Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
through action-based research
How to define and measure poverty is a matter of great debate. And this debate is important, because how we measure poverty is central to how we understand and improve well-being in our society.
At Poverty Solutions, we view poverty as the result of interlinked systems – like housing, education, labor markets — that fail people with low incomes. Such a systems approach puts the emphasis on structural, rather than individual, causes of poverty.
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Poverty Solutions is a partner on Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program. Rx Kids started in Flint and is now expanding to communities across Michigan.
We work closely with the City of Detroit, neighborhood groups, service providers, and foundations in Detroit to improve economic opportunity and reduce poverty.
In 2024, Poverty Solutions and its partners made significant strides in scaling innovations and lessons learned in poverty alleviation.
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