application assistance, SWP MEAP requirements and assistance, energy education, financial counseling and more.

U.P. residents in need are encouraged to stop by the office or call at 906-273-2742.

Original Source: https://www.miningjournal.net/news/front-page-news/2022/09/home-energy-assistance-available-locally/