A Very Warm Welcome To Our Site

For thousand of Michigan families their own home will not protect them from the harshness of winter. The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) has been assisting Michigan residents facing an emergency energy crisis for 26 years and this year we expect the need to be greater than ever. Your donation will provide immediate relief to a famliy struggling to keep their loved ones warm.

Thanks for your support!

On behalf of the THAW Board, staff and those we serve, we want to thank you for your generous support during the WWJ Radiothon. The funds raised will help keep thousands of families safe and warm this winter.

Funding News

Winter will now be warmer for many Michigan residents struggling to keep their heat and lights on.

The Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) has awarded $9,689,814 to The Heat and Warmth Fund (THAW) from the Vulnerable Household Warmth Fund (VHWF) to be used as utility assistance for qualified, Michigan residents in need this winter.

Earlier this month the legislature passed, and Governor signed, a package of bills that authorized the creation of the Vulnerable Household Warmth Fund (VHWF) for the purpose of providing payment or partial payment of bills for electricity, natural gas, propane, heating oil, or any other type of fuel used to heat the primary residence of a vulnerable customer during the 2011-2012 heating season.

Action was needed because earlier this year a state appeals court ruled the financing system used by Michigan’s Low Income and Energy Efficiency Fund (LIEEF) was no longer authorized. The fund is financed through a charge on customers of large utilities, including Detroit Edison and Consumers Energy.

Lawmakers acknowledged the fix is temporary and that more long-term solutions will have to be found. Legislators said they felt it necessary to address the winter heating issue for low-income residents before ending votes for the year.