To apply for Michigan’s State Emergency Relief program, submit form MDHHS-1171 to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services online through MI Bridges, in person at your county MDHHS office, or by mail. The SER Michigan application covers a single short-term crisis — a utility shutoff, eviction, unsafe housing condition, emergency home repair, or burial cost — and most applications get a written decision within 10 business days. Whether you qualify depends on your household’s income, assets, and the specific emergency you’re facing.
Who Qualifies for SER
You need to be a Michigan resident with an emergency the program is designed to address. Beyond that, MDHHS runs two financial tests.
Assets
Your household’s countable cash assets (bank accounts, savings, investments) cannot equal or exceed $15,000, and there is a separate $15,000 limit on non-cash assets. Hitting either threshold means denial for every service except burial.1Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Assets
Several things don’t count. Your home and the land it sits on are excluded, along with one vehicle used as the household’s primary transportation. Household goods, personal belongings, life insurance, burial spaces, assets essential to your employment, educational grants, and a child’s accumulated earnings in a sole-tenant savings account are also excluded.2Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Policy Manual Households where every member already receives FIP, SDA, SSI, Medicaid, or Food Assistance skip the non-cash asset test entirely.1Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Assets
Income
For non-energy services like relocation or home repairs, MDHHS compares your household’s monthly net income (gross pay minus taxes, court-ordered child support, and health insurance premiums) against an Income Need Standard:2Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Policy Manual
- 1 person: $445
- 2 people: $500
- 3 people: $625
- 4 people: $755
- 5 people: $885
- 6 people: $1,015
- Each additional person: add $100
Earning more than the standard doesn’t automatically disqualify you. If your income is above the threshold, MDHHS subtracts the standard from your net income and treats the difference as your copayment, meaning the amount you’re expected to contribute toward resolving the emergency yourself. SER pays the rest, up to the program cap for that service.
What SER Pays For
Each category has its own payment limits, and knowing where your emergency fits tells you what to expect.
Heat and Utility Shutoffs
If your heat or electricity is about to be shut off, or already has been, SER can pay toward the balance. The payment goes to the utility company, not to you. Fiscal-year caps:2Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Policy Manual
- Natural gas or wood heat: $600
- Deliverable fuel (propane, fuel oil, coal): $900
- Other fuel (kerosene, corn pellets): $600
- Non-heat electricity: $600
- All-electric home (heat and residential combined): $900
You can receive one heat payment and one non-heat electricity payment per fiscal year.
Relocation
SER can cover a security deposit, first month’s rent, rent arrears, or moving costs if you’re facing homelessness or need to leave an unsafe situation. The combined security deposit and first month’s rent cannot exceed 1.5 times the monthly rent, and the total is subject to a payment standard based on household size.3Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Relocation Services
One rule trips people up: the new housing has to be affordable. MDHHS defines that as total housing costs no greater than 75% of your net income (with upward adjustments when heat, electricity, or water is included in the rent). If the new place fails the affordability check, the application is denied no matter how urgent the move.
Mortgage, Land Contract, and Property Tax
Homeowners facing foreclosure or a tax sale can get help with mortgage arrears, land contract payments, or delinquent property taxes. The lifetime maximum for all home ownership services combined is $2,000, and for property taxes, SER pays only the minimum needed to stop the tax emergency.4Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Home Ownership
Emergency Home Repairs
SER covers repairs that address a direct threat to health or safety, not improvements. Lifetime limits:5Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Home Repairs
- Furnace repair or replacement: $4,000
- Non-energy repairs (plumbing, roofing, electrical, hot water heater, septic, wells, doors and windows, wheelchair ramps, extermination): $1,500
A licensed service provider typically needs to confirm the problem before MDHHS authorizes payment.4Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Home Ownership
Burial and Cremation
SER pays the funeral director, cemetery, or crematory directly when a family can’t cover the cost. Maximums as of October 2025:6Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Burial Services
- Burial with memorial service: $875
- Burial without memorial service: $610
- Cremation with memorial service: $640
- Cremation without memorial service: $390
Friends and relatives can contribute up to $6,000 toward additional services. If contributions exceed $6,000, or total funeral costs exceed the SER maximum plus voluntary contributions, the application is denied. Apply within 20 business days of the burial, cremation, or body donation.
Documents You’ll Need
The application is form MDHHS-1171 (Assistance Application), which includes SER-specific supplemental pages (MDHHS-1171-SER) that ask about your emergency.7Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MDHHS-1171 Assistance Application and Program Supplements Download it from the MDHHS website or pick one up at your county office.
Along with the completed form, gather:
- Proof of income for every household member over the past 30 days (pay stubs, benefit award letters)
- Social Security numbers for everyone in the home
- Bank statements or other records showing your assets
- Documentation of the emergency itself: the shutoff notice, eviction notice, foreclosure letter, repair estimate, or funeral bill
After you submit, MDHHS mails a DHS-3503 verification checklist listing anything still missing. You get eight calendar days from the date the checklist is generated to return what’s requested. Miss that deadline without talking to your caseworker and the application can be denied for failure to cooperate.8Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Application Processing
How to Submit
Three options:
- Online through MI Bridges at newmibridges.michigan.gov. Applications submitted after 5:00 p.m. or on a non-business day are dated the next business day.
- In person at the drop box of your local county MDHHS office.
- By mail to your county office. The application date is the day MDHHS receives it, not the postmark.
Emailed applications are not accepted. The application date matters because it starts the clock on both your 30-day eligibility period and the department’s processing deadline.8Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Application Processing
What Happens After You Apply
MDHHS registers your application within one business day. The standard processing window is 10 business days from the date they receive your signed form.8Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. State Emergency Relief Manual – Application Processing
An interview isn’t always required. MDHHS schedules one by phone only if there are discrepancies to resolve or if your household isn’t already enrolled in another MDHHS program that required an interview. Missing a scheduled interview without rescheduling can lead to a denial.
When the review is finished, you receive a Notice of Case Action by mail or through your MI Bridges account. It tells you whether you were approved, how much SER will pay, and to whom. Approved payments go directly to the vendor (utility company, landlord, funeral director, contractor), never to you.
If You’re Denied
The Notice of Case Action gives the specific reason. The usual ones are exceeding the asset limit, failing the housing affordability test on a relocation, not returning verification documents in time, or already hitting the lifetime cap on the service you asked for.
You can request an administrative hearing to challenge the decision. Submit form DHS-18 (Request for Hearing) to your local MDHHS office. The Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules conducts the hearing and reviews whether MDHHS applied its own policies correctly.9Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules for MDHHS If you believe your caseworker miscalculated income, miscounted an asset, or overlooked an exclusion, that’s where you make the case.