Latest news with #UnitedWay
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DTE Energy supports vulnerable customers during historic heat dome with $800,000 donation to United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Need for support up 72% from the last program year due to extreme temperatures, more resources are needed for Michigan residents DETROIT, July 28, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- DTE Energy today announced it is donating $800,000 to United Way for Southeastern Michigan to help Michiganders across the state stay safe during Michigan's extreme summer weather. The donation will provide relief to elderly, unemployed, underemployed, and disabled customers across Michigan who are struggling to pay their energy bills and have qualified for energy assistance in the current year. "Many Michigan families face genuine financial hardships and are struggling to pay their bills. This donation will help us support Michiganders accessing the help they need to pay their energy bills," said Jeff Miles, vice president of Community Impact, United Way for Southeastern Michigan. "While MEAP recently expanded assistance amounts and eligibility requirements, this donation helps address current gaps and keep families enrolled now." According to United Way, the need for support has increased 72% from the last program year, resulting in a funding shortfall. This donation will provide immediate support to bridge that gap. At the end of last year, thanks to the advocacy of organizations like United Way and a coalition of other human service nonprofits, the Michigan legislature passed an energy assistance expansion which Governor Whitmer signed into law. The new law increases the funding available for low-income families under the Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) and modifies the eligibility criteria to allow it to serve more of those in need. This additional funding will be available for new applicants on October 1, at the beginning of the State's fiscal year. Until then, the new dollars being invested by United Way and DTE will help fill a resource gap to provide much-needed support for current enrollees. "DTE's strong partnership with United Way of more than 40 years continues to be a lifeline for Michigan families – especially in the summer, when rising temperatures can lead to unexpected energy costs," said Evette Griffie, vice president of Customer and Community Engagement, DTE. "This donation isn't just about meeting the needs of today, it connects families to the right programs that can prevent these crises in the future." More than 5,000 residents were enrolled in LSP during the 2024-2025 program year, and DTE anticipates potentially greater need through the remainder of this year. This donation is expected to support 6,400 customers this program year. Visit for more information about the program or to enroll. "We're grateful for this critical support from our partners at DTE, which will allow us to help families not just get through tough times, but stay on solid ground," added Miles. "As household budgets are seeing increased pressure, we will continue to work with community partners to help more families move from crisis to stability and from stability to prosperity." Over the past five years, DTE has connected customers to more than $660 million in financial aid. The company works closely with federal, state and agency partners to advocate for new approaches to quickly get help to customers in need. DTE also served as a strong advocate for the recently passed legislation that will increase funding for energy assistance and reduce access barriers, opening the doors of support to additional Michiganders in need. "DTE works every day to connect customers to energy assistance – we are doing everything in our power to ensure customers are never without the energy they need. Our work doesn't end here. We will continue to advocate for the most vulnerable so they can receive the support and resources they deserve," said Griffie. Customers can learn more about financial assistance programs at About DTE EnergyDTE Energy (NYSE:DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.3 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers across Michigan. The DTE portfolio also includes energy businesses focused on custom energy solutions, renewable energy generation, and energy marketing and trading. DTE has continued to accelerate its carbon reduction goals to meet aggressive targets and is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy, emission reductions and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at and About United Way for Southeastern MichiganUnited Way for Southeastern Michigan, a member of the United Way Worldwide network and a locally independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is dedicated to helping households achieve stability and ensuring that children have the resources they need to thrive. For over 100 years, United Way has been a leader in creating positive, measurable, and sustainable change in communities throughout Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne counties. The organization collaborates with donors, agencies, corporations, and municipal partners to support essential services, including housing, food security, healthcare, and education. To give, advocate, volunteer, or learn more, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE DTE Energy Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal government to stop funding hotel rooms for asylum seekers, IRCC says
Asylum seekers staying in federally-funded hotels will soon have to check out as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says that funding will end in September. A spokesperson for IRCC told CBC News via email that as of Thursday, the federal government was housing 485 asylum seekers in five hotels in Ontario and Quebec, noting it has spent approximately $1.1 billion on temporary hotel housing for asylum seekers since 2020. "This measure was never meant to be permanent, and IRCC is funded to continue hotel operations only until September 30, 2025," the email said. Ottawa has provided funding for asylum seekers to be housed in hotels across Canada since at least 2018. Federal officials have previously said this system was always meant to be a stop-gap measure to deal with historic surges in migration. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that plans to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system have been cancelled, and proposed border laws will likely make it more challenging to claim asylum. IRCC says it will help those still in hotels find housing, but experts and advocates say that could be a tough task in cities with high demand and low supply. Municipal shelters are consistently full, according to Adaoma Patterson, director of community investments at United Way Greater Toronto. While some additional capacity has been added in the form of a dedicated shelter for asylum claimants in Peel, she says more needs to be done to avoid overloading an already-stressed shelter system. "I think municipalities are doing everything that they can. But shelters take a long time to build. So it's not something that can happen overnight," Patterson said. Affordable housing shortages also make it challenging for asylum seekers, who sometimes encounter problems finding landlords willing to rent to them, she said, adding that some could end up on the street or in unsafe living conditions due to overcrowding. "Anyone who is not in safe, stable housing, there's always a risk that their health is compromised. And then in extreme cases, you might see someone pass away," she said. Number of asylum seekers declining: IRCC Over 15,000 asylum claimants who were previously in hotels have now transitioned to independent living, IRCC said in its email to CBC News. The department says it will help the 485 people remaining in the hotels find longer term housing before the program ends on Sept. 30. It said it will support people on-site while they look for longer-term housing, and that it will continue "supporting provinces and municipalities in developing their own long-term housing strategies." "While asylum volumes remain high, they are nearly 40 per cent lower than last year," IRCC said. CBC News asked IRCC why volumes have declined but has yet to receive a response. WATCH | How the government scrapped plans to revamp the asylum system: Last year, the federal government cancelled an IRCC project meant to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system. The $68-million project was intended to be a major reform after Canada began seeing surges of asylum seekers entering the country, putting pressure on an already struggling system that relied heavily on paper files. Meanwhile, the government's proposed Strong Borders Act contains controversial new measures, including changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that would force asylum seekers entering the country to make their claims within a year. Where will money come from, economist asks Christopher Worswick, an economics professor at Carleton University who focuses on migration, questions whether the volume of asylum claims has really declined that much. "Or is this just an attempt to offload it onto the province," he asked. Worswick says housing asylum claimants is an international obligation — and an expensive one at that. He warned that while the decision to end hotel funding may be motivated by a desire to cut federal spending, it could result in passing on costs to provinces and municipalities that are also cash-strapped. With those budget challenges and municipal governments lacking the taxation powers that higher levels of government can use, Worswick wonders, "Where is the money going to come from?" WATCH | How a Vaughan church is helping house refugees and asylum seekers: Grassroots organizations stretched to limit Community organizations have previously stepped in to support asylum seekers who fell through the cracks in different levels of government support. But they say they're also feeling strain. In 2023, hundreds of asylum seekers slept on the streets in downtown Toronto amid a funding stalemate between the city and the federal government. Miracle Arena For All Nations, a church in Vaughan, Ont., was one of several community groups that stepped up to help. Minister Isaac Oppong says his congregation has fed and housed over 500 asylum seekers on the church grounds since June 2023. He says he's concerned that ending the hotel program without other solutions in place will again lead to people sleeping in the streets. "There's nowhere for them to go. There's no repurposed buildings or there's no other housing. We will go back to square one like 2023," he said. Oppong says his congregation supports asylum seekers on a volunteer basis and hasn't received any government funding. He says it's not financially sustainable for local groups like his to continue supporting the influx of people long-term. "It's bringing people into your lifeboat because you see they're drowning," he said. "But obviously you can't keep them in the lifeboat. You have to take them somewhere else." Solve the daily Crossword
Forbes
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Toby Keith Hits A Chart Milestone For The First Time More Than A Year Following His Passing
Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits reaches 208 weeks on the Billboard 200, making it the country legend's ... More first album to spend four full years on the chart. NORMAN, OK - JULY 06: Musician Toby Keith performs during the Oklahoma Twister Relief Concert to benefit United Way of Central Oklahoma May Tornadoes Relief Fund at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on July 6, 2013 in Norman, Oklahoma. To donate go to or text REBUILD to 52000. (Photo byfor Shock Ink) Last week was a significant one for Toby Keith on the Billboard charts. The late country superstar returned to multiple tallies with "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)," which surges in popularity around the Fourth of July every year. The track's patriotic comeback has become even more pronounced since his passing in early 2024, but that one frame isn't the only time of year when Keith's music reaches new milestones or enjoys a special amount of attention. Toby Keith's 35 Biggest Hits Reaches a Landmark Keith's 35 Biggest Hits is still present on a pair of Billboard rankings this week, though it descends on both after soaring previously, thanks largely to consumption of "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)." Last week, the country musician's compilation lived inside the top 10 on the Billboard 200. This frame, it dips from No. 9 to No. 59. The length of time that the hits-packed project has spent on the most competitive albums roster in America is what's notable at the moment, as 35 Biggest Hits reaches 208 weeks on the Billboard 200. The project is Keith's first to make it to four full years as one of the biggest albums or EPs in the United States. Toby Keith's Longest-Charting Album by a Wide Margin 35 Biggest Hits has ranked as Keith's longest-charting album in America for some time. Every frame it holds on the Billboard 200, it extends its lead within his catalog. Greatest Hits 2 lags behind by more than 100 weeks, though it remains his second longest-charting title, followed closely by Unleashed, which has spent exactly two years on the tally. Consumption of Toby Keith's Music Falls Luminate reports that in the past tracking period, consumption of 35 Biggest Hits dropped more than 44%. The compilation shifted 14,700 equivalent units in the most recent week, which is down nearly 22,000 units from the period prior. That sum is still enough to ensure the collection only slips just outside the top 10 on the Top Country Albums list, dipping from No. 4 to No. 11, while sliding backward 50 spaces on the Billboard 200.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal government to stop funding hotel rooms for asylum seekers, IRCC says
Asylum seekers staying in federally-funded hotels will soon have to check out as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says that funding will end in September. A spokesperson for IRCC told CBC News via email that as of Thursday, the federal government was housing 485 asylum seekers in five hotels in Ontario and Quebec, noting it has spent approximately $1.1 billion on temporary hotel housing for asylum seekers since 2020. "This measure was never meant to be permanent, and IRCC is funded to continue hotel operations only until September 30, 2025," the email said. Ottawa has provided funding for asylum seekers to be housed in hotels across Canada since at least 2018. Federal officials have previously said this system was always meant to be a stop-gap measure to deal with historic surges in migration. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that plans to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system have been cancelled, and proposed border laws will likely make it more challenging to claim asylum. IRCC says it will help those still in hotels find housing, but experts and advocates say that could be a tough task in cities with high demand and low supply. Municipal shelters are consistently full, according to Adaoma Patterson, director of community investments at United Way Greater Toronto. While some additional capacity has been added in the form of a dedicated shelter for asylum claimants in Peel, she says more needs to be done to avoid overloading an already-stressed shelter system. "I think municipalities are doing everything that they can. But shelters take a long time to build. So it's not something that can happen overnight," Patterson said. Affordable housing shortages also make it challenging for asylum seekers, who sometimes encounter problems finding landlords willing to rent to them, she said, adding that some could end up on the street or in unsafe living conditions due to overcrowding. "Anyone who is not in safe, stable housing, there's always a risk that their health is compromised. And then in extreme cases, you might see someone pass away," she said. Number of asylum seekers declining: IRCC Over 15,000 asylum claimants who were previously in hotels have now transitioned to independent living, IRCC said in its email to CBC News. The department says it will help the 485 people remaining in the hotels find longer term housing before the program ends on Sept. 30. It said it will support people on-site while they look for longer-term housing, and that it will continue "supporting provinces and municipalities in developing their own long-term housing strategies." "While asylum volumes remain high, they are nearly 40 per cent lower than last year," IRCC said. CBC News asked IRCC why volumes have declined but has yet to receive a response. WATCH | How the government scrapped plans to revamp the asylum system: Last year, the federal government cancelled an IRCC project meant to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system. The $68-million project was intended to be a major reform after Canada began seeing surges of asylum seekers entering the country, putting pressure on an already struggling system that relied heavily on paper files. Meanwhile, the government's proposed Strong Borders Act contains controversial new measures, including changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that would force asylum seekers entering the country to make their claims within a year. Where will money come from, economist asks Christopher Worswick, an economics professor at Carleton University who focuses on migration, questions whether the volume of asylum claims has really declined that much. "Or is this just an attempt to offload it onto the province," he asked. Worswick says housing asylum claimants is an international obligation — and an expensive one at that. He warned that while the decision to end hotel funding may be motivated by a desire to cut federal spending, it could result in passing on costs to provinces and municipalities that are also cash-strapped. With those budget challenges and municipal governments lacking the taxation powers that higher levels of government can use, Worswick wonders, "Where is the money going to come from?" WATCH | How a Vaughan church is helping house refugees and asylum seekers: Grassroots organizations stretched to limit Community organizations have previously stepped in to support asylum seekers who fell through the cracks in different levels of government support. But they say they're also feeling strain. In 2023, hundreds of asylum seekers slept on the streets in downtown Toronto amid a funding stalemate between the city and the federal government. Miracle Arena For All Nations, a church in Vaughan, Ont., was one of several community groups that stepped up to help. Minister Isaac Oppong says his congregation has fed and housed over 500 asylum seekers on the church grounds since June 2023. He says he's concerned that ending the hotel program without other solutions in place will again lead to people sleeping in the streets. "There's nowhere for them to go. There's no repurposed buildings or there's no other housing. We will go back to square one like 2023," he said. Oppong says his congregation supports asylum seekers on a volunteer basis and hasn't received any government funding. He says it's not financially sustainable for local groups like his to continue supporting the influx of people long-term. "It's bringing people into your lifeboat because you see they're drowning," he said. "But obviously you can't keep them in the lifeboat. You have to take them somewhere else."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal government to stop funding hotel rooms for asylum seekers, IRCC says
Asylum seekers staying in federally-funded hotels will soon have to check out as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says that funding will end in September. A spokesperson for IRCC told CBC News via email that as of Thursday, the federal government was housing 485 asylum seekers in five hotels in Ontario and Quebec, noting it has spent approximately $1.1 billion on temporary hotel housing for asylum seekers since 2020. "This measure was never meant to be permanent, and IRCC is funded to continue hotel operations only until September 30, 2025," the email said. Ottawa has provided funding for asylum seekers to be housed in hotels across Canada since at least 2018. Federal officials have previously said this system was always meant to be a stop-gap measure to deal with historic surges in migration. Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that plans to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system have been cancelled, and proposed border laws will likely make it more challenging to claim asylum. IRCC says it will help those still in hotels find housing, but experts and advocates say that could be a tough task in cities with high demand and low supply. Municipal shelters are consistently full, according to Adaoma Patterson, director of community investments at United Way Greater Toronto. While some additional capacity has been added in the form of a dedicated shelter for asylum claimants in Peel, she says more needs to be done to avoid overloading an already-stressed shelter system. "I think municipalities are doing everything that they can. But shelters take a long time to build. So it's not something that can happen overnight," Patterson said. Affordable housing shortages also make it challenging for asylum seekers, who sometimes encounter problems finding landlords willing to rent to them, she said, adding that some could end up on the street or in unsafe living conditions due to overcrowding. "Anyone who is not in safe, stable housing, there's always a risk that their health is compromised. And then in extreme cases, you might see someone pass away," she said. Number of asylum seekers declining: IRCC Over 15,000 asylum claimants who were previously in hotels have now transitioned to independent living, IRCC said in its email to CBC News. The department says it will help the 485 people remaining in the hotels find longer term housing before the program ends on Sept. 30. It said it will support people on-site while they look for longer-term housing, and that it will continue "supporting provinces and municipalities in developing their own long-term housing strategies." "While asylum volumes remain high, they are nearly 40 per cent lower than last year," IRCC said. CBC News asked IRCC why volumes have declined but has yet to receive a response. WATCH | How the government scrapped plans to revamp the asylum system: Last year, the federal government cancelled an IRCC project meant to revamp Canada's outdated asylum system. The $68-million project was intended to be a major reform after Canada began seeing surges of asylum seekers entering the country, putting pressure on an already struggling system that relied heavily on paper files. Meanwhile, the government's proposed Strong Borders Act contains controversial new measures, including changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act that would force asylum seekers entering the country to make their claims within a year. Where will money come from, economist asks Christopher Worswick, an economics professor at Carleton University who focuses on migration, questions whether the volume of asylum claims has really declined that much. "Or is this just an attempt to offload it onto the province," he asked. Worswick says housing asylum claimants is an international obligation — and an expensive one at that. He warned that while the decision to end hotel funding may be motivated by a desire to cut federal spending, it could result in passing on costs to provinces and municipalities that are also cash-strapped. With those budget challenges and municipal governments lacking the taxation powers that higher levels of government can use, Worswick wonders, "Where is the money going to come from?" WATCH | How a Vaughan church is helping house refugees and asylum seekers: Grassroots organizations stretched to limit Community organizations have previously stepped in to support asylum seekers who fell through the cracks in different levels of government support. But they say they're also feeling strain. In 2023, hundreds of asylum seekers slept on the streets in downtown Toronto amid a funding stalemate between the city and the federal government. Miracle Arena For All Nations, a church in Vaughan, Ont., was one of several community groups that stepped up to help. Minister Isaac Oppong says his congregation has fed and housed over 500 asylum seekers on the church grounds since June 2023. He says he's concerned that ending the hotel program without other solutions in place will again lead to people sleeping in the streets. "There's nowhere for them to go. There's no repurposed buildings or there's no other housing. We will go back to square one like 2023," he said. Oppong says his congregation supports asylum seekers on a volunteer basis and hasn't received any government funding. He says it's not financially sustainable for local groups like his to continue supporting the influx of people long-term. "It's bringing people into your lifeboat because you see they're drowning," he said. "But obviously you can't keep them in the lifeboat. You have to take them somewhere else."
