Michigan overhauled its unemployment insurance system nearly a decade ago to save money, root out fraud and make it harder for jobless workers to qualify for benefits. Now, with more than one million workers jobless, the state has flagged 1 in 3 claimants for fraud amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Sarah Alvarez
Sarah Alvarez is founder of Outlier Media, a journalism service that delivers data reporting and information to low-income news consumers over SMS and message apps. She is a former lawyer and former public radio reporter and was a 2015 John S. Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. She was assisted in this report by Kenny Jacoby, a University of Oregon journalism student.
Posted inUrban Affairs
In battle-tested Detroit, neighbors help each other as coronavirus spreads
Detroit and the rest of Wayne County comprise nearly half of Michigan’s coronavirus cases, forcing residents to summon resilience forged through decades of crisis.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Coronavirus spreading faster in Detroit than nearly anywhere in United States
Detroit, which faces a host of challenges, is the ‘epicenter’ of Michigan’s coronavirus outbreak. Some attribute that to testing. Others say city residents are more susceptible. All agree the rise burdens folks who are already suffering.
Posted inUrban Affairs
The University of Michigan invested big in Detroit. Now come the evictions.
U-M’s endowment’s investment in a firm that buys and renovates tax-foreclosed homes in Detroit is prompting evictions and big equity questions in a rapidly changing city.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Baby, it’s cold outside, and new rules make it harder to get help in Michigan
Each year, Michigan helps 122,000 families keep the heat on when bills rise too high. This year, the state is enforcing controversial asset tests meant to crack down on fraud.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Real estate is hot in Detroit. But its top owner, the city, isn’t selling.
The Detroit Land Bank owns 20 percent of all residential property in the city. But just 3 percent of its holdings are for sale, frustrating would-be homeowners.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Foreclosed for the cost of an iPhone. That’s life in Wayne County.
Tax foreclosures are decreasing in Detroit, but residents are still losing their homes for less than $1,000 debts.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Owe taxes? That’s OK. Wayne County will still sell you foreclosed homes.
A law was supposed to stop land speculators from buying homes at tax auctions. It hasn’t worked out that way.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit court gets tough on traffic tickets. County taxpayers get stuck with tab
A get-tough approach is sending scofflaws to jail for unpaid misdemeanor tickets. But it costs the county more to jail them than it generates for the city in ticket revenue and, now, even the sheriff is complaining.
Posted inGuest Commentary
A registry will help fix abuses in Detroit’s home rental market
People who rent homes in Detroit are often at the mercy of unscrupulous or negligent landlords. The city should stiffen inspection laws and help average Detroiters get better information on rental properties.