Being poor is tough anywhere. But wanting for basics in Livingston County, the state’s most affluent, carries a different kind of sting.
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.
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Despite congressional muscle, Michigan ranks near bottom in funding for veterans
Michigan’s congressional delegation controls some powerful defense and intelligence committees. So why does our state rank among the nation’s worst in money paid to veterans?
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Self-medicating homeless vets not seeking help they need
Military veterans are more likely to “self-medicate” for pain, both physical and otherwise, leading to a surge in homelessness.
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Suburban poverty continues to grow in Michigan
Jesus fed the multitude, and Denise Amenta is prepared to do the same on this December day, as a raggedy man slips into the St. Mark Parish food pantry in Warren, two minutes before closing time. She asks his name, tells him hers and asks, “Do you like yogurt? Because we have a lot today.” […]
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Can fancy finance fund fights against social ills?
A new method of financing government programs such as early childhood education and prison reforms is generating a near giddiness among states and philanthropists eager to participate. Social impact bonds allow foundations and private-sector investors to participate in funding programs aimed at easing social ills and earn a financial return if the programs are successful. […]
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Michigan philanthropists have a ‘sense of urgency’ on education
Rob Collier/Council of Michigan Foundations The Council of Michigan Foundations is the nation’s largest regional association of grantmakers, representing 350 foundations and other grantmaking organizations in the state. Foundations are playing an increasingly prominent role in Michigan as state and local government budgets that support for communities, the arts, recreation and other services have become […]
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A new PATH for Michigan workers gains friends and foes
Demita Burnett admits she made some poor decisions in her young life that ultimately led her to seek welfare assistance in January. The 26-year-old Saginaw resident, a single mother of a 5-year-old son, had few job skills, no transportation and not even a driver’s license or state identification card. “Financially, I had no other choice […]
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Survey says old Michigan jobs training program worked
Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s No Worker Left Behind program was a wildly ambitious effort to retrain more than 100,000 laid-off or low-income workers for new jobs as the state’s manufacturing base imploded. Although the $500 million program faced criticism for its effectiveness during its three-year run between 2007 and 2010, a new survey has found that […]
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In Michigan, a full-time job is no guarantee of good housing
BETTER HAVE GOOD JOB: A 2013 report says that the fair market rent in Michigan would require a renter to have a full time job that pays at least $14.77 per hour. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) The line began growing overnight, hundreds of low-income suburban Detroit residents hoping to secure one of 1,000 […]
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How high is rent in six Michigan cities?
(courtesy image/used under Creative Commons license) Finance guidelines say housing should not cost more than 30 percent of household income. But in 2013, thousands of Michigan rental households fall below that standard. Michigan Two-bedroom fair market rental: $768 Hourly wages needed to afford two-bedroom fair market rental: $14.77 Mean renter hourly wage: $11.62 Rent […]