Latino immigrants, including some in the U.S. illegally, were among the last to know about lead in Flint’s water. What is the state’s duty to help hard-to-find residents?
Children & Families
About 1 in 5 children in Michigan live in poverty. Bridge will explore the reasons behind this disturbing result and the ideas to address it.
Posted inChildren & Families
Far from Flint, lead remains an irreversible scourge
Lead poisoning rates have dropped dramatically in Michigan over the past decade. But in many cities and towns, child exposure rates far exceed those in Flint.
Posted inChildren & Families
Interactive map: Places with higher lead rates than Flint
Check out cities across Michigan with high lead exposure rates, as well as rates in your neighborhood
Posted inChildren & Families
Teen births declining in Michigan. But hurdles in northern, rural counties.
‘Babies having babies’ isn’t the problem it once was. But rates are higher in northern, rural counties, in a state where school districts may opt out of sex ed entirely.
Posted inChildren & Families
Michigan teen birth rate by county
The nation's teen birth rate has been falling since the early 1990s, and Michigan has generally tracked with that drop. But some counties remain above the state level of 7.8 percent of all births.
Posted inChildren & Families
For impoverished Michiganders, a little help in the kitchen
Low-income people often find it harder to eat well. Classes designed to teach basic cooking skills, and how to find food growing wild on vacant lots, aim to fill the gap.
Posted inChildren & Families
With state welfare cuts, caseworkers fear less time to help families
Grand Rapids DHS office took the biggest hit, losing 35 workers. That could leave overburdened caseworkers with a heavier administrative load.
Posted inChildren & Families
In northern counties, workers and business find each other lacking
There’s work to be done in the resort counties of northern Michigan, but opportunity doesn’t always match the available workforce.
Posted inChildren & Families
Hidden poverty stalks a Pure Michigan setting
For many unseen residents of northern Michigan, life can be struggle for survival. This is true even for those with jobs, which tend to be seasonal with marginal pay
Posted inChildren & Families
Postcard: When elk is for dinner
Food pantries, like their customers, mostly take what they can get.