News Flash

Starting tomorrow, low-income residents of Wayne and Washtenaw counties who were affected by recent flooding and are not already receiving food assistance benefits soon can apply for federal Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will accept in-person applications only during specified hours based on the applicant’s last name at locations in Wayne and Washtenaw counties on seven specific dates from Thursday, Aug. 12 through Thursday, Aug. 19.

Households determined to be eligible will receive a one-time-only benefit to spend on food that is $430 for a household of two and $782 for a household of four. 

MDHHS will accept and process applications at two Washtenaw County locations:

• Ypsilanti Middle School, 510 Emerick St., Ypsilanti. 
• Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center, 4135 Washtenaw Ave., Ann Arbor. 

Applications cannot be accepted at any other MDHHS offices or online. To make the application process go more quickly and smoothly, applicants are asked to show up on dates that are assigned based on the first letter of their last names. In-person applications will be accepted on the following dates and times:

There will be priority hours each day from 8 to 9 a.m. for applicants who are elderly or have disabilities. People who are elderly or have a disability will have access to prioritized lines, seating, water, handicap-accessible parking and restrooms and other accommodations as needed.

MDHHS will assist impacted residents in applying for Disaster Food Assistance Program benefits. To be eligible, applicants must:

• Have lived in Wayne or Washtenaw counties as of June 25, 2021. 
• Not already receive food assistance benefits, commonly known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. 
• Meet income requirements for its family size based on the household’s take-home income and accessible liquid resources during the disaster benefit period, minus unreimbursed disaster expanses. That translates to an income of approximately 150% of the federal poverty level. For example, the maximum gross income to be eligible for a household of two is $2,190 per month, or $26,280 per year. By comparison, eligibility for traditional food assistance is based on an income that is 130% of the poverty level. 
• Be directly affected by the flooding, which means the household has experienced at least one of the following due to the disaster: 
  • Destroyed or spoiled food.
  • Disaster-related personal injury.
  • Lost or no access to income due to the disaster, including reduced, terminated or delayed receipt of income, for a large part of the benefit period.
  • The need for home or business repairs.
  • Temporary shelter expenses.
  • Evacuation or relocation expenses.

More details about disaster food assistance is available at Michigan.gov/FoodAssistance.

Volunteer/Community Service Opportunities:

The Department is looking for community partners to assist with crowd flow and directions, as well as assisting customers who need assistance with the application process. If your group or organization is looking for community service hours, or your organization would like to provide additional resources or information to our customer base, please contact Alice Seipelt at [email protected] so that we can ensure proper social distancing and occupancy at both of our sites.

We look forward to serving our residents and offering this additional assistance due to the recent flooding in our area. If you would like to be involved or have additional questions, please feel free to reach out. Response may not be immediate as we are mobilizing to set up both locations, but I will do my best to respond by end of each day.