Nushrat Rahman

A moratorium on residential water shut offs in Detroit runs out Dec. 31. Residents should apply for assistance programs to avoid shut offs.

DTE is asking for a 8.8 percent rate increase, or $10 more a month for residential customers. Advocates say customers shouldn’t have to bear the costs.

Michigan’s busiest district court will limit the use of cash bail, saying the practice disproportionately burdens poor people and puts them behind bars.

Roughly one-third of children in Michigan under age 5 qualified for child care subsidies, but only 5 percent received those credits. Meanwhile, an estimated 44 percent of Michiganders live in “child care deserts” — places with a lack of licensed child care providers.

The pandemic moratorium is slated to end Saturday, which could exacerbate housing problems in a state that already has a shortage of affordable homes.

More than 20,000 Michiganders have applied for help to pay their rent through a federally-funded rent aid program that launched two months ago, reflecting an ongoing need for housing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting this summer, eligible families are expected to get monthly payments, through expansions in child tax credits, to support the cost of raising kids.

As the new school year ramps up and the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, parents are having to make tough financial decisions. Nonprofits and social service agencies say they see families struggling to purchase materials for school, access child care and put food on the table.