LANSING - Michigan's seniors and infants will be warmer and safer with the help of a $335,000 federal energy assistance grant.

The Michigan Department of Human Services was one of two states and four Native American tribes to earn grant funds from the Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Program. These federal funds are set aside to serve the needs of specific groups and are not available for any other purpose. The grant-funded programs will be offered in addition to regular emergency energy and weatherization funding available to low-income Michigan residents.

DHS will select three community agencies to administer the new funds through a program called Michigan Working for Intelligent Safe Energy. The agencies will focus on low-income households that include seniors and infants and provide comprehensive case management and support services to address energy-related health and safety issues. A major goal will be to address lack of heat and unsafe heating that lead to unsafe sleep practices for infants.

"The grant funds make it possible for us to help the most vulnerable individuals who are most likely to be impacted by unsafe heating equipment or homes that have not been weatherized," said Dwayne Haywood, director of DHS' Bureau of Community Action and Economic Opportunity. "We are moving forward to post a Request for Proposals to select eligible community based organizations to initiate this program."

The grant includes up to $35,000 for administration and evaluation activities, including referrals, utility bill monitoring and reduction in the need for emergency energy relief. "The more we do to help at risk families keep their energy costs down and promote safe heating practices, the more lives we can improve," Haywood said.

The average American family can spend as much as $1,300 annual on utility bills, which can represent about 20-40 percent of a low-income family's income. Weatherizing a home can reduce that cost as much as $300 annually and provide more resources for food, transportation and other necessities resources of family self-sufficiency.