"No parent should have to choose between paying rent and putting food on the table for their families. That's why I've charged this task force with identifying more ways we can lift families up and ensure they can build a good life for themselves here in Michigan. I plan to work very closely with this team to ensure that every parent can feed their families with healthy, nutritious food, put a roof over their heads, and keep them warm in the winter." - Governor Whitmer
According to Michigan Association of United Ways ALICE report, 1.6 million Michigan households struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing, child care, food, technology, health care and transportation.
While there are already many efforts underway throughout state government to assist individuals living in poverty, the Michigan Poverty Task Force is committed to finding ways to strengthen, broaden, coordinate and streamline those efforts, ensuring that Michigan families have access to the support they need.
Sign up for Poverty Task Force updates
In April 2026, LEO accepted proposals from interested parties that had demonstrated experience and success in providing low-barrier access to loans of up to $1,200 for those who may not typically engage with financial institutions.
Visit the MI Affordable Loan program page
The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO) launched the Housing Access for Justice-Involved Individuals pilot grant to support justice-involved individuals with finding and obtaining housing, while also increasing the number of landlords in the selected area who are willing to rent to these individuals through targeted education and incentives program. Read the press release.
Visit Housing Access for Justice-Involved Individuals
$15 million in funding was provided to support the critical work of ten nonprofits to provide meaningful and sustained relief in the communities they serve and provide a lasting impact.
The Task Force released its third set of policy recommendations to continue the State’s efforts to lift struggling Michiganders out of poverty and improve their health outcomes. The new 2026 Poverty Task Force Report outlines policy recommendations with clear goals, including:
In February 2021, the Michigan Poverty Task Force released a report detailing 35 recommendations that would help to improve the lives of those in the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population and other low-income Michiganders. These recommendations focus on what state government can and should do to help eradicate poverty.
Included in the report were recommendations centered around the state’s use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding, including conducting an in-depth study of the effectiveness of TANF distribution. LEO contracted with the University of Kansas’s Center for Public Partnerships & Research to conduct a comprehensive study to determine if the state’s current approach to TANF distribution is serving low-income families well, along with analyzing other state public assistance benefit programs to identify potential barriers to access and provide suggestions on removing any such barriers.
Today, 551,257 Michigan households fall below the poverty level, but more importantly, the United Way’s ALICE Report shows that 40% or 1.6 million of working Michigan households struggle to afford the necessities like housing, childcare, food, technology, health care and transportation. To afford the basics, single adults need a salary of just over $29,580 and a family of four need over $78,216. The Michigan Poverty Task Force will work to identify and evaluate measures such as these to gain a full understanding of both the scope of poverty’s impact on Michigan families and communities, and the ways state government can best help those families and communities.
lives below the ALICE threshold
lives below the ALICE threshold
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Executive Order 2019-19 to create the Michigan Poverty Task Force within the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO). The task force will be comprised of directors, or their designees, from a number of state departments and agencies and will be charged with making recommendations to the governor on how to best coordinate and activate efforts within state government to lift Michigan families out of poverty and help them on a path to opportunity. The Task Force will connect and collaborate with the public and key stakeholders in carrying out this important work.
Agriculture and Rural Development
Insurance and Financial Services
Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential
