Michigan Assistance Programs: Food, Cash, Health Care, Energy, Child Care, and Housing Help

Michigan assistance programs by need

Michigan's safety net is a group of separate programs, each with its own rules, but most of them share one application. The table shows where each kind of help comes from.

Using MI Bridges and your local MDHHS office

MI Bridges is the state's benefits website. With one account you can apply, upload pictures of papers, read letters from MDHHS, report a new job or address, and renew. If the site gives you trouble, the MI Bridges Help Desk is 844-799-9876, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you would rather apply on paper or in person, every county has an MDHHS office, and many libraries, food banks, and clinics are MI Bridges "community partners" whose staff can sit with you while you fill out the form.

Three habits prevent most problems. First, check every program you might need on the one application, rather than applying again later. Second, upload documents the same day you are asked, and keep the confirmation screen. Third, read your MI Bridges inbox each week, since interview times and renewal deadlines arrive there and by mail. A missed interview is a common reason for a denial even when the household qualifies.

Food Assistance and the Bridge Card

Michigan calls SNAP the Food Assistance Program. Benefits load each month on the Michigan Bridge Card, an EBT card used at grocery stores and many farmers markets. The income limits and maximum amounts are federal: for Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2027, one person can receive up to $306 a month, and gross income generally must be at or below $1,729 a month for a one-person household. Our SNAP calculator gives a rough estimate for larger households.

Points that are specific to Michigan right now:

• No soda or candy ban. Some states now restrict soft drinks or candy under USDA waivers. Michigan lawmakers introduced bills in 2025 (Senate Bill 227 and House Bill 4305) to seek such a waiver, but in the reports we reviewed, Michigan was not among the states with an approved restriction. Your Bridge Card buys the same foods it did before.
• Double Up Food Bucks. At participating farmers markets and grocery stores, a Michigan nonprofit program matches SNAP spending on fresh fruits and vegetables. Ask at the market information booth.
• Work rules widened in 2025. The 2025 federal budget law (Public Law 119-21) extended the three-month SNAP time limit to adults up to age 64 without children under 14 at home, unless they work or train 80 hours a month or qualify for an exception. If a health problem limits your work, tell MDHHS, because that can be an exception.

Households with very little cash and food can ask for expedited service when applying; eligible households must receive benefits within seven days.

Family Independence Program and State Disability Assistance

The Family Independence Program (FIP) is Michigan's version of federal TANF. It pays monthly cash to low-income families with children and to pregnant women in some cases. Adults who are able to work take part in the PATH employment program unless they are deferred, for example because of a disability or caring for a newborn.

FIP changed in 2025 for the first time in years. The state's fiscal year 2025 budget added money to raise the payment standard, which had been frozen at $492 a month for a family of three since 2008, and lengthened the lifetime limit for adults from 48 to 60 months as of April 1, 2025. The National Center for Children in Poverty's 2025–26 Michigan profile now lists a maximum of $583 a month for a family of three with no income. MDHHS publishes the official amounts in its reference table RFT 210, which we could not load on November 6, 2026, so ask your specialist to confirm the figure for your family size.

State Disability Assistance (SDA) is a smaller cash program for adults with a disability lasting at least 90 days who do not qualify for SSI or FIP. It is often a bridge while a Social Security disability claim is pending. Both FIP and SDA are requested on the same MI Bridges application as food help. For how cash help fits with emergency aid and charity funds, see our Michigan hardship relief guide.

Medicaid and the Healthy Michigan Plan

Michigan expanded Medicaid in 2014 under the name Healthy Michigan Plan (HMP). It covers adults 19 to 64 with income up to 133% of the poverty level (about 138% once a standard income disregard is applied) who do not qualify for other Medicaid. Children are covered through Medicaid and MIChild at higher incomes, and pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities have their own categories. You can apply any time of year on MI Bridges or HealthCare.gov. MI Enrolls (800-975-7630) helps members choose a health plan, and the Beneficiary Help Line is 800-642-3195.

Healthy Michigan Plan changes in 2027

The 2025 federal law requires expansion states to add work rules and more frequent renewals. MDHHS announced Michigan's schedule in a July 23, 2026 news release. As summarized by Blue Cross Complete, a Michigan Medicaid health plan:

• Six-month renewals replace yearly ones for HMP members starting January 1, 2027.
• Work rules apply to new HMP applicants from January 2027 and to current members at renewals on or after March 1, 2027.
• How to meet them: in at least one month of each review period, either earn at least $580 or complete 80 hours of paid or unpaid work, volunteering, job training, school, or a mix.
• Exemptions include pregnancy or a birth in the past 12 months, caring for a child 13 or younger or a person with a disability, former foster youth under 26, serious health conditions and disabilities, American Indian or Alaska Native status, disabled veterans, and people already meeting SNAP or TANF work rules.

MDHHS says it will check data first and contact you only if it cannot confirm hours or an exemption, so keep your MI Bridges contact details current and answer any request by its deadline. Our Medicaid guide covers the federal rules in more depth.

Heat, electric, and emergency relief

Michigan splits energy help between two programs that work together. State Emergency Relief, run by MDHHS, pays one heat and one electric payment per fiscal year when you have a shutoff notice or need deliverable fuel, plus rent and relocation, home repairs, and burial help when a qualifying emergency applies. MEAP, funded through the Public Service Commission, pays toward bills and arrears and adds energy-efficiency help through grantees such as community action agencies and THAW; call 211 to reach one. The Public Service Commission's customer help page summarizes both, along with the Home Heating Credit and weatherization.

SER payment caps depend on fuel type and are reset for each fiscal year, which began October 1, 2026. Figures we saw for the new year came from third-party sites rather than MDHHS, so we do not repeat them here; check the MDHHS Emergency Relief page or ask your worker. Our Michigan hardship guide explains SER rules step by step.

If you are a senior or a low-income customer of a regulated utility, ask about the winter protection plan, which can prevent a shutoff during the cold months if you enroll and keep up with a payment plan. Apply for SER or MEAP before the shutoff date, not after.

Child care scholarships and free pre-K

Michigan's Child Development and Care (CDC) program, now called the CDC Scholarship, pays part or all of the cost of licensed or approved child care for parents who are working, in school, or in job training. Program policy now sits with MiLEAP, but you still apply through MI Bridges and MDHHS decides eligibility. Income limits are set in MDHHS reference table RFT 270, with a higher limit to stay on the program than to enter it; ask for the current chart for your family size, because it changes each year. Payments go straight to the provider, and families may owe a family contribution depending on income.

For 4-year-olds, the Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) offers free state-funded preschool through school districts and community providers. Michigan has been widening GSRP under its PreK for All plan, so families who were over the income limit in past years may now qualify; contact your intermediate school district.

WIC in Michigan

WIC provides healthy foods, nutrition coaching, and breastfeeding support for pregnant women, new mothers, babies, and children up to age 5. Local health departments and community agencies run the clinics; the MDHHS WIC Division's toll-free number is 800-942-1636. Under federal rules, income must be at or below 185% of the poverty guidelines, and people on SNAP, FIP, or Medicaid usually meet the income test automatically, according to USDA's WIC eligibility page. Benefits load on a Michigan WIC card. You can have WIC and Food Assistance at the same time.

Housing vouchers and homelessness prevention

Michigan's pandemic rent program closed in 2022, so housing help now comes from steadier sources:

• Housing Choice Vouchers. MSHDA runs vouchers in many counties, and city housing commissions, such as the Detroit Housing Commission, run their own lists. Lists open for short windows; 211 can tell you which are open.
• Housing Assessment and Resource Agencies (HARAs). Each region has a HARA that handles coordinated entry for shelters, rapid rehousing, and federally funded homelessness prevention.
• SER relocation help. When a qualifying emergency applies, State Emergency Relief can pay rent arrears, a deposit, or moving costs.

If you have an eviction notice or court papers, our Michigan rent relief guide covers current rent sources and free legal help.

Support for older adults and people with disabilities

• SSI. Social Security's SSI pays up to $994 a month for one person and $1,491 for a couple in 2026. In Michigan, SSI usually comes with Medicaid.
• Area Agencies on Aging. Michigan's regional aging agencies arrange meals, in-home help, caregiver support, and screening for the MI Choice waiver, a Medicaid program that pays for care at home for people who would otherwise need a nursing home. Waiting lists are common, so ask to be screened early.
• MMAP. The Michigan Medicare/Medicaid Assistance Program gives free, unbiased counseling at 800-803-7174, including help applying for Medicare Savings Programs that pay Part B premiums.
• Home help. Medicaid members who need help with daily tasks can ask MDHHS about the Home Help program, which pays a chosen caregiver.

State tax credits worth claiming

Some of the most useful Michigan help comes through the tax return, and it is easy to miss. The Michigan Earned Income Tax Credit equals 30% of the federal EITC for eligible workers. The Homestead Property Tax Credit helps renters and homeowners whose property taxes or rent are high compared with income. The Home Heating Credit helps low-income households with heating costs, and you do not need to file a full income tax return to claim it. Free tax preparation is available through IRS-sponsored VITA sites; 211 can find the nearest one.

Related guides

• Michigan utility relief programs
• Michigan mortgage relief program
• Michigan debt relief programs
• Rent assistance in Detroit

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. Program rules, amounts, and dates are set by MDHHS, MiLEAP, the Michigan Public Service Commission, MSHDA, and federal agencies, and can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with the State of Michigan or any government agency.