News Release

About 4 in 10 Michiganders struggle to afford basic needs, same as last year

Aug 4, 2026

Nearly 40% of Michiganders are struggling to afford basic needs, according to a new analysis from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. This includes about 13% of residents whose income is below the federal poverty line and more than 26% o...

News Release

New Study Finds Rx Kids Reduced Preterm Births and Low Birthweights, Prevented NICU Admissions

May 28, 2026

A new study published in The Lancet Public Health found that Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, was associated with significant improvements in birth outcomes for infants born in Flint, Michigan....

News Release

New Study in JAMA Pediatrics Finds Rx Kids Associated with Significant Reductions in Infant Maltreatment Investigations

May 8, 2026 More about Rx Kids

A new peer-reviewed study published in JAMA Pediatrics provides rigorous, population-level evidence that the Rx Kids program is associated with substantial reductions in child maltreatment investigations among infants.

Figure 1. Line Graph of Investigated Allegations Within the First 6 Months of Life for Infants in Flint, Michigan, Control Cities, and the State of Michigan. While the State of Michigan's trend line remains fairly level around the 10% mark between 20...

News Release

No Strings art exhibit explores personal impact of guaranteed income

Apr 30, 2026

A new traveling art exhibit called No Strings, curated by University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions, showcases art by six U-M students that illustrates quotes from participants in the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor (GIG A2) pilot program.

The research team, Poverty Solutions staff, and No Strings artists gather at a celebration for the Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor (GIG A2) pilot program at YORK on April 29, 2026. (Michigan Photography)

News Release

Poverty Solutions awards grants to faculty studying cash transfers, job access, food-as-medicine

Apr 22, 2026

Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan has awarded nearly $87,000 to support faculty research as part of its annual grant program on new ways to prevent and alleviate poverty.

News Release

Poverty Solutions awarded Engage Detroit grant

Apr 21, 2026

Now in its fifth year of funding, the 2026 Engage Detroit Workshops grant program has selected seven projects for awards. The program supports small teams of U-M faculty, staff, students, and community partners in organizing workshops that strengthen...

A group gathers at a screening for a mini-documentary on youth homelessness in Detroit produced by Poverty Solutions and the Detroit Phoenix Center

News Release

Detroiters cautious about government use of AI, U-M survey finds

Mar 24, 2026

Many Detroiters are still making up their minds about potential government use of artificial intelligence, with 41% of city residents reporting neutral views or uncertainty on whether AI's benefits to society outweigh its risks.

Illustration: a glowing, tech-like brain floating by a computer to signify AI

News Release

Poverty Solutions updates Washtenaw County’s Opportunity Index to pinpoint disparities in access to opportunity

Mar 12, 2026

Washtenaw County’s Office of Community and Economic Development has released an updated Opportunity Index, with technical support from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.

A map of Washtenaw County that shows the Opportunity Index.

News Release

$200,000 available for faculty research on ways to prevent, alleviate poverty

Feb 2, 2026

By Lauren Slagter Poverty Solutions ANN ARBOR – Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan is awarding up to $200,000 to support faculty research on ways to prevent and alleviate poverty. Most grants will range from $20,000 to $30,000, with ...

Students present their final projects to faculty, staff from Detroit PDD, and other invited guests during a final review in the Systems Studio class.

News Release

New impact report: Poverty Solutions leverages action-based research to respond to social safety net changes

Jan 28, 2026

By Lauren Slagter Poverty Solutions ANN ARBOR – Amid rapid changes to the federal policies that shape the social safety net, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan is leveraging the university’s expertise and resources to help people make...

News Release

Employers, mentors needed to invest in youth through summer youth employment program

Jan 26, 2026

SummerWorks 10-year anniversary celebration in 2025 at Washtenaw Community College. (Photo by Chuck Marshall) Contact: Kathleen Clancey, [email protected] , 734.219.5141, SummerWorks.info WASHTENAW COUNTY – SummerWorks, Washtenaw County’s summ...

Graphic for SummerWorks Presentation - 150,000+ Hours Worked

News Release

Ann Arbor residents spend guaranteed income on food, household supplies, housing

Jan 20, 2026

One year into Ann Arbor’s guaranteed income pilot program, the most common uses of the monthly payments were food, household supplies, and housing, according to a new report from the University of Michigan.

News Release

Luke Shaefer named Chief Executive of Health, Human Services & Poverty Solutions for City of Detroit

Jan 12, 2026

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield announces Luke Shaefer as chief executive of Health, Human Services, and Poverty Solutions for the City of Detroit at a press conference at Detroit Public Safety Headquarters on Jan. 12, 2026. Kristin Seefeldt to serve a...

Graphic of Luke Shaefer speaks at a podium while Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield stands nearby applauding

News Release

Rich cities, broke neighbors: U-M study exposes metro-level wealth divide

Dec 3, 2025

A new University of Michigan study shows how the patchwork of city boundaries and economic segregation combine to create a “tax base fragmentation.”

A map of tax base fragmentation that shows fiscal capacity ratio

News Release

New research shows Rx Kids reduced infant maltreatment allegations in Flint

Nov 24, 2025

Contact: Laura Cane, marketing and communications manager for Rx Kids, [email protected] A new study reveals that Michigan State University’s Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, is associated wit...

Rx Kids, A prescription for Health, Hope, and Opportunity. Cash for Moms and Babies

News Release

Food safety net unravels: Loss of SNAP benefits will reverberate across society

Oct 31, 2025

Contact: Jared Wadley, [email protected] EXPERT Q&A Millions of people will lose their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits Nov. 1, forcing them to make tough choices beyond putting food on their kitchen tables, according to a Unive...

News Release

U-M survey finds link between Detroiters' intention to vote, optimism about the city

Oct 28, 2025

Contact: Lauren Slagter, [email protected] DETROIT—Detroiters who view the city as headed in the right direction are more likely to vote in the Nov. 4 election than those who think the city is on the wrong track, according to a survey from the Uni...

News Release

Rx Kids to Reach Nearly 100,000 Babies Across Michigan

Oct 8, 2025

The State of Michigan has announced a landmark investment of $270 million to expand Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program. Over the next three years, this funding is expected to reach nearly 100,000 ...

News Release

U-M policy expert part of national team exploring impacts of pandemic-era tax credits

Sep 29, 2025

ANN ARBOR—A University of Michigan researcher who has extensively examined the effectiveness of the social safety net contributed to a national study that found the pandemic-era tax credit expansions helped reduce child poverty by half. Katherine M...

News Release

Survey shows top challenges Detroiters want new mayor to address

Sep 16, 2025

Contact: Lauren Slagter, [email protected], Jared Wadley, [email protected] DETROIT—New findings from a University of Michigan survey of Detroiters showing the top challenges households face in their daily lives and how they would like city leadershi...

News Release

New Research Shows Cash for Moms and Babies Improves Health, Stabilizes Families, and Saves Millions

Sep 15, 2025

Rx Kids Delivers Health and Economic Gains for Moms and Babies in Flint, Michigan Two new studies reveal that Rx Kids—America’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash program—is transforming health and economic outcomes for families. The fin...

Parents smiling with their baby at a birthday celebration.

News Release

Latest national poverty statistics: U-M experts can comment

Sep 8, 2025

Contact: Jared Wadley, [email protected]; or Lauren Slagter, [email protected] EXPERTS ADVISORY University of Michigan faculty are available to discuss the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 report on poverty and income statistics, to be released Sept. 9. ...

News Release

Housing, not handcuffs, is the solution to homelessness

Aug 11, 2025

Contact: Jared Wadley, [email protected] Lauren Slagter, [email protected] EXPERT Q&A President Trump’s recent executive order to criminalize homelessness is the wrong approach that takes resources from those struggling to find long-term housing, ...

Jennifer Erb-Downward, Director of Housing Stability Programs and Policy Initiatives UM Poverty Solution

News Release

Cost is leading factor in Detroit's higher-than-average rate of uninsured homeowners

Jul 16, 2025

About 38% of Detroit homeowners without mortgages report being uninsured, nearly twice as high as the national average of 19.5%, a new University of Michigan survey shows.

News Release

Updated data map shows Michigan counties where opioid use, poverty intersect

Jul 15, 2025

In 2023, the University of Michigan’s Poverty Solutions and the Overdose Prevention Engagement Network (OPEN) partnered together to create a landscape map of Michigan and accompanying analysis that shows demographic information from 2019 with a conne...

Map of Michigan highlighting three hotspot clusters: the Bay County region, the Marquette County region, and the Wayne, Macomb, and St. Clair County region.

News Release

Transportation insecurity: A common and consequential American hardship

Apr 30, 2025

Contact: Fernanda Pires, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—Nearly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. lack access to reliable transportation, making it one of the country's most common forms of material hardship, say University of Michigan researchers. In a new ...

News Release

Potential of grocery delivery services to increase food access in Detroit

Apr 8, 2025

New research from the University of Michigan points to potential ways to leverage grocery delivery services to improve food access in Detroit, where 32% of residents live a mile or farther from a full-service grocery store.

News Release

How schools used pandemic aid to reach students experiencing homelessness

Apr 3, 2025

University of Michigan research sheds new light on how school districts used their share of $800 million in pandemic relief funds that were specifically dedicated to the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness.

Feature

Poverty Solutions report on Detroit home wealth lauded by Mayor Duggan

Mar 25, 2025

DETROIT - Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan promoted a Poverty Solutions study which shows that Detroit homeowners’ home wealth rose by $700M in 2023. At a well-attended news conference in Detroit, Duggan highlighted that Detroit homeowner occupants gained n...

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan speaks at a podium. Jeff Morenoff and others stand behind him.

News Release

US Department of Education's role in K-12 education, funding local schools: U-M experts can discuss

Feb 13, 2025

Contact: Lauren Slagter, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—As federal policymakers consider the future of the U.S. Department of Education, a new interactive data tool from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan shows the allocation of federal edu...

Alabama Federal Education Funding to School Districts, 2020–2021 Federal dollars in Title I funding for schools: $265M Federal dollars in Child Nutrition Act funding for schools: $433M Federal dollars in Children with Disabilities funding for schoo...