October 19, 2026
Funding supports emergency shelter beds and 24/7 crisis services for survivors statewide
DETROIT, Mich. Oct. 19, 2026 — Today, the DTE Foundation awarded funding to 45 domestic violence shelters to help keep their doors open across the state. A continued partnership between the DTE Foundation and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Division of Victim Services will help shelters across the state keep beds available and crisis lines staffed through the coming year. The DTE Foundation has committed $420,000 this year to help programs hold steady, so a survivor who calls at 2 a.m. reaches someone. Michigan's domestic violence shelters provided 263,475 nights of emergency refuge last year and have answered nearly 400,000 crisis calls since 2020 — a volume of need that continues to climb even as public funding tightens.
The announcement comes during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, observed each October, and marks more than seven years of Foundation support for domestic violence programs across Michigan.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and hopeful about the future,” said Rodney Cole, president, DTE Foundation. “We deeply value our longstanding partnership with the MDHHS Division of Victim Services. Together, we have provided more than $3 million to strengthen domestic violence shelters across Michigan and help ensure individuals and families can access safety, support and critical resources.”
Shelters report that the flexibility of the support matters as much as the support itself. One Upper Peninsula program used it for emergency hotel stays when beds ran out, relocation costs and replacement fees for documents survivors fled without. A Southeast Michigan shelter used it to assign every resident a single case manager; 415 survivors were connected to community resources last year as a result.
That flexibility is increasingly rare. Public dollars cover only part of what these programs require, and as federal funding is scaled back and state funds stretch thinner, shelters are absorbing the gap.
"Domestic violence programs across Michigan provide essential services including immediate crisis support, legal assistance and emergency housing for victims and their families," said Amy Epkey, acting director, MDHHS. "By strengthening these resources, we reinforce our shared commitment to ensuring victims have the accessible, lifesaving services they need.
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that survivors, regardless of where they live in Michigan, can find safety, support and a path forward. “The DTE Foundation Grant for our domestic violence organization allowed us to provide direct financial assistance to survivors in our area, and supported our much-needed emergency shelter maintenances and repairs," shared a representative from an Upper Peninsula domestic violence shelter. "Direct assistance varied from emergency hotel stays when the shelter was at capacity to relocation assistance and fees to replace lost/stolen documentation for survivors and their children.”
“The DTE Foundation grant impacted us greatly," shared a representative from a Southwest Michigan domestic violence shelter. "With different impacts from Federal and State funding for many organizations in our area, our requests locally have been met with the fact that they are spreading their donations to so many more organizations. This has helped us with some of those losses as we work on contingency plans moving forward.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available 24/7. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Michigan residents can find local services through MDHHS's Division of Victim Services. To learn more about the DTE Foundation and its nonprofit partnerships, visit www.dtefoundation.com.
About the DTE Energy Foundation
The DTE Energy Foundation (Foundation) is the philanthropic arm of DTE Energy (DTE) with a strong legacy of community support and involvement. In 2025, the Foundation provided $15.1 million in grant support to 445 nonprofit organizations in communities where the company has a business presence, with a focus on driving positive, meaningful change in priority giving areas: arts and culture, community transformation, economic progress, education and employment, environment and human needs. As one of Michigan's leading corporate citizens, DTE aspires to be the best in the world and the best for the world. Visit DTEFoundation.com to learn more.
For more information, members of the media may contact:
Kayla Collins, DTE Energy: (313) 235-5555
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