Bridge Card applications going online at month’s end
Those who wish to apply for Bridge Cards will no longer have to visit the Department of Human Services.
At the end of August, they can handle it online, said Mark Stevens, Isabella County director of the Department of Human Services.
Anyone applying can visit mibridges.mi.gov, which Stevens said will work by the end of the month, to fill out the online application and e-mail, fax or mail financial documents to the office. They will be contacted for a phone interview and the department will determine eligibility.
“I think it will be a lot more convenient for students instead of coming into the office and waiting,” he said. “Since students are so much more tech-savvy, I think it will be much easier for them.”
To qualify for a Bridge Card, applicants must meet income guidelines. The department examines income, back accounts and shelter and utility expenses, Stevens said.
Bridge Cards work like debit cards at grocery stores or the farmer’s market, he said.
Frankenmuth junior Kraig Haubenstricker applied for a Bridge Card for the first time this summer.
“Eating food is the biggest part of my budget,” he said.
Haubenstricker said applying online would make the process easier because of convenience, and he had trouble finding the office.
“I wouldn’t have to drive several miles out of town,” he said. “And I have access to a fax machine, scanner and e-mail.”
However, he also believed the application process would be more complicated because he had a lot of questions.
Troy senior Jamie Clark is a Bridge Card user and believes the online application would be useful.
“The hours (at the Isabella County DHS) are not the best for students. It would be very convenient and they are very hard to get a hold of,” she said.
Each cardholder has a case- worker, and each case-worker has hundreds of people to deal with, so it can take them a long time to get back to her, Clark said.
“Online is always easier for all involved,” she said.
