Housing Assistance for Single Mothers in Michigan

Where to start in Michigan

Choose the path that matches the problem you have now. Rent aid, shelter, vouchers, public housing, legal help, and homebuyer programs use different offices and applications.

For a wider list of state programs, use ASMOM’s Michigan help guide. It covers several types of support, not just housing.

Quick housing help table

Current program status

This status was checked on July 14, 2026. Recheck official pages before applying because lists and local funds change.

State Emergency Relief for housing costs

Michigan’s State Emergency Relief program, often called SER, helps with certain emergencies that threaten health or safety. Housing-related help can include rent arrears, security deposits, moving expenses, heat and utilities, home ownership services, and some urgent home repairs.

The relocation assistance rules cover specific situations. Examples can include homelessness, unsafe housing, eviction, foreclosure, a disaster, or another qualifying reason. A local MDHHS specialist decides eligibility after reviewing the full case.

Apply online through MI Bridges. If you do not have reliable internet or need help using the system, a local MDHHS office or MI Bridges community partner may help you apply. A paper SER application is also available from MDHHS.

What to include

Upload every requested document. Common items include a lease, rent ledger, court or shutoff notice, repair estimate, income proof, bank records, and payment details.

If food costs are making rent harder to cover, check ASMOM’s Michigan SNAP guide for a separate application path.

Emergency shelter and HARA help

Michigan has a Housing Assessment and Resource Agency in every community. A HARA worker gathers information, checks your housing need, and connects you to services that may fit. This may include shelter, diversion, homeless prevention, rapid rehousing, or another local referral.

Use the official HARA county list to find the agency serving your area. Call before traveling because intake hours and local procedures can change.

Tell the worker if children are with you, you are pregnant, someone has a disability, you are sleeping outside or in a car, or you are leaving violence. This helps the worker choose the right screening but does not promise an opening.

Community Action Agencies may also help with housing, energy, weatherization, or local emergency needs. ASMOM’s Community Action guide explains how to find and question the agency serving your county.

Section 8 and voucher updates

The Housing Choice Voucher program, often called Section 8, helps eligible households rent in the private market. MSHDA serves all 83 counties through its voucher program, which explains current rules.

As of July 14, 2026, the official MSHDA waitlist page says no tenant-based Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists are open. It also says all homeless waiting lists are closed.

When a tenant-based list opens, MSHDA accepts one online application for an open county. A local living-or-working preference may apply. Follow the current page if you need a disability accommodation.

Project-based voucher lists

A project-based voucher stays with a named property instead of moving with the tenant. MSHDA listed recent or planned openings at Orchard Manor in Genesee County, Kingsbury Place in Kent County, Corner at Wall St in Berrien County, and 206 North Washington in Washtenaw County. The Washtenaw list was scheduled to open July 16, 2026.

Use the project-based property list to find contact details. You cannot join these lists through the normal online HCV application. The assigned lead agency decides initial eligibility and explains how to apply.

ASMOM’s Section 8 guide explains vouchers, waitlists, inspections, and common scams in plain language.

Affordable rentals and public housing

Some lower-cost properties have income or rent rules even when you do not have a portable voucher.

Search Michigan’s affordable rental directory by county, city, ZIP code, property, or program. Call the property before paying a fee or making plans. The directory itself warns users to confirm the information with the property contact.

Ask whether the list is open, which income and bedroom rules apply, what fees are due, and whether the property accepts vouchers. Keep a call and follow-up list.

Local public housing agencies may run public housing, local vouchers, or property waiting lists separate from MSHDA. Use HUD’s public housing locator to find agencies serving your area. Each agency controls its own list and application rules.

Utility help that protects housing

Unpaid heat, electric, water, or fuel bills can make a home unsafe or lead to added debt. SER may cover some energy emergencies. The Michigan Energy Assistance Program and utility-company protections may also help eligible households.

The Michigan Public Service Commission’s utility help page explains state and utility programs, payment plans, and shutoff protections. It says you do not always need to wait for a shutoff notice before asking for help.

Call your utility as soon as you know you cannot pay. Ask about payment plans, shutoff protection, and the energy-assistance provider serving your area. Save the confirmation number and terms.

ASMOM’s Michigan utility guide gives more state-specific starting points. The national LIHEAP utility guide explains the federal program behind much of this help.

Eviction, discrimination, and safety

This is general information, not legal advice. Read court papers right away. Rent-aid applications do not automatically stop a hearing or eviction.

Michigan Legal Help housing has plain-language information about eviction, rent, repairs, security deposits, subsidized housing, foreclosure, and legal-help screening. Bring your lease, notices, court papers, payment records, repair requests, and messages when asking for help.

Detroit Right to Counsel

Detroit renters with an eviction case in 36th District Court may qualify for free legal help through the Office of Eviction Defense. The city says tenants should attend the hearing and ask to speak with a Right to Counsel lawyer. Income rules apply.

Housing discrimination

If you believe a landlord, seller, lender, or housing provider treated you unlawfully because of a protected trait, contact the Michigan fair housing office. Keep ads, messages, emails, names, dates, and application records when it is safe to do so.

Housing tied to abuse

If housing trouble is connected to domestic violence, stalking, sexual assault, or trafficking, a trained advocate can discuss shelter and local support without making decisions for you. ASMOM’s Michigan safety guide provides a careful starting point.

Help for homeowners and buyers

Urgent home repairs

State Emergency Relief may help correct unsafe conditions or restore essential services for an eligible homeowner. The SER repair page lists examples such as a nonworking furnace, water heater, or septic system. Apply through MI Bridges and wait for program direction before starting work when possible.

Very-low-income rural homeowners may check USDA’s Michigan repair program. Loans may help with repairs. Grants are limited to eligible homeowners age 62 or older.

Buying a home

The MI Home Loan works through participating lenders. It is available to qualifying first-time buyers statewide and repeat buyers in targeted areas. Income, credit, purchase price, education, property, and lender rules apply.

The active MI 10K DPA can provide up to $10,000 for down payment, closing costs, and prepaid expenses when paired with an eligible MI Home Loan. It is an interest-free deferred loan with no monthly payments, not a cash grant. Repayment can be due after sale, refinance, first-mortgage payoff, or when the home is no longer owner occupied.

MSHDA’s separate First-Generation DPA program is closed because its funds were exhausted. Do not pay a person or website that claims it can still submit an application. ASMOM’s Michigan homebuyer guide explains current purchase options in more detail.

Documents to gather

Start a folder with paper and secure digital copies. ASMOM’s application documents checklist can help you organize a wider benefits file.

What to do if help is denied or delayed

Read the notice and find the exact reason. A denial may be based on income, missing proof, an unpaid required contribution, a cost the program does not cover, a closed waitlist, a missed deadline, or another rule.

• Ask for the decision and appeal or review instructions in writing.
• Send missing documents through the method named by the agency.
• Keep proof of every upload, fax, mailing, and phone call.
• Ask whether another local fund covers the same need.
• Contact legal aid quickly when a housing or court deadline is involved.

ASMOM’s denied benefits guide explains how to read notices and organize follow-up. Housing authorities, courts, MDHHS, and local charities have different review rules, so follow the instructions from the office that made the decision.