Michigan Benefits Access Partner

Dann’s House is a Michigan Benefits Access partner, providing our residents with access to essential benefits.

The Michigan Benefits Access Partnership project began with a challenge facing Michigan’s governmental officials and the state’s community of foundations and other nonprofits: find a better way to allow struggling Michigan citizens to easily access and receive the benefits for which they are eligible and entitled. The most pressing need, all agreed, was for a better, more user-friendly and technologically advanced system that would allow Michigan residents to register for, and begin receiving, those benefits.

Both government officials and nonprofit leaders moved towards parallel plans to create an easy-to-access, online, one-stop integrated registration and delivery system to get these families and individuals the benefit dollars and services they are entitled to coupled with nonprofit outreach, such as that provided by the Dann’s House organization.

Several of our Board members, staff, and volunteers have been specially trained to help our residents register for and receive benefits — without leaving the house. While they were living on the street, the benefits system posed severe barriers to our residents’ participation. Without resources like transportation, computer access, or even a telephone, it was extremely difficult (even impossible) for them to appear in person at an office. Providing the right paperwork and documentation was an obstacle, too.

Since moving in to Dann’s House, our residents can determine what benefits they need, what they are eligible for, and what they are entitled to. Working with our staff and volunteers, they can take advantage of the social safety nets that exist to help them better their lives.