By Laura Weber, Michigan Public Radio Network
LANSING, MI –
Human services advocates say the state Legislature needs to make sure people in low-income households do not have their heat turned off this winter. The federal government has proposed dramatic cuts to home-heating assistance.
Susan Sherer is CEO of the Heat and Warmth Fund. She says families in low-income homes cannot withstand the cut.
"Well the cuts are going to be just seismic for Michigan," he says. "And Michigan still I think suffers from what the rest of the country suffers from, from an economy standpoint."
The state fund for home heating assistance is also caught up in a court fight and cannot be touched. Sherer and other advocates say state lawmakers need to approve a plan to keep home-heating assistance available before the Legislature breaks for the winter.