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 61 - 90 of 389 results

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...

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

News

Applications open Oct. 2-13 for Ann Arbor’s guaranteed income for low-income entrepreneurs

Sep 8, 2023

Entrepreneurs, self-employed people, owners of formal or informal small businesses, gig workers and people with side hustles who have low incomes can apply Oct. 2-13 to receive monthly payments from Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor (GIG...

In the Media

Luke Shaefer on simplifying access to cash assistance

Sep 8, 2023 Detroit Free Press

Luke Shaefer, Detroit Free Press: “In a lot of our programs, especially cash assistance, some states make it much much much much harder to get benefits and some states make it easier,” said H. Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions and a...

News

Ford School teams receive Boost support from U-M Bold Challenges Initiative

Sep 6, 2023

Three research teams with Ford School affiliations have been selected among eight programs across the U-M campus to participate in the first cycle of the Bold Challenges Initiative's newly-launched Boost program. The Boost program supports new...

News

Addressing housing instability important as the school year begins - Erb-Downward

Aug 18, 2023

Back to school brings several challenges, from student learning, expectations of academic success and mental health concerns among children to questioning technology replacing educators and AI and the ongoing shortage of teachers, school staff and...

Photo of a teacher and three young elementary school students around a classroom table

News

Chronic housing instability poses educational risk for Detroit students

Aug 16, 2023

As Detroit children prepare to return to school, widespread and chronic housing instability among city residents poses a threat to students’ ability to perform well academically. New research from the University of Michigan’s Poverty...

Publication

Mapping poverty in America: Shaefer’s new book explores “The Injustice of Place”

Aug 3, 2023

America is rife with "internal colonies," where systemic violence, resource extraction, and corruption among decision makers have contributed to generations of poverty and disadvantage. These communities suffer from environmental degradation, lack...

In the Media

Michigan auto insurance rates should not be affected by high court ruling - Nothaft

Aug 3, 2023 Detroit News

Amanda Nothaft, Detroit News: It's difficult to imagine how the Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association would suddenly come up short for individuals it had been tasked with paying for years ahead of the 2019 law change, said Amanda Nothaft,...

News

PPIA students reflect on their summer of study and social life

Aug 2, 2023

What are the dynamics of inequity in labor markets? How do we determine appropriate categories for people in a multicultural society? How is the U.S. approach to ethnicity and nationality different from what they are doing in Europe? These were...

Group of PPIA students posing in front of Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy courtyard

News

CLOSUP and Poverty Solutions to examine Michigan’s approach to criminal justice reform

Jul 20, 2023

In the wake of racial justice movements across the country, the State of Michigan and some of its communities have been implementing new public safety and criminal justice policies. The perspective of Michigan's local government, public safety, and...

News

Chicago's public bank discussions should center community needs

Jul 19, 2023

A new University of Michigan study finds Chicago residents are receptive to the idea of a city-run public bank, but they have questions about how the bank would operate and what measures would ensure public banking benefits for their...

News

Leiser and Shaefer comment on Detroit bankruptcy anniversary

Jul 18, 2023

As the city of Detroit marked the 10th anniversary of its declaration of bankruptcy, publications took stock of the progress the city has made. Bloomberg quoted the Center for Local, State and Urban Policy’s (CLOSUP) Stephanie Leiser, who leads...

News

Engaged Learning Student Projects Catalog: Preparing Ford School students for leadership

Jun 29, 2023

During the Winter Term 2023, Ford School students were involved in projects with federal, state, county, city, and township governments, school districts, non-profit organizations, and commissions. They worked with the school’s numerous research...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

In the Media

Seefeldt: "Poverty is a policy choice"

Jun 22, 2023 Newsweek

Kristin Seefeldt, Newsweek: n terms of age, race, and gender identity, America's poor are "a heterogeneous group of people," Kristin Seefeldt, associate director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, told Newsweek. "But children are...

News

Ford School welcomes PPIA 2023 cohort

Jun 19, 2023

The 2023 Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute (JSI) has welcomed 23 students from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year’s cohort will spend seven weeks taking classes, participating in...

In the Media

Shaefer on child tax credit: It works!

Jun 16, 2023 Minnesota Public Radio

Luke Shaefer, Minnesota Public Radio: Professor Luke Shaefer, who directs the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions initiative, said he’ll be keeping close tabs on what results. “It's not a silver bullet. It's not going to solve all of the...

Publication

$8.2M in emergency rental assistance spent at Detroit properties where landlords still moved to evict

Jun 14, 2023

University of Michigan researchers found that at least $8.2 million in federal emergency rental assistance funds were spent at single-family properties in Detroit where landlords still moved to evict tenants within six months of payment. A new...

Publication

New policy brief from Wayne State University, Poverty Solutions reveals Detroit schools under-identify homeless students

Jun 14, 2023

A recent study conducted by the Wayne State University College of Education’s Detroit Partnership for Education Equity & Research (Detroit PEER) found that students experiencing homelessness and housing instability are severely under-identified by...

News

Ann Arbor to pilot guaranteed basic income program in partnership with University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions

Jun 6, 2023

Ann Arbor City Council voted June 5 to approve an agreement with the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions to pilot a guaranteed basic income program aimed at low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs in Ann Arbor. In April 2022, city...

News

Poverty Solutions research assistants support groups advancing Detroit financial well-being projects

May 31, 2023

Getting money into the savings accounts of some Detroiters is more challenging than one might think. Before people can think about long-term financial planning, they need their immediate needs met. And those opening bank accounts for the first time...

poverty solutions detroit research assistanrts

In the Media

Shaefer: Child poverty "plummets" with cash transfer programs

May 22, 2023 WDET Detroit Today

Luke Shaefer, WDET Detroit Today: Country and after country, when they apply this cash transfer scheme -- raising kids is expensive and so society has a reason to come alongside parents in that work -- child poverty...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

News

New Michigan Medicine Program Seeks to Address Adolescent and Child Health-care Inequities

May 18, 2023

Michigan Medicine has launched a first-of-its-kind program designed to identify and address equity issues for young patients and their families receiving care at U-M Health, throughout Michigan and across the nation. The new Program for Equity in...

News

U-M’s Poverty Solutions takes an evidence-based approach to improving life in Detroit and beyond

May 17, 2023

Luke Shaefer is the director of Poverty Solutions, a university-wide initiative that partners hundreds of University of Michigan faculty experts and student researchers with community organizations and policymakers to alleviate poverty. Shaefer said...

News

Suburban Detroit Water Unaffordability: Causes, Consequences, and the Need for Comprehensive Policy Interventions

May 16, 2023

A policy brief from Poverty Solutions outlines the need for policy reform in the delivery of clean water, based on assessments of economically diverse communities in the Detroit area. Michigan is blessed with a significant portion of the world’s...

News

Shaefer's Flint collaboration making news

May 12, 2023

A new program that will grant Flint families with new babies $7,500 has been making the news, as it addresses "one of the most fundamental social determinants of health: poverty." The program, Rx Kids, received an initial grant of $15 million from...

Photo of Luke Shaefer seated in Weill Hall's Great Hall

News

Mott Foundation intends grants to support direct payments to pregnant and first-year Flint mothers

Apr 20, 2023

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation intends to grant up to $15 million over three years to Michigan State University to support the launch of Rx Kids, an innovative initiative to provide direct cash payments to mothers in Flint during pregnancy and...

News

U-M report on Detroiters’ opinions of reparations gains traction in media

Apr 18, 2023

The Center for Racial Justice, the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study, and Poverty Solutions released a new report detailing Detroiters’ opinions on reparations and racial inequity in March 2023. Since its release, multiple news outlets picked up...

In the Media

Branche-Wilson on the need for businesses to accept cash

Apr 18, 2023 Crain's Detroit Business

Afton Branche-Wilson, assistant director of community initiatives for Poverty Solutions, Crain's Detroit Business: “From a business perspective, you want a customer base as wide and diverse as possible. To say you only want folks who keep money in a...

Photo of jars of money, one each labeled for travel, education, car, health, and house.

In the Media

Erb-Downward discusses trends between poverty and school choice in Detroit

Apr 10, 2023 Chalkbeat Detroit

Jennifer Erb-Downward, Chalkbeat Detroit: "The deeper someone is in poverty, the more challenges they face, and that has a huge impact on a child’s ability to participate in their...