Departments and Research Centers

Poverty Solutions

Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan informs and tests innovative solutions for the prevention and alleviation of poverty, leveraging the immense intellectual assets and academic scope of the university to make a major impact on the

Showing 31 - 60 of 387 results

Publication

Lack of trust in political system main reason some Detroiters won't vote

Jul 31, 2024

Distrust in the political system is the most commonly cited reason that eligible voters in Detroit say they don't plan to vote in November, according to a University of Michigan survey.The survey, fielded by U-M's Detroit Metro Area Communities...

American Flags and Pins on White Background

Publication

Detroiters’ perceptions of their neighborhoods shifted after Strategic Neighborhood Fund investments

Jul 22, 2024

A study drawing on survey data from the past five years shows that while neighborhood satisfaction fell across Detroit as the pandemic unfolded, neighborhoods that had received targeted infrastructure improvements proved more resilient.The survey...

News

Research shows far-reaching costs of eviction filings to tenants—regardless of the outcome in court

Jul 16, 2024

A new study from the University of Michigan documents the far-reaching costs of eviction filings for Pennsylvania tenants who had eviction cases filed against them but experienced a “best-case scenario” in court, meaning they had legal...

Photo of homes in Detroit's Chaldean Town neighborhood

News

Cost of living tops Detroiters’ priorities for US government

Jul 8, 2024

With Michigan poised to be a pivotal state in the 2024 presidential election, Detroiters have weighed in on their priorities for the U.S. government.Cost of living and inflation is the issue Detroiters mentioned most when asked about the top issues...

Word cloud with issues most important to Detroiters

News

Michigan metro areas divided on views on legal immigration, U-M survey shows

Jun 27, 2024

Immigration consistently shows up as the most important problem facing the U.S. in national public opinion polls, but less information has been available to understand how Michiganders view immigration.With Michigan poised to be one of the most...

Photo of an American flag backed by a gray sky

News

U-M experts explore ramifications of housing crisis on economy, emotional well-being and more

Jun 10, 2024

ANN ARBOR—The need for affordable and accessible housing is an issue that transcends political affiliation—even as it rises in significance to voters—and matters as much to our emotional and mental health as our financial well-being.Two University...

Illustration with a house and money symbols balanced on a scale

News

Survey shows how Detroiters’ mental health has changed since pandemic

May 30, 2024

Detroiters’ mental health-related symptoms have improved and largely stabilized since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a University of Michigan report.While the negative impacts of the pandemic on people’s mental health are well...

Photo of building with sign that reads, "How are you really?"

News

Child care workers caught in middle of Michigan’s broken child care system

May 10, 2024

A teacher has a question, notes for families await delivery to classrooms, and a little girl arriving at Blackbird Child Care Center in Harbor Springs needs her rain boots swapped for shoes. Sadie Riley-Flemming responds to it all with a...

Photo of Sadie Riley-Flemming, director of Blackbird Child Care Center in Harbor Springs, greets a girl on April 19, 2024. Photos by Molly Hauxwell Currier for the University of Michigan.

State & Hill

Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas on policy rooted in evidence and facts

Apr 24, 2024

Ford School students take on a variety of different roles after graduation—some do research, some will engage in advocacy, others will become civil servants. As instructors of two of the core research methods courses that our students take, we have...

State & Hill

Spotlights, spring 2024

Apr 24, 2024

A prescription for equityAs the first city-wide experiment of its kind, Rx Kids provides cash payments for new parents—and new promise for eradicating early childhood poverty. Flint's high child poverty rates came into focus nearly 10 years ago when...

Photo of Gretchen Whitmer and Rx Kids co-directors Luke Shaefer; Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, and others in front of RxKids banner

News

Highlights from the Dean's Symposium

Apr 21, 2024

Two days of panels, chats, and keynotes focused on examining and seeking solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face in Michigan, in the United States, and across the globe. More than 400 students, faculty, staff, and friends attended in...

News

UM study: Detroit’s Black homeowners gained nearly $3B in real estate wealth from 2014-22

Apr 16, 2024

University of Michigan Poverty Solutions study released today shows Detroit’s Black homeowners gained $2.8 billion in home valueStudy based on 9 years or recorded home sales dataNeighborhoods with highest poverty and lowest home values in 2014 saw...

News

New Michigan poverty map identifies needs related to education, food insecurity, affordable housing

Mar 25, 2024

A new data map showcasing diverse indicators of poverty and well-being throughout Michigan highlights the key challenges confronting residents in different parts of the state and suggests interventions for the state’s most critical needs.Poverty...

News

Stacey Abrams, other policymakers and leading scholars to join Ford School symposium

Mar 12, 2024

The Ford School of Public Policy is happy to announce the Dean’s Symposium, which will take place April 11 and 12 at Weill Hall, with the theme, “Policy Innovation for Our Times.” The two days will feature keynote appearances by voting rights...

News

Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office, ACLU of Michigan, University of Michigan announce release of Prosecutor Transparency Project study

Mar 5, 2024

Today, the Prosecutor Transparency Project released findings from a multi-year analysis of racial disparities in the prosecutorial system in Washtenaw County. The Prosecutor Transparency Project — a collaboration between the Washtenaw County...

News

Detroit residents' trust in police shaped by history of police contact

Mar 5, 2024

Detroit residents who have had any type of contact with police are more critical of police than people who have no contact with police, according to a survey of Detroit residents from the University of Michigan.U-M’s Detroit Metro Area Communities...

News

Guaranteed income for entrepreneurs: U-M researchers to assess impact

Mar 5, 2024

One hundred Ann Arbor entrepreneurs, gig workers and other independent workers with low incomes have received their first two guaranteed income payments of $528 as part of the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor pilot program.Payments started in...

Seefeldt and Emily Shupp Parker tabling outside for GIG A2

News

Poverty Solutions at U-M grows partnerships in poverty alleviation in 2023

Feb 1, 2024

Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan last year informed the largest-ever increase in state funding for youth homelessness programs, advised federal policymakers on place-based strategies for tackling poverty and laid the groundwork for...

Collage of Poverty Solutions faculty and students

News

Ford school faculty available to weigh in on 2024 elections

Jan 28, 2024

The University of Michigan has published an experts guide to the 2024 elections. Ford School faculty are available to offer insights on relevant issues impacting the elections, including the following: Economics Betsey Stevenson, professor of...

Red, white, and blue balloons and stars with a large white checkmark

News

“Do what makes you come alive, do it with courage” Martin Luther King Jr. panelists discuss his legacy, implications for today’s world

Jan 21, 2024

On Monday, January 15th, hundreds of community members, students, and U-M affiliates filled Hill Auditorium to attend the 38th annual memorial keynote lecture in tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The MLK Symposium, founded in 1987 as a...

MLK keynote speech 2024 at Hill Auditorium

News

Poverty Solutions partners to launch Rx Kids in Flint, offering relief from extreme poverty among families with infants

Jan 10, 2024

Enrollment for pregnant moms and newborns in Flint began Wednesday, January 10, as Rx Kids officially launched – the first citywide maternal and infant cash prescription program in the nation. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer attended the...

State & Hill

Piloting guaranteed income in U-M’s backyard

Dec 12, 2023

U-M researchers play role in reimagining social safety net in Ann Arbor and beyond For the nearly three decades Kristin Seefeldt (MPP ’96, PhD ’10) has lived and worked in Ann Arbor, her professional life studying and teaching about poverty...

State & Hill

Injustice of place: Learning from history

Dec 12, 2023

A place-based view of the legacy of poverty in the U.S. At first glance, there's not much in common among the spinach fields of Crystal City, Texas; the cotton mills near Greenwood, Mississippi; and the historic salt works in Manchester,...

News

Shaefer anticipates major poverty reduction in upcoming Flint prenatal and infant cash program

Nov 10, 2023

“I can’t talk about this without smiling. We are getting ready to eliminate extreme poverty for families with babies in Flint.” Ford School Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Justice and Social Policy Luke Shaefer is speaking about...

News

New Michigan landscape map highlights counties affected hardest by opioid epidemic

Nov 9, 2023

A new landscape map and analysis created by the University of Michigan show demographic information with a connection to opioid use disorder, examining data such as unemployment rates, annual income, opioid-related hospitalizations, and...

News

Majority of Flint residents support reparations for Black Americans, CRJ survey shows

Nov 7, 2023

More than half of Flint residents favor reparations for Black Americans, although levels of support vary depending on whether the proposal refers to reparations as a broad concept or specific reparative policies like cash payments or financial...

In the Media

Luke Shaefer praises Minnesota child tax credit

Oct 9, 2023 Minneapolis Star Tribune

Luke Shaefer, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Minnesota's initiative appears to be one of the most ambitious child tax credits in the nation. It covers one of the broadest age ranges — through age 17 — and the $1,750 maximum credit may be one of the...

Photo of Luke Shaefer in the Ford School's Towsley Reading Room

News

Michelmore and Pilkauskas discuss the benefits of tax credits

Oct 9, 2023

Over the past few months, Ford School associate professors Katherine Michelmore and Natasha Pilkauskas have been discussing their research and insights on the 2021 Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit in a wide array of outlets. Here...

Natasha Pilkauskas and Katherine Michelmore

In the Media

Erb-Downward: Evictions disproportionately impact young children

Oct 2, 2023 The New York Times

“It’s really a different section of the housing market that people are being pushed into,” said Jennifer Erb-Downward, who analyzes poverty and housing policy at the University of Michigan. “We’ve trapped families into this,” Ms. Erb-Downward...

In the Media

Shaefer on increase in poverty rate

Sep 13, 2023 Marketplace

Luke Shaefer, Marketplace: “We saw big increases in poverty across every sociodemographic group,” said Luke Shaefer, a professor of public policy at the University of Michigan. “The biggest was among children. We saw child poverty more than...