Michigan Disability Services Slashed: A Call to Hold the Line
Yesterday the Michigan House of Representatives passed a budget bill that guts disability services across our state. The cuts are staggering: funding for Centers for Independent Living (CILs) will be reduced nearly in half — the lowest level since before 2017.
If this budget stands, all 15 Centers for Independent Living in Michigan will be forced to cut or eliminate the very programs that thousands of people with disabilities depend on to live independently.
We’re talking about:
Independent living skills training
Peer support and mentorship
Transition services for youth and seniors
Adaptive recreation programs
Advocacy and rights protection
Housing assistance
And much more. These aren’t “extras.” These are lifelines.
Kelly Winn, CEO of Disability Network Eastern Michigan, put it plainly:
“These cuts are devastating. They strip away lifelines and dismantle decades of progress toward independence for people with disabilities. Rolling back funding to pre-2017 levels abandons our state’s commitment to the ADA and puts lives at risk.”
This is not abstract. The consequences hit twice:
Consumers lose access to critical services that keep them in their homes, schools, jobs, and communities.
Staff — more than 75% of whom have disabilities themselves — face layoffs. The very people who build independence for others are about to lose their own.
These programs don’t just improve lives, they save money. They keep people out of long-term care facilities, help them secure employment, stabilize housing, and build the skills for self-sufficiency. When Michigan funds independence, the state spends less overall.
Which means these cuts are not just cruel. They’re shortsighted.
Where We Stand
At It Can’t Be Zero, we stand with DNEM and every Center for Independent Living across the state. Michigan cannot balance its budget on the backs of disabled people. Not in 2017. Not in 2025. Not ever. The fight now moves to the Michigan Senate and Governor Gretchen Whitmer. They hold the pen on the final state budget. We’re calling on them to restore full funding and protect these services before lives are irreparably harmed.
What You Can Do
Contact your state senator. Tell them to restore CIL funding in the budget.
Contact Governor Whitmer. Let her know you expect Michigan to honor its commitment to the ADA and to equity.
Share this post. Spread the word so people understand what’s at stake.
Copy/Paste Email Template
Subject: Restore Funding for Centers for Independent Living
Dear [Senator/Governor Whitmer],
I am writing to urge you to fully restore funding for Michigan’s Centers for Independent Living in the state budget.
The Michigan House’s proposed cuts slash funding nearly in half, rolling support levels back to before 2017. If enacted, these cuts will:
Force all 15 Centers for Independent Living to cut or eliminate programs,
Strip away services like independent living skills, peer support, housing assistance, and transition programs,
Harm thousands of Michiganders with disabilities,
Eliminate jobs for staff — more than 75% of whom have disabilities themselves.
These services are not optional. They are lifelines. They empower people with disabilities to live independently, avoid costly long-term care, and contribute to their communities. Cutting them not only hurts people, it increases costs for the state.
Michigan must not balance its budget on the backs of people with disabilities. Please act now to restore full funding for Centers for Independent Living and protect the independence and rights of people with disabilities in our state.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
[Your City]