Tag Archive | MDHHS

COVID-19 Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA)

Jun7

CERA can provide rental and utility assistance for eligible renter households so that they retain their housing stability.

  • The tenant only needs to be in rental arrears, so no court notice is required for this funding.
  • Feel free to share the flyers with your clients. 
  • Updated information is available at www.kentrenthelp.org . Households in need of assistance can also call 877.ERA.KENT.
  • The Website redirects you to www.endhomelessnesskent.org if the above website does not work and the application  portal is up and running.
  • Paper applications can also be printed at MSHDA – COVID Emergency Rental Assistance (CERA) (michigan.gov)  and dropped off at the Hispanic Center of Western Michigan (1204 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI), The Salvation Army (located at Fuller and Fulton St.), or the  Kent County Community Action Agency (KCCA) at 82 Ionia St., Suite 390.
  • Tenants can also walk into any of the agencies listed above for assistance with applying for the rental assistance.
  • Clients and agency partners can also scan & email applications to kent.rent@usc.salvationarmy.org.
  • The anticipated processing time for CERA funding is 30 days.
  • There is no receipt provided when an application is submitted to the portal. If clients have questions regarding their application, they can call 877-ERA-KENT to confirm the status.
  • CERA funds can be used to cover rent and/or utilities (gas, electric, water).  If the client is not behind on utilities, the payment will be made to give them a credit on their account.

Additional COVID-19 food assistance extended through November

Nov9

Nov. 6, 2020 Press Release from MDHHS

Additional COVID-19 food assistance for 350,000 Michigan families in response to COVID-19 emergency extended through November 

Approximately 350,000 Michigan families will continue to have access to additional food assistance benefits during the month of November as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced today.

Michigan previously approved the additional food assistance for March through June – and now that is being extended for the month of November with approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service.

“MDHHS remains committed to helping families who continue to struggle to put food on the table as a result of the pandemic,” said MDHHS Director Robert Gordon. “Providing nutritious food is vitally important during these difficult times just as protecting residents from the virus is.”

Eligible clients will see additional food assistance benefits on their Bridge Card by Nov. 30, with payments beginning for some households on Nov. 21. Additional benefits will be loaded onto Bridge Cards as a separate payment from the assistance that is provided earlier in the month.

Nearly 1.5 million people in Michigan receive federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits through the state’s Food Assistance Program 

Households eligible for Food Assistance Program benefits will receive additional benefits in November to bring all current SNAP cases to the maximum monthly allowance for that group size. This change only applies to customers not currently receiving the maximum benefit amount. The 350,000 households that receive increased benefits represent more than 50 percent of the more than 682,000 Michigan households that received food assistance in September. The remaining households already receive the maximum benefit.

The table below shows the maximum allowable benefit for SNAP customers based on their respective household size: 

One Person Two PersonsThree PersonsFour PersonsFive PersonsSix PersonsSeven Persons Eight Persons 
$204$374$535$680$807$969$1,071$1,224

The federal government is providing additional funding to states for food assistance under House Resolution 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Eligible families do not need to re-apply to receive the additional benefits. People who receive food assistance can check their benefits balance on their Michigan Bridge Card by going online to  www.michigan.gov/MIBridges a consumer service representative toll-free at 888-678-8914. They can ask questions about the additional benefits by calling or emailing their caseworker.

Customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spanish and Arabic service is available. If you are deaf, deafblind, or hard of hearing or speech-impaired, call the Michigan Relay Center at 7-1-1.

Information around the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly. The latest information is available at  Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.