Michigan's Women, Infants & Children program, providing supplemental nutrition, breastfeeding information, and other resources for healthy mothers & babies.
Information on the Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance, SSI, Refugee, and other cash assistance.
If you cannot afford child care, payment assistance is available.
Children's Special Health Care Services information and FAQ's.
Information on assistance with home repairs, heat and utility bills, relocation, home ownership, burials, home energy, and eligibility requirements.
Information on the Food Assistance Program, eligibility requirements, and other food resources.
Information about the health care programs available through Medicaid and how to qualify.
Our migrant program works with a number of organizations to provide services for Michigan’s migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
A federal program which helps persons admitted into the U.S. as refugees to become self-sufficient after their arrival.
Universal caseload, or task-based processing, is a different way of handling public assistance cases.
Information on the Children's Protective Services Program, child abuse reporting procedures, and help for parents in caring for their children.
Information on adoption programs, adoption resources, locating birth parents and obtaining information from adoption records.
Information on Adult Protective Services, Independent Living Services, Adult Community Placement Services, and HIV/AIDS Support Services.
Information on child support services for participants and partners.
Programs for healthy children & families, including immunization, lead poisoning prevention, prenatal smoking cessation, and many others.
Information on the Children's Foster Care program and becoming a Foster Parent.
Information about the Michigan law that requires certain information be made available to a woman who is seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure.
Information on treatment and services for juvenile offenders, success stories, and more.
Child Welfare Medical and Behavioral Health Resources
MDHHS and partners support a continuum of prevention services. The continuum is inclusive of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities. Visit this page to learn more.
Information about injury and violence prevention programs in Michigan
Information on Safe Sleep for your baby, how to protect your baby's life.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) Division of Environmental Health (DEH) uses the best available science to reduce, eliminate, or prevent harm from environmental, chemical, and physical hazards.
Resources and information to assist in assuring firearm safety for families in the state of Michigan.
The Division of Victim Services (DVS) provides a voice advocating for and responding to all victims of crime in Michigan. Learn more about DVS-funded programs and services, including Michigan’s 24/7, free, confidential, and anonymous domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines.
Medical Resources for Child Protection
Serves as liaison and provides funding to Michigan’s 45 local health departments.
Adult Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Services
Multicultural Health
Prevention of diseases & conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many others.
Information on communicable & chronic diseases.
Home to an array of public health programs, initiatives and interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of women, infants, families and communities.
Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records
Boards and Commissions
Bridge Card Participation Information on Electronic Benefits for clients and businesses, lists of participating retailers and ATMs, and QUEST.
Provider Payments Information on the direct deposit of State of Michigan payments into a provider's bank account.
Information on How to Bid, Requests for Proposals, forms and publications, contractor rates, and manuals.
Information & resources for Community and Faith-Based partners
Information on DHS Applications and Forms grouped by category.
Health Care Providers
Licensing information for Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged, Child Day Care Facilities, Child Caring Institutions, Children's Foster Care Homes, Child Placing Agencies, Juvenile Court Operated Facilities and Children's or Adult Foster Care Camps.
Michigan Statewide Systems of Care
Information on the grant awarded for the State Innovation Model Proposal
Protect MiFamily -Title IV-E Waiver
Offers resources for agencies who operate the Weatherization Assistance Program in the state of Michigan
Information is collected to monitor the general health and well-being of Michigan citizens.
Information on resources in your community and volunteer recruitment and training, and services provided at local DHS offices.
Equal Opportunity, Legal Base, Laws and Reporting Welfare Fraud information.
A variety of reports & statistics for programs and services.
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
Only a tribe or the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) can determine if a person has tribal affiliation. Individuals should contact the tribe(s) they think they have affiliation with. Tribal Enrollment Offices are the best location to inquire within a tribe.
The Office of Native American Affairs (NAA) does not verify Indian ancestry or enroll tribal members for citizenship within tribes.
Tribal Directories with contact information for U.S. and Canadian tribes are located at the following websites:
www.bia.gov
www.ncai.org
www.500nations.org
A DNA test will assist in verifying your paternity; which may or may not assist with proving Indian ancestry within a tribe your relatives are affiliated with. However, only a tribe may determine eligibility criteria for their citizens. Tribal codes (laws) will specify what requirements are for tribal citizenship; and may be posted on tribal websites to assist you with understanding eligibility criteria for becoming a tribal citizen (See Tribal Directories for contact information and websites for tribes).
Paying for a DNA test is not recommended unless a tribe specifically requires this per law or establishing parentage for Indian children.
Many families have been disenfranchised from their tribal roots due to previous U.S. laws and policy throughout history or through adoption.
If you were adopted after 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 25 USC 1901 et. seq. and Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act (MCL 712B 1-41) have provisions to assist adopted Indian persons that have reached the age of 18 or Indian custodians to obtain adoption records from the county court the adoption took place in and/or from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).
If your family lore has lead you to believe that you have Indian ancestry, you should start with contacting the tribes in the state of your origin or your family’s origin to determine if you are eligible for enrollment within any of those tribes respectively (See "How can I find out if I am American Indian/Alaska Native" FAQ above).
NAA BUSINESS PLAN
The Office of Native American Affairs (NAA) consists of one full-time employee who serves as the department’s avenue to comply with federal and state requirements for consultation with American Indian tribes regarding all state plans, programs, legislative changes, and policy changes that impact North American Indian children and families per the 1994 amendments of the Social Security Act, Presidential Memorandum 2009 (Tribal Consultation), Governor Granholm’ s Executive Directive 2004-05, and Governor Snyder’s Executive Directive 2012-02 (http://www.michigan.gov/americanindians).
The NAA Business Plan has a 5 Star Focus of Advocacy, ICWA Profiling, Service Enhancement, Training/Technical Assistance, and Tribal Consultation.
NAA delivers a broad range of services to Michigan’s approximate 130,000 American Indian population and MDHHS field staff including, but not limited to: policy and program development, resource coordination, advocacy, training and technical assistance, coordination of efforts to ensure implementation of applicable state and federal laws (including the federal Indian Child Welfare Act [ICWA] pertaining to Native Americans, and tribal consultation).
Service elements include:
The Office of Native American Affairs (NAA) may provide information referral, case mediation, and client advocacy for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Michigan residents, however, services are delivered through the MDHHS local county offices.
American Indian/Alaska Native clients seeking food assistance, emergency funds, and other cash assistance should contact the local MDHHS County Office and/or the online applications for assistance (MI BRIDGES) found on the MDHHS website at: www.michigan.gov/mdhhs.
Indian Outreach Workers (IOWs) are available in 12 counties in Michigan (Baraga, Chippewa, Gogebic, Isabella, Kent, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Schoolcraft, Van Buren, and Wayne) and clients may seek their assistance in applying for MDHHS services; help with a child welfare case; accessing other community or tribal services (medical, education, transportation, housing, etc…); and assistance with verifying Indian ancestry (See Indian Outreach Worker Contact list on the NAA website www.michigan.gov/americanindians).
MDHHS caseworkers and private agency partners may request IOW assistance for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) child welfare cases. Case assistance requests should be submitted via the MDHHS-382 and is subject to IOS Supervisor and/or MDHHS County Director approval.
Tribes have unique federal government-to-government and trust relationships with the U.S. government which have resulted in the U.S. government creating specific laws, policy, and programs for tribes and federally recognized tribal citizens. These American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) services are political agreements and memorandums of understanding; not race-based laws, policy, programs, or services. Tribal citizens have full access to tribal, state, and federal services provided within a tribe, state, or the U.S. based upon their residency and citizenship within each government jurisdiction respectively.
Federally recognized tribal members may access or be eligible for programs such as the following through their tribe, an urban Indian organization, other state agencies, or directly with the federal government:
Housing (http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/ih/codetalk/nahasda)
Indian Health Services (http://www.ihs.gov/)
Michigan Tribal Directory (www.michigan.gov/mdcr)
Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver Program (www.michigan.gov/mdcr)
Tax Agreements (www.michigan.gov/som/0,4669,7-192-29701_41909---,00.html)
Urban Indian Programs (www.michigan.gov/americanindians)
Veterans Affairs (http://www.va.gov/)
The Office of Native American Affairs (NAA) cannot provide legal advice only clarification of MDHHS policy and mediation pertaining to MDHHS case services.
Michigan Indian Legal Services (MILS) is a legal aid program in Michigan serving eligible American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) clients and/or tribal organizations (See http://www.mils3.org/).
The State Court Administrative Office (SCAO) is an avenue for seeking information about court specific complaints/concerns pertaining to American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) cases (http://courts.mi.gov/administration/scao/officesprograms/cws/pages/cip.aspx).
The State of Michigan does not provide cash payments to individuals because they are American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN). Residents of Michigan, receiving assistance from the department obtain services such as food assistance, utility assistance, weatherization, or housing based upon federal eligibility criteria which are income-based; all persons may apply for assistance regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religious or political affiliation.
Tribal governments operating casino gaming may provide a per capita payment (shareholder dividend) from the revenues of casino gaming enterprises to tribal citizens based upon their tribal constitution and bylaws. These per capita payments are regulated and distributed by tribes that have established laws indicating they will provide monies directly to tribal citizens; not all tribes have casino gaming enterprises or distribute per capita payments to citizens. A person’s tribe should be contacted to determine if they are eligible for per capita payments.
The State of Michigan established a tuition waiver program for eligible American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students seeking a college degree at a public institution. All costs associated with attending a college/university are not covered by this program (room & board, books, transportation, food, etc…); however the tuition costs are calculated for credit bearing courses and are waived for eligible Native American students. Therefore, while the cost of college/university is not entirely free for an AI/AN student, the costs are considerably reduced for a student to seek an Associate, Bachelors, Masters, Ph.D., or Juris Doctor degree.
Students should begin planning and preparing for their college career by contacting their Tribal Education Department, completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), working with their Financial Aid Officers and applying for the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver Program.
The Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) administers this program (www.michigan.gov/mdcr). Program eligibility is subject to change, however, the criteria currently requires that the student is certified by his/her tribe as ¼ Native American blood quantum, an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe, attending a public institution in Michigan and has been a resident of Michigan for at least 12 consecutive months.
The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 25 USC 1901 et. seq. was a law created to prevent the breakup of Indian families and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes. There are culturally competent services available for you and/or your family.
Resources:
Michigan recently enacted Public Act 566, the Michigan Indian Family Preservation Act (MIFPA) MCL 712B. 1-41. which clarifies, enhances, and reaffirms ICWA implementation in Michigan child welfare services and courts. Information pertaining to MIFPA and ICWA are available on the NAA website at www.michigan.gov/americanindians or MDHHS NAA Policy Manual at https://dhhs.michigan.gov/olmweb/ex/html/.
Indian Outreach Workers (IOW) are available to assist Indian families in Michigan with social service complaints (See IOW contact information www.michigan.gov/americanindians).
The Office of Native American Affairs (NAA) has produced a toolkit consisting of four topic areas NAA, Law, Tribes, and MDHHS Services for AI/AN youth in care which may be accessed by contacting the NAA Director at TadgersonS@michigan.gov.
Casey Family Programs has developed tools for American Indian/Alaska Native foster youth and may be contacted at https://www.casey.org/casey-life-skills-resources/
The National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) has excellent resources and hosts an Annual Indian Child Welfare Conference that may of interest to you (See http://www.nicwa.org/).
MDHHS Indian Outreach Services (IOS) may be available in your county to assist you with accessing services/programs (See IOW/IOS on NAA website www.michigan.gov/americanindians).
As a resident of Michigan, you are eligible for any service available for youth in the child welfare system. Please contact your caseworker or Director of Native American Affairs at TadgersonS@michigan.gov for more information on service linkages specific to your interests and/or need.
Fostering Success Michigan is an excellent way to access foster parent resources: http://fosteringsuccessmichigan.com/network/foster-care-navigators.
If you are a relative provider and not currently licensed, there may be more funding assistance available for caring for foster or relative children in your home if you become licensed (See MDHHS Bureau of Children and Adult Licensing [BCAL] policy or contact your local MDHHS office/caseworker for more information about becoming a licensed foster care provider).
The Office of Native American Affairs (NAA) has produced a toolkit consisting of four topic areas NAA, Law, Tribes, and MDHHS Services for AI/AN youth and foster care providers which may be accessed by contacting the NAA Director at TadgersonS@michigan.gov.
Casey Family Programs has developed tools for American Indian/Alaska Native foster youth and may be contacted at https://www.casey.org/casey-life-skills-resources/
There are tribal and urban Indian organization programs throughout Michigan that may have services/programs that you or your foster youth require or are interest in (See NAA website for contact lists and website links www.michigan.gov/americanindians).