[This post is part of the biweekly CEDAM Member News Roundup series.  If you have news to share, send it our way or leave a message in the comments section at the bottom of this post.]

Southwest Michigan Community Action Agency is helping to keep people warm this winter by dispensing heating assistance funds to qualified applicants.  One such applicant said this will be the first year he will be able to turn his furnace on.  In the past he sat in his living room with a snowsuit on. Read the article.

Neighborhood Service Organization plans to renovate the historic  Bell Building in Detroit to serve both as a headquarters and as a homeless shelter.  The project won a state brownfield tax credit worth $7.1 million. See the renovation plan.

Blue Water Habitat for Humanity in Port Huron is coordinating with students at St. Clair Community College to build an affordable home that runs on environmentally-friendly alternative energy.  Read the article.

United Way for Southeastern Michigan’s 2-1-1 hotline is “taking off” according to Crain’s Detroit Business.  The hotline helps connect callers to resources such as mortgage & foreclosure counseling, medical assistance, and senior care services.  According the organization’s most recent report, 82% of callers who requested food received it, and those who called for utility bill assistance saved $389 on average.  Learn about the hotline and see reports.