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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New York Times | Apr. 9, 2026
Michigan Advance | Mar. 27, 2026
Michigan Daily | Mar. 27, 2026
Outlier Media | Mar. 25, 2026
In this series, we invite people with various types of expertise to share their views on how poverty intersects with social systems and explore ways we can work together differently to create a future where everyone has a fair chance to achieve financial stability and thrive.
We work closely with the City of Detroit, neighborhood groups, service providers, and foundations in Detroit to improve economic opportunity and reduce poverty.
In 2025, our researchers helped protect federal funding for students experiencing homelessness, expanded an infant cash assistance program across Michigan, evaluated promising violence intervention strategies in Detroit, and much more.
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