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Opinion | Michigan lawmakers must prioritize a family-centered policy agenda
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Recent census data shows population growth in Michigan, with more people moving into the state than out for the first time since 1991. This is a good sign for economic growth potential, but it doesn’t matter how many people move to Michigan if they are not compelled to stay. As state leaders debate the budget and grapple with how to maximize program impact, they cannot lose sight of how their policy decisions impact families. A family-centered policy agenda directly supports Michiganders while promoting economic growth.
(Editor’s note: The Steelcase Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation are Bridge Michigan funders. They had no role in the selection or editing of this commentary.)
As a native Michigander, I remember how sure I was that I would leave Michigan after college. Like so many graduates, I saw myself building my career and establishing my adult identity in a big city like Washington D.C. or Atlanta, Georgia. I considered my home city, Grand Rapids, too small to hold my envisioned future. But in the end, I stayed. The main factor in that decision was my family. Through my lens as a mother, I began to see Michigan and Grand Rapids differently: instead of a place that limited me, Michigan might be a place that would support my family. Since deciding to stay in Michigan, I’ve worked as a social worker in schools, started a small business focused on youth employment, volunteered on nonprofit boards and worked to expand access to affordable, high-quality early childhood education.
I’ve recently stepped into a new role as the Steelcase Foundation’s director of Foundation-Led Initiatives, supporting the Investment in Families Initiative. Launched in 2024 as a 10-year, $10 million participatory research partnership, the Initiative engages 30 family leaders in Kent County with children aged 12 and under to explore how family-driven supports can strengthen well-being, dismantle structural barriers, and inform scalable policy and philanthropic solutions.
I continue to offer my time, talent, and treasure to my community and my state, all because I saw that my family could make it in Michigan. Things are different now. Families are struggling to make it here, and if they can’t, they can’t stay. That’s why Michigan’s growth potential depends on the bipartisan support of a policy agenda that puts families first.
As we enter an election year and reflect on Michigan’s progress, the stakes are high. While progress has been made, the state continues to demonstrate a downward trend in per capita income and educational achievement — two key indicators of economic growth. This downward trend is bad for everyone, but much of the resulting burden falls directly on Michigan families.
Michigan families report feeling extremely unstable as they continue to face rising costs. A recent EPIC-MRA poll supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Steelcase Foundation found that 34% of Michigan voters said that over the past several months, the cost of food and groceries has been the most challenging concern facing their family, closely followed by 27% who cite the cost of health insurance or health care.
These essentials are not luxury items families can do without when times are tough; they are necessities at the most basic level. Even fluctuating tariffs cause instability for families. In fact, the same poll found that 67% of Michigan voters agreed that Michigan working families will suffer more than other groups from the rising costs of basic necessities due to tariffs, and that it is only going to get worse (46% strongly agreed).
It’s clear that Michigan families are hurting. And when families are hurting, the state is hurting too. Investing in families provides a unique opportunity to positively impact every constituency. Families are both the employees and customers of businesses. Families represent students, teachers and administrators in schools. Families pay taxes that support local municipalities and community development projects. In other words, families drive growth. These are not partisan issues. Rather, a policy that is both pro-family and pro-growth is firmly rooted in common ground values.
Current Michigan lawmakers and those running for elected office must prioritize a family-centered policy agenda to course-correct and move Michigan forward. Families are the backbone of our state now and the hope for our state’s future. That hope will only be realized through strategic efforts to foster the conditions that advance stability for families. Family thriving is dependent on family stability, and Michigan can only grow when families thrive.
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