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United Way outlines plan for Heart of West Michigan disaster relief fund; commissioners weigh scope and triggers
Summary
Fire Department staff and Michelle Van Dyke of Heart of West Michigan United Way proposed creating a local disaster relief fund with United Way as fiduciary, recommending a minimum ready balance (suggested $100,000); commissioners asked detailed questions about activation triggers, whether smaller local incidents (like a water main break) would qualify, and how quickly distribution criteria could be set.
Fire Department staff and Heart of West Michigan United Way outlined a plan to establish a local disaster relief fund that would be held and administered by United Way as fiduciary.
Keith (Fire) said United Way often leads the establishment and management of local disaster funds, which can provide fast, flexible support after events. Michelle Van Dyke, CEO of Heart of West Michigan United Way, said the model is to raise funds during good times and maintain a ready balance so resources are available immediately after a disaster. "Their advice is, to raise funds during the good times, and to maintain a minimum of a $100,000," Van Dyke said.
Van Dyke described how the fund would operate: United Way would serve as the 501(c)(3) fiduciary, handle donor and tax reporting, assist with fundraising and charge a modest administrative fee, and distribute funds through nonprofit partners that apply based on disaster-specific criteria. She said decisions about activation and payout would be made collaboratively with local partners and informed by activation triggers such as significant loss of life, displacement or when local capacity is overwhelmed.
Commissioners pressed for specifics. One asked whether the recent Adams Street water main break that left some households without insurance coverage would fall under the fund; Van Dyke said the fund's definition includes human-made disasters and that some events that do not meet federal or state thresholds could still qualify, but the exact coverage and dollar amounts would be set on a case-by-case basis when a disaster is activated. She also said past experience (the COVID response fund) shows criteria can be set quickly when needed.
City staff confirmed there is no money in a local fund yet but said they have begun outreach to potential funders and are studying models used by Kalamazoo and others. Commissioners urged community involvement in designing eligibility criteria and suggested that the city be one of several seed funders. No formal vote occurred; members expressed support for continued discussion and broader community and county coordination.
