Utility Affordable Payment Plans
2-year bill credit program in partnership with utility partners. Click on your provider to learn more about the program.
Heat & Energy Assistance
True self-sufficiency is about you providing for yourself or your family without public assistance. Meeting needs. Well-being. Education and training. A living wage. Employment. A career.
Get help on all these matters with the Energy Security Services program offered through emPower.
The focus is to move people off public assistance. Each person works with their own self-sufficiency specialist to achieve their individual goals.
Improve your life and learn how to become self-sufficient by working with emPower.
The services in the program include:
- Heat and energy assistance
- Budgeting and financial planning
- Connecting with local resources
- Energy efficiency and waste reduction
- Financial literacy education
- Long- and short-term budgeting and financial advice
Apply online for emPower’s MEAP Application.
If you need assistance filling out this application please contact us at: 231-355-5880
Water Assistance
Program Benefits
Water Assistance Services are designed to help households keep essential water flowing and maintain safe living conditions. The program provides support for restoring shut-off service, covering past-due water bills and making critical plumbing repairs. For homes with water meters, in-home plumbing upgrades are also available—strengthening long-term household stability and well-being.
Eligibility Criteria
- Must live in one of the following counties: Lake, Mason, Newaygo
- Income eligibility is determined in one of two ways:
1.) Categorical eligibility:
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
- Supplemental Security Income
- State Emergency Relief
- Food Assistance Program/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Weatherization Assistance Program
2.) Income Computation:
- Household income is 200% or below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL)
