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 211 - 240 of 347 results

In the Media

Federal government should build on CARES Act success to support families, says Shaefer

Nov 30, 2020 FOX 17 West Michigan

“The things that we did in the CARES Act in May, they really worked to a greater degree than I think a lot of people have appreciated,” Shaefer said. “So we can build on that and do more. I’d like us to do more for families with kids.” Read the...

News

Majority of Detroiters say they’re unlikely to get COVID-19 vaccine, U-M survey says

Nov 23, 2020

Sixty-one percent of Detroiters say they are somewhat unlikely or very unlikely to get a government-approved COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available, according to the latest survey from the University of Michigan’s Detroit Metro Area...

News

Poverty Solutions receives grant to develop homelessness data-to-action playbook

Oct 14, 2020

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...

News

Shaefer highlights success of Michigan’s response to COVID’s economic crisis

Oct 9, 2020

“Sometimes, when we’re not looking, government does the remarkable.” That’s the assessment of Ford School professor H. Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions, on the effectiveness of Michigan’s response to the economic crisis created by...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

News

Ford School wins NASPAA 2020 Social Equity award

Oct 4, 2020

The Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA) has awarded the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy with its 2020 Social Equity Award, which honors a public policy, affairs, or administration program that exemplifies...

News

More than $260K awarded for research on confronting, combating racism

Oct 2, 2020

Now that Genesee County has declared racism a public health crisis, what role can residents play in guiding the county’s efforts to eliminate racist policies and practices? That’s one of the research questions University of Michigan faculty will...

A rainy protest with a sign reading "Black Lives Matter"

News

New U-M report lifts up Detroit residents' priorities for economic mobility

Sep 25, 2020

A new report from the University of Michigan's Poverty Solutions lifts up more than a decade's worth of input from Detroit residents on how to increase economic mobility and decrease poverty in their city. The community-based research project,...

Publication

Employer Resource Networks hold promise to increase retention and improve productivity of entry-level workers - Shaefer

Sep 24, 2020

Employer Resource Networks (ERNs) involve local networks of employers collectively providing work support services to their entry-level workforce. In a paper published for the American Enterprise Institute, Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of...

In the Media

Shaefer: Record high 2019 U.S. median income sobering in comparison to coronavirus impacts

Sep 15, 2020 Reuters

“No one yet knows the full impact of the economic and public health crisis that is consuming our lives today and disproportionately impacting the poorest American families,” said H. Luke Shaefer. Read the full Reuters article...

News

Students support local organizations to improve equity

Aug 28, 2020

One element of the struggle for economic equity in Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) communities is the intentional denial of support networks that provide funding, customers, connections or other resources for businesses and...

Three people, wearing masks, at a meeting.

In the Media

Economic future of Michigan "an incredible question mark", Shaefer tells Free Press

Aug 11, 2020 Detroit Free Press

While Michigan’s economy didn’t “fall off a cliff” in April, and the state acted quickly to help children and families access a federal meals program, more income support is required, Shaefer says in an article in the Detroit Free...

News

New Faculty Funding Opportunity for Action-Based Research to Combat and Confront Racism

Jul 30, 2020

Poverty Solutions and the Center for Social Solutions announce the inaugural faculty grants competition to pursue action-based research aimed at ending systemic and institutional racism. The awards, which range from $10,000 to $50,000, are open to...

News

U-M awards grants to address poverty, impact of COVID-19 across Midwest

Jul 9, 2020

The Midwest Mobility from Poverty Network, led by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, awarded six grants totaling $150,000 for projects to improve economic mobility and address the impact of COVID-19 throughout the Midwest. The grant...

News

Unemployment remains steadily high in Detroit

Jun 30, 2020

As everyday activities in Detroit begin to resume, four out of 10 working Detroiters remain temporarily or permanently laid off, and many residents say they feel the state is reopening too soon. According to the third rapid response COVID-19...

In the Media

Morenoff details How COVID-19 is Impacting Detroit Residents

Jun 19, 2020

The Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) is a University of Michigan initiative that regularly surveys a representative group of Detroit residents about their communities, asking about their experiences, perceptions, priorities, and...

More than 4 in 10 Detroiters have lost jobs during pandemic

May 26, 2020

DETROIT—Forty-three percent of Detroiters who were working before the COVID-19 pandemic have since lost their jobs, either on a temporary or permanent basis, according to a new University of Michigan survey. The latest rapid-response COVID-19...

Detroit housing shortage, evictions set stage for COVID-19 housing crisis

May 12, 2020

New research from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan highlights the need for more robust eviction protections in Detroit in light of the number of people who have lost income during the COVID-19 pandemic, existing instability in the...

News

TANF left out of coronavirus relief efforts

May 8, 2020

Temporary Assistance For Needy Families, or TANF, was created as part of the 1996 Welfare Reform bill as a way to give cash assistance to those most vulnerable. Yet at a time when millions of Americans are in dire need of cash assistance, the...

Michigan poverty map shows economic security by county

May 4, 2020

Even before the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic began, about 14% of Michiganders were living in poverty and another 29% of households were struggling to make ends meet.That’s according to the latest Michigan Poverty and Well-Being...

Detroit Metro Area Communities Study on COVID-19 draws national attention

Apr 28, 2020

A rapid-response Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) survey found that 1 in 5 Detroiters will run out of money due to the COVID-19 crisis within the next three months. The DMACS survey asked wide-ranging questions from economic, social,...

New website answers Michiganders’ questions about federal stimulus checks

Apr 14, 2020

April 13 press release from Poverty Solutions: A new 2020 Coronavirus Stimulus Payment website launched today aims to make sure Michiganders receive their federal stimulus checks as soon as possible. The vast majority of Michigan residents are...

Poverty Solutions releases Michigan COVID-19 pandemic resource guide

Mar 27, 2020

March 27 press release from Poverty Solutions: A new Michigan COVID-19 Pandemic Resource Guide provides information on how to access various resources aimed at supporting Michiganders through the coronavirus pandemic and related economic...

Luke Shaefer on the impact of COVID-19 on hourly workers

Mar 20, 2020

With a state-wide prohibition on gatherings greater than 50 people, events canceled, stores closed, and many residents staying home, businesses are feeling the economic effects of the COVID-19 health crisis. Professor Luke Shaefer commented on the...

Luke Shaefer named special counselor to the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Nov 22, 2019

H. Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan and professor of social work and public policy, has been named special counselor to the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). For the...

Seefeldt joins Poverty Solutions as new associate faculty director

Aug 20, 2019

In some ways, Kristin Seefeldt’s (MPP '96, PhD '10) career will come full circle this fall as she takes on a new role as associate director for educational programs at the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions.Seefeldt served as assistant...

News

Shaefer warns of Medicaid work requirement risks

Jul 17, 2019

Michigan is set to implement Medicaid work requirements in 2020. But Luke Shaefer, professor of public policy and director of Poverty Solutions, warns that the requirement could lead to health coverage losses and an administrative burden on the...

Joshua Rivera testifies before U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee

May 3, 2019

On May 1, 2019, Joshua Rivera (MPP ’17), a researcher with U-M’s Poverty Solutions, testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. The hearing, titled “Examining Discrimination in the...

State & Hill

A new professorship: giving voice to the voiceless

Apr 1, 2019

“They lost their voices, they lost control of their lives, they lost their home,” Hal Kohn says of his grandparents. “They fled from Germany to Amsterdam, but Hitler invaded the Netherlands and they were deported to Sobibór and murdered...

News

The Drivers of Inequality: Poverty Solutions calls for reform on Michigan auto insurance laws

Mar 21, 2019

The Motor City developed with cars in mind, but for a majority of its population-particularly those who are low-income-access to a car is financially impossible. Michigan’s notoriously high auto insurance rates are a main culprit, according to...

U-M Poverty Solutions report on student absenteeism featured on Michigan Minds

Mar 15, 2019

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...