Macomb County Rental Assistance: Where to Get Rent Help in Macomb County, Michigan

Macomb County rental assistance at a glance

Nearly every program pays the landlord directly. Apply to more than one at once, and tell your landlord in writing that you have applied.

Macomb Community Action Centers

Macomb Community Action (MCA) is the county’s anti-poverty agency. Its Community Action Centers list rent and mortgage assistance for people facing eviction, homelessness, or foreclosure, with eligibility that “varies” and paperwork required. The same centers help with electric, gas, and deliverable-fuel shutoffs, and enroll residents in the Water Residential Assistance Program (WRAP), which pays past-due water bills in Great Lakes Water Authority communities and adds a $25 monthly credit.

• Central center (Robert VerKuilen Building, 21885 Dunham Road, Clinton Township): 586-469-6964.
• South center (Max Thompson Family Resource Center, 11370 Hupp Ave., Warren), serving Warren, Center Line, Roseville, and Eastpointe: 586-759-9150.
• Main line: 586-469-6999, or email mcacenters@macombgov.org with your name, phone, and city.

MCA’s weatherization and housing rehab programs are for homeowners, so renters should ask specifically about the emergency rent and utility funds.

Homelessness prevention through the HARA

Michigan routes homeless services through one Housing Assessment and Resource Agency per area, and in Macomb that is MCA. The Macomb County Continuum of Care says homelessness prevention can pay rent or utility arrears and connect families to jobs, benefits, and food, while rapid re-housing helps people who already lost housing with move-in costs and case management. Call (586) 469-5656 or email housing@macombgov.org. If you need a bed tonight, the CoC lists MCREST (586-415-5101) and the Salvation Army MATTS shelter in Warren (586-755-5191), and Turning Point’s 24-hour line (586-463-6990) for people leaving domestic violence.

State Emergency Relief after a court filing

State Emergency Relief is MDHHS’s program for housing, utility, and safety emergencies. For renters it can pay rent to prevent an eviction or relocation costs such as a first month’s rent and deposit. The rule that trips people up is timing. SER’s housing policy accepts a court summons, notice to appear, judgment, consent order, or eviction order as proof, and a landlord’s 7-day demand for possession alone is not enough. Court costs listed in a judgment can be included. SER also checks that you will be able to afford the rent going forward, and it has payment limits, so you may need to cover part of the amount yourself. Apply on MI Bridges the day you are served, upload the court papers, and call the Macomb MDHHS office if your hearing is close.

Macomb district courts and the eviction timeline

Evictions are filed in the district court for the city or township where you live. The county’s district court list and court pages show these locations:

Here is how a nonpayment case usually moves, based on Michigan Legal Help and the court’s Demand for Possession form (DC 100a):

1. Demand for possession: 7 days to pay or move for unpaid rent (24 hours in some drug-activity cases). Ending a month-to-month tenancy takes notice of one full rental period.
2. Summons: the trial is usually set within about 10 days after the summons is issued, and you must be served at least 3 days before it.
3. Judgment: if the landlord wins, you usually get 10 days to pay or move. Paying the full judgment amount by the deadline means you must be allowed to stay.
4. Order of eviction: only after that deadline can a court officer or police remove you.

A landlord who changes the locks, removes your things, or shuts off utilities to force you out is breaking the law. Michigan Legal Help says a tenant can recover three times actual damages or $200 a day, whichever is more.

How a rent help application can pause your case

Michigan courts give renters a built-in pause. According to Michigan Legal Help’s nonpayment guide, if you apply for rental assistance before your first court date, or within 5 days after it, and file the court’s Rental Assistance form (DC 539) with proof, the case should be stayed for 14 days so the application can be processed. If you file a status update on the same form within those 14 days, the stay can be extended 14 more days, for 28 in total. Tell the judge at the first hearing that you applied. Your next hearing after the stay could be the trial, so keep pushing the agency for a decision.

What rent costs in Macomb ZIP codes

Housing vouchers in the Detroit metro area use ZIP-code-level “Small Area” fair market rents, which also show what a modest apartment costs in each part of the county. These are HUD’s fiscal year 2026 figures; newer ones may differ slightly.

If your rent is far above these amounts for your ZIP code, SER and prevention programs may question whether the unit is affordable long term. That can be a reason to ask about relocation help instead of back rent.

Vouchers, waiting lists, and source-of-income rights

The Macomb Continuum of Care reports that MSHDA has closed all its Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists and that there are no open public lists in Macomb County right now. Local housing commissions, such as those in Warren, Mount Clemens, Roseville, and St. Clair Shores, open lists for their own buildings from time to time, so check them directly and keep your contact information current. Since April 2, 2025, Michigan’s civil rights law has banned rental discrimination based on source of income, so a landlord can’t refuse you just because you pay with a voucher, Social Security, SSI, child support, or public assistance, the Fair Housing Center of Southeast and Mid Michigan explains.

A worked example from Warren

Luis rents a two-bedroom in Warren (48089) for $1,350 and fell $2,700 behind after a layoff. On day one he gets a 7-day demand. He calls the South Community Action Center (586-759-9150) to ask about rent funds, files for unemployment, and applies for food assistance on MI Bridges so groceries stop eating into rent money. His rent is close to the area’s $1,390 two-bedroom figure, so it looks affordable once he is working. Ten days later his landlord files in the 37th District Court. Now Luis applies for SER on MI Bridges with the summons, files the DC 539 form at his first hearing to pause the case for 14 days, and calls Lakeshore Legal Aid. If the court enters a judgment, he still has about 10 days to pay the full amount and stay.

Papers to bring in Macomb

Keep every court paper. SER needs the summons, notice to appear, or judgment, and the court needs DC 539 with proof that you applied for help. Macomb Community Action asks for documents that show you are eligible, so bring your lease, the 7-day demand, a landlord ledger showing what you owe, and the landlord’s contact details. For utility help, bring the shutoff notice. Our document checklist covers ID and proof of income.

Your step-by-step plan

1. Call Macomb Community Action (586-469-6999) the week you fall behind; call the HARA line (586-469-5656) if you could lose your home.
2. Dial 211 for Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, and church funds.
3. Apply for SER on MI Bridges as soon as you have court papers.
4. File DC 539 by your first hearing, or within 5 days after it.
5. Call Lakeshore Legal Aid at (888) 783-8190 and go to every hearing.
6. Apply for food assistance and energy help to free up money; see our Michigan utility relief guide and SNAP calculator.

For statewide options, see our Michigan rent relief guide.

Related guides

• Michigan hardship relief
• Churches that help with rent assistance
• Catholic Charities rent assistance
• Second chance apartments that accept evictions

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Program funding changes; confirm with each agency. National Relief Program is an independent website, not a government agency.