Learn about Federal changes to Medicaid and Food Assistance Programs..
Michigan's Women, Infants & Children program, providing supplemental nutrition, breastfeeding information, and other resources for healthy mothers & babies.
Information on the Family Independence Program, State Disability Assistance, SSI, Refugee, and other cash assistance.
If you cannot afford child care, payment assistance is available.
Children's Special Health Care Services information and FAQ's.
Information on assistance with home repairs, heat and utility bills, relocation, home ownership, burials, home energy, and eligibility requirements.
Information on the Food Assistance Program, eligibility requirements, and other food resources.
Information about the health care programs available through Medicaid and how to qualify.
Our migrant program works with a number of organizations to provide services for Michigan’s migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
A federal program which helps persons admitted into the U.S. as refugees to become self-sufficient after their arrival.
Universal caseload, or task-based processing, is a different way of handling public assistance cases.
Information on the Children's Protective Services Program, child abuse reporting procedures, and help for parents in caring for their children.
Information on adoption programs, adoption resources, locating birth parents and obtaining information from adoption records.
Information on Adult Protective Services, Independent Living Services, Adult Community Placement Services, and HIV/AIDS Support Services.
Information on child support services for participants and partners.
Programs for healthy children & families, including immunization, lead poisoning prevention, prenatal smoking cessation, and many others.
Information on the Children's Foster Care program and becoming a Foster Parent.
Information about the Michigan law that requires certain information be made available to a woman who is seeking an abortion at least 24 hours prior to the abortion procedure.
Information on treatment and services for juvenile offenders, success stories, and more.
Child Welfare Medical and Behavioral Health Resources
MDHHS and partners support a continuum of prevention services. The continuum is inclusive of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities. Visit this page to learn more.
Information about injury and violence prevention programs in Michigan
Information on Safe Sleep for your baby, how to protect your baby's life.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services' (MDHHS) Environmental Health Bureau (EHB) uses the best available science to reduce, eliminate, or prevent harm from environmental, chemical, and physical hazards.
Information, sources of data and resources to support Firearm Injury Prevention efforts across the state of Michigan.
Medical Resources for Child Protection
Serves as liaison and provides funding to Michigan’s 45 local health departments.
Adult Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Services
Information and resources for development of Plans of Safe Care.
Multicultural Health
Prevention of diseases & conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many others.
Information on communicable & chronic diseases.
Home to an array of public health programs, initiatives and interventions aimed at improving the health and well-being of women, infants, families and communities.
Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce Records
Boards and Commissions
Bridge Card Participation Information on Electronic Benefits for clients and businesses, lists of participating retailers and ATMs, and QUEST.
Provider Payments Information on the direct deposit of State of Michigan payments into a provider's bank account.
Information on How to Bid, Requests for Proposals, forms and publications, contractor rates, and manuals.
Information & resources for Community and Faith-Based partners
Information on DHS Applications and Forms grouped by category.
State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)
Health Care Providers
Licensing information for Adult Foster Care and Homes for the Aged, Child Day Care Facilities, Child Caring Institutions, Children's Foster Care Homes, Child Placing Agencies, Juvenile Court Operated Facilities and Children's or Adult Foster Care Camps.
Michigan Statewide Systems of Care
Information on the grant awarded for the State Innovation Model Proposal
Protect MiFamily -Title IV-E Waiver
Offers resources for agencies who operate the Weatherization Assistance Program in the state of Michigan
Information on resources in your community and volunteer recruitment and training, and services provided at local DHS offices.
Information is collected to monitor the general health and well-being of Michigan citizens.
Equal Opportunity, Legal Base, Laws and Reporting Welfare Fraud information.
A variety of reports & statistics for programs and services.
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JJAC Chair
Michael D. Davis-Thomas is a nationally recognized systems-change leader, award-winning advocate, and lived-experience expert in child welfare, juvenile justice, criminal justice, and community-based reform. He currently serves as Chair of the Michigan Juvenile Justice Advisory Council (JJAC), where he leads the council’s mission to advance youth justice transformation through the inclusion of youth voice, trauma-informed approaches, and equitable policy development.
A survivor of deep systemic and interpersonal trauma, Michael’s lived experience spans Michigan’s juvenile justice and foster care systems, homelessness, educational displacement, and long-term institutional care. Entering the juvenile justice system at the age of 11 and becoming dually involved in foster care by 14, Michael spent over 11 years cycling through more than 20 placements—residential treatment facilities, group homes, boot camps, and detention centers. These experiences inform his uncompromising commitment to reforming the systems that often harm the very youth they are designed to help.
Professionally, Michael is the Founder and CEO of MDDTSpeaks Holdings, Inc., a national consulting and advocacy firm that houses multiple divisions focused on systems change. Through MDDTSpeaks, he offers a wide array of services in: • Juvenile Justice & Criminal Justice Reform • Foster Care and Child Welfare Transformation • Education Equity and Special Education Support • Mental and Behavioral Health Integration • Youth Homelessness and Transitional Age Support • Human and Sex Trafficking Prevention • Civil and Human Rights Advocacy • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Consulting • Strategic Policy Development and Government Advising In addition to his entrepreneurial work, Michael has served as a Juvenile Justice Corrections Officer, Special Education Teacher, and Academic Administrator at a secure juvenile treatment facility—roles in which he led virtual school operations, provided trauma-informed instruction, supported youth through IEP services, and mentored justice-involved students navigating rehabilitation and reentry. These experiences give him a unique understanding of the intersection between education and incarceration, and how both systems can either compound harm or restore opportunity.
Michael’s leadership on a national scale includes: • Serving as a Senior NYTD Reviewer for the U.S. Children’s Bureau, evaluating youth outcomes for federal reporting • Advising the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Administration for Children and Families (ACF) on youth engagement, program development, and national standards • Providing lived-experience expertise to MDHHS, the Children’s Services Agency, and the Michigan Director of Children’s Services • Contributing to state and federal legislation, policy briefs, and national advocacy campaigns focused on youth justice, anti-trafficking, permanency, and racial equity He also serves as an intern with the Dream Maker Project, supporting former foster youth as they age out of care, and has held leadership roles on numerous boards and reform committees including the Statewide Foster Care Advisory Board, the FSM Higher Education Committee, and the State CPS Reform Workgroup.
As a public speaker, author, and two-time podcast host, Michael continues to uplift marginalized voices and push for institutional accountability. His award-winning show, the Resilient Voices & Beyond Podcast, is a nationally ranked platform spotlighting the experiences of foster and justice-involved youth. His second project, the Resilient Faith Podcast, blends theology, testimony, and encouragement for survivors of hardship and harm. Michael is the author of Resilient Faith: Devotionals for Life’s Journey and is currently working on several new publications to support system professionals, social work and criminal justice students, and impacted individuals navigating healing and identity. Despite having attended 21 different high schools, he graduated from Carrollton High School and is preparing to return to college this fall to complete his Associate of General Studies degree at Oakland Community College. His long-term educational vision includes obtaining two doctoral degrees—in Political Science and Public Administration—and a Master of Law in Society.
These goals reflect his deep commitment to public service, justice reform, and civic leadership. Michael is the 2025 recipient of the Spirit of Youth Award from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, a recognition of his national leadership and lived-experience impact in transforming youth justice systems. He has also been named Advocate of the Year by the National Foster Youth Institute and inducted into the Black Former Foster Youth Hall of Fame, with features in Shoutout LA, Bold Journey Magazine, and other national platforms. At the core of his mission is a servant’s heart: to advocate not only with truth, but with strategy; to lead not only with strength, but with integrity; and to build systems that restore dignity, affirm humanity, and uplift every young person as worthy of safety, opportunity, and thriving futures.
