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"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 1.5, million Michiganders struggle to afford the basic necessities of housing, child care, food, technology, health care and transportation. There is no single face to this problem-its causes are many and varied, and so are its consequences. No matter how poverty is viewed or measured, however, one thing is clear-too many Michiganders lack the opportunity they deserve to get ahead, or even get by.
While there are already many efforts underway throughout state government to assist individuals living in poverty, the Michigan Poverty Task Force will find ways to strengthen, broaden, coordinate and streamline those efforts, ensuring that Michigan families have access to the support they need.
Whitmer Awards One Million to Help Michigan Families Save for College
Today, 1.4 million Michiganders fall below the poverty level, but more importantly, the United Way’s ALICE Report shows that 43% or 4.3 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 $21,000 and a family of four need over $61,000. 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.
| 1.4M of Michiganders are living in poverty |
20% of Michigan children in poverty |
4.3M of Michiganders in poverty or at risk of not making ends meet |
As the groups met, they organized themselves into smaller issue groups to develop policy recommendations in five categories:
These issue groups produced 35 policy recommendations that constitute the first iteration of an anti-poverty agenda for Michigan.
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.
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