Jennifer Erb-Downward

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...

“​​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...

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...

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...

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...

Jennifer Erb-Downward, Chalkbeat: "There should be a stronger relationship between homelessness and poverty, and the fact that there’s not supports that there’s under-identification taking place... We, somehow, as a society, have agreed that it is...

Jennifer Erb-Downward, Detroit Free Press: “The reach of these early learning programs for children experiencing homelessness is not what we need to see if we actually want to see children truly thriving in their lives and in their education. And...

Evidence shows that students experiencing homelessness get disciplined at higher rates than students who were not. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty Solutions, believes schools should take housing status into consideration...

Imagine, summer vacation is coming to an end and you must start school next week, but you haven’t been able to shower in a week. Would you be able to focus on school? That was the question posed by a group of teens and young adults advocating for...

Jennifer Erb-Downward is a senior research associate at U-M's Poverty Solutions who studies child and family homelessness. Her research explores the connections between student homelessness and school discipline rates, academic proficiency,...

High school-aged youth who are homeless report higher rates of attempted suicide, prescription drug misuse, pregnancy and being forced to have sex.  Transgender youth are especially at risk of experiencing homelessness and being estranged from a...

A new U-M publication found that Michigan students who have experienced homelessness are disproportionately suspended or expelled. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty Solutions, described the finding's real-life...

Federal lawmakers continue to seek out University of Michigan faculty members to lend their expertise and knowledge to help inform federal policy. In the last year, 13 U-M faculty members and researchers testified at 14 congressional hearings...

Jennifer Erb-Downward spoke with WDET about the pervasive undercounting of children who experience housing instability or homelessness, and it's long-lasting impacts on their education. ”In every single classroom in Michigan there’s going to be a...

With the pandemic exacerbating homelessness, Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at U-M Poverty Solutions, is bringing attention to the problem of homelessness among children. “People tend to think about a single man living on the...

According to U-M Poverty Solutions, homeless students face more disciplinary action at school than their housed counterparts. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Povery Solutions, explained the effects school discipline can have on...

Research done by Poverty Solutions at U-M has found negative outcomes in children resulting from school suspensions and expulsions, especially when those children have unstable housing. Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty...

Jennifer Erb-Downward, senior research associate at Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education on Wednesday, May 19. The hearing was...

The American Rescue Plan Act, the latest $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus plan, includes $800 million to support children and youth experiencing homelessness.  Jennifer Erb-Downward, a senior research associate at the University of Michigan’s...

Javed Ali organized a panel for New America on domestic terrorism. His new podcast, The Burn Bag, produced with two Ford School alumni, A'ndre Gonawela (BA ‘19) and Ryan Rosenthal (BA ‘19), has featured U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan, General David...

Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan is one of three organizations across the country contributing to a new “Education Leads Home” Data-to-Action Playbook that will offer guidance on how to use student homelessness data to advocate for...

Jennifer Erb-Downward, a Ford School researcher for U-M presidential initiative Poverty Solutions, was featured in the latest "MIchigan Minds" podcast on March 6. The interview explores a report from the reseach center about the degree, causes, and...