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Axios
01-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Eliza Howell concert honors nature and neighborhood
A summer concert series featuring unique compositions written for five city parks continues this weekend at Eliza Howell Park in Brightmoor. The big picture: Sounds from the Park is a collaboration between the Detroit Parks Coalition and Marcus Elliot, a local saxophonist, composer and educator. Supported by a $100,000 grant awarded last year, Elliot has written music inspired by the cultures and surrounding communities for each park in the series. If you go: The free Eliza Howell concert is Saturday from 7:30-8:30pm. Elliot will be joined by a string quartet, a pianist and a drummer, he told BridgeDetroit. What they're saying:"Every performance is completely different," Elliot told Bridge. "Every park has a theme as well, so this park's theme is 'Reverence for Nature,' because there's just so much beautiful access to nature at Eliza Howell." Eliza Howell is among the city's largest parks, with 250 acres on the northwest side along the Rouge River. More than 2 miles of hiking trails, ponds and a wildflower prairie are among its natural attractions. How it works: The composed music centers on interviews conducted over the past year with the parks' stewards and visitors. "We've been taking those interviews and I've been both placing it in the music and also writing a lot of the music around the interviews," Elliot told Bridge. "We play these interviews of people in the community talking, sharing their stories and sharing why the parks are important to them and then we have the music happening." The intrigue: The show coincides with the free Sidewalk Festival, a two-day block party-style event at the park Friday from 6-8pm and Saturday from 2-9pm. Zoom out: Saturday's concert is the third in the Sounds From the Park series. The first was June 14 at Chandler Park, with a house/techno vibe, followed by a percussion-heavy show on July 17 at Clark Park.
Yahoo
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Here are the candidates running in Detroit City Council's at-large race
Two incumbents, a former city councilwoman and five others make up a crowded list of candidates vying for at-large seats on the Detroit City Council in the primary. During the Aug. 5 primary, Detroiters will get a chance to vote for their top two candidates, with the top four vote-getters moving on to the general election on Nov. 4. Two at-large council members sit on the nine-person legislative arm of city government and represent all residents, as opposed to the other members who each represent the city's seven districts. In the running are the following candidates, whom the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit have interviewed: Levan Adams Levan Adams, 47, said he has been on the ground for more than two decades as a Detroit police officer and detective. He said he knows the neighborhoods and the people, what works and what doesn't. "I'm not a career politician. I'm someone who shows up, listens and gets things done," Adams said. "I've led in tough situations, stood up for fairness as a union rep and worked with families during their hardest moments. And I'm running to bring real accountability to City Hall and to make sure Detroiters, not developers or outsiders, are the priority." He describes himself as someone on the front line, working with people dealing with poverty, job loss and mental health crises. Adams said his main focus would be making sure Detroiters are safe. He'd like to see more police officers out on the streets, legislation to keep guns away from young people and programming for middle and high school-age youths. "We gotta catch them while they're young, because just putting handcuffs on people is not going to solve the problem," he said. Adams, who joined the Detroit Police Department in 2000, said more officers should live in the city of Detroit. He lives in Detroit's Harmony Village neighborhood. Janee' Ayers Former Council Member Janee' Ayers has spent the last few years "doing the work without the title," she said. She has taught, consulted and worked for the city's parks and recreation department — back where she started 26 years ago. "I am running again because the work that we started is not finished," Ayers, 43, said. Ayers lost her council seat in 2021 amid a federal public corruption investigation into several officials, related to the towing industry. That case closed in January. "Was it fair? No. Was it judged in the court of public opinion? Absolutely. But am I upset about it? Absolutely not," she said. "Because they had a job to do and they did their job; and through their job and the due process, everything that I've said from the beginning — I haven't done anything — has been proven to be true." The experience has taught her what it means to have the true spirit of Detroit, she said. "I know what it means to be counted out. I know what it means to be drug through the mud. I know what it means to swing and keep fighting," she said. Ayers feels as though the timing of the investigation cost her the 2021 election, but it also "cost the people representation," she said. She didn't come to the decision to run again lightly, she added, but the closing of the case and interactions with community members prompted her desire to return to public service. "I know exactly what our constituents are looking for in a leader. And, more importantly, what it is that they're looking for in their neighborhoods, because I stay with boots on the ground, knowing what it is that people are looking for," she said. She cited fiscal responsibility, public safety and neighborhood growth as pressing issues for Detroit and Detroiters. Ayers currently lives in the Minock Park neighborhood. James Harris James Harris, community relations chief for the Detroit Fire Department, said he's not a politician, he's a public servant. "I'm not trying to make a career out of being a politician. I want to get elected to serve the people," Harris, 54, said. Harris said not all Detroiters have felt the same resurgence as certain parts of the city, like Corktown, downtown and Midtown, and he wants to see similar development and small business growth in other neighborhoods. He said he'd create programming similar to the Motor City Makeover, Detroit's annual citywide volunteer cleanup and beautification initiative that takes place each May, bringing together thousands of volunteers to clean and beautify neighborhoods, parks and playgrounds, and around businesses, schools, and places of worship. "I want our neighborhoods to look good. I want our trees to be cut. I want our grass to be trimmed. I want everybody to feel the rebirth of Detroit," he said. Safety is No. 1 on his list. He emphasized the importance of educating the public on fire safety and pulling over to the right for first responders. He said he'd work with Community Violence Intervention groups to prevent crime. He said he'd also like to hire more firefighters to go out and educate the public on hands-only CPR, for instance. Detroiters, both new and longtime residents, and regardless of their income, want to be safe, he said. "When you go to work in the morning, when you leave out of your house, you want to be safe. You want to make sure your streetlights are on if you got to go to work in the dark so you can see where you're going. You want to make sure when you dial 911, not only is the fire department coming, the EMS is coming, but the police are coming," he said. Harris, who has been with the Detroit Fire Department for nearly 28 years, said he lives in District 1, north of Rosedale Park. Shakira Lynn Hawkins Attorney Shakira Lynn Hawkins said she has more than 20 years of legal experience — much of it in the public sector — and describes herself as a public servant who lives and works in the community. "I'm a progressive. There are things that I have seen that need change," Hawkins, who didn't share her exact age, said. "I did not see anyone necessarily stepping up and addressing the causes that matter to me." The top three issues Detroiters are confronting? Affordable and emergency housing, public safety and youth education and economic empowerment, according to Hawkins. More: Detroit mayoral candidate, who assaulted his wife in 1993, says he learned from mistake More: SMART bus leader resigns, deputy elevated "For a while now, residents have been displaced. And there has been a prioritization of development downtown and that has been at the expense of our neighborhoods, our families, our schools and our libraries. And I will be the voice that our residents need," she said. In 2020, Hawkins ran for a 3rd Circuit Court judgeship on a platform of fighting for criminal justice reform. Though she did not win that election, she said that experience helped her realize that her true passion was in policy. "We all know that there is a pipeline to prison, and I wanted to try to keep as many people out of that pipeline as possible. But once you're in the criminal justice system, you're there," she said. "If I can do something to effect policy and make better outcomes for people, then they never enter that system to begin with." In 2024, she unsuccessfully ran for a seat in Congress, representing Michigan 13th Congressional District, which is comprised of a sizable chunk of Detroit, as well as portions of western Wayne County and Downriver. Hawkins decided to run for a local race so people could get to know her and her passion, she said. She acknowledged how expensive it is to run a campaign and how difficult it is to unseat incumbents, but said she wants to "stay a part of the conversation, even if I don't have a high chance of winning." Hawkins, a former city attorney who currently is in private practice, lives in Midtown Detroit. Gary Hunter Gary Hunter said he's a longtime preacher, community activist, photographer and CEO President at Detroit Times Media Group / The Shot News. 'I have a deep passion to address the needs of our community," Hunter, 65, said. People shouldn't have to fight for resources in the city of Detroit, he said, adding that longtime Detroiters cannot get services, such as roofing assistance and weatherization, compared with newcomers. Other challenges he cited include what he described as a lack of transparency for Detroiters to know what's going on, and extra drainage and sewage fees on water bills. Hunter also said he'd like to see more minority contractors. 'I want Detroiters to feel welcome in Detroit, and right now people in Detroit don't feel welcome in Detroit," Hunter, who lives on the east side of the city, said. Hunter, in a video from the civic engagement hub CitizenDetroit, said his goal is for seniors to have a safer place to live, for children to have a better place to learn and for communities to have a cleaner area to dwell. "It is not this downtown versus out-town, not the in-town versus the out-town, but one Detroit for one people, with one purpose — that's to live in harmony, to live in peace and to live with quality, safety, education," he said in the video published by CitizenDetroit on June 21. Valerie Parker Valerie Parker never thought she'd run for City Council, but decided to do so now because "our kids are in trouble." "I need the power for the whole city of Detroit, so I'm able to go into these schools and be the eyes and ears and make sure they're not giving our kids cold food; make sure that the kids' bathrooms got doors on; make sure they're doing right by our kids," Parker, 65, said. She said she wants the city council to hold what she termed unregulated charter schools, accountable. City government has a limited role in education and charter schools typically have their own boards. Parker describes herself as an urban educator who has been fighting for youths since 2005. "I'm able to stick my hand up in there and pull something out for these kids, and that's what I'm going to do. … I'm gonna do my four years, and then I'm going somewhere and (retiring)," said Parker, a substitute teacher for metro Detroit charter schools. There aren't many places for kids to just have fun, she said. Parker said she also supports Community Violence Intervention groups. "We don't trust the police like other people trust the police because of the stories our parents told us, and so I don't argue with the kids, it's their reality. I think the community (has) to come and heal and get to trust the police again, because they don't trust them," she said. Parker resides in the Castle Rouge neighborhood. "We got to make Detroit great again," she said. "Mike Duggan … did an excellent job of laying the foundation. And so, as he runs (as an) independent for governor, he's leaving a track record and I hope that we can just build on it." Mary Waters Mary Waters, an incumbent, said there's still a tremendous need for housing, employment and public safety improvements. "Housing is a top challenge and I know that firsthand. I'm talking about true affordable housing. … We have people that make less than $30,000 a year," Waters, 69, said. She supports income-based housing, she said, and cited the Fast Track PILOT ordinance, offering property tax cuts to developers based on rent prices, as a way to bolster development in neighborhoods. Waters said she's a seasoned leader and touted her track record as a council member, including a one-stop shop and a call center for housing needs and a $203 million housing plan. She spearheaded the creation of a tenants rights' commission to represent and advocate for residential renters. If reelected, Waters said she'd advocate at the state and federal level for stronger renter protections, money for down payment assistance programs and home repairs for aging infrastructure. "If I wasn't doing my job, I can understand why other people would want to take it. But I do my job, otherwise I would not be there and I believe that Detroiters know that," said Waters, who lives in Lafayette Park. Last year, Waters also ran for Michigan's 13th Congressional District seat, losing the primary election to incumbent U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit. Waters previously served three terms in the state House, from 2001 to 2006, as a Democrat. In 2010, Waters pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for filing a fraudulent tax return and admitted to accepting a $6,000 watch, according to an FBI news release. She was sentenced to one year of probation. In a written response, Waters said the plea occurred 15 years ago and said the IRS "eventually said I owed no taxes on the watch." "All this is mind-boggling given that the people of Detroit elected me to Detroit City Council," she said in a text message to the Free Press. She cited her "perfect attendance" in the state House, including her role as floor leader, and her journey from Alabama to being a University of Michigan graduate and surviving breast cancer. Coleman Young II Coleman Young II said he wants to implement a guaranteed income pilot program, providing $500 to 125 people, based on their income, for up to 24 months. That idea — and the funding for it — still is in the works, the incumbent council member said. He also listed off a number of other issues he'd like to tackle. "I want to create more jobs. I want to lower taxes. I want to make sure that buses show up on time. I want to invest in public safety. And I want to make sure that we have a better, more responsive city for the citizens of Detroit because they deserve it," Young, 42, said. The top challenges confronting Detroiters are housing, public transit, public safety and jobs, Young said. He wants more mixed-use and multifamily housing, as opposed to single-family housing. What would that look like? Condos, apartment buildings, tiny homes and 3D-printed houses, Young said. "We also need to expand our community policing program," he said. He wants to revive police mini-stations, an initiative his father, the late Mayor Coleman Young, started. The idea is to place officers in certain neighborhoods and inside senior buildings. It's a pitch he made in his 2017 bid for Detroit mayor, which he lost. Young previously served in the state Senate and House as a Democrat. He lives in the Islandview neighborhood. Learn about other candidates running for Detroit City Council at BridgeDetroit: ; , and . Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@ Follow her on X: @NushratR. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Candidates for Detroit City Council's 2025 at-large seats Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Detroit mayoral candidates tackle lingering issues, plans for city's future
Five of Detroit's mayoral candidates debated each other Thursday evening at the Mackinac Policy Conference, taking questions about ways to improve the city, and being challenged over their previous roles. Moderators Stephen Henderson of Bridge Detroit and Nolan Finley of The Detroit News questioned candidates on ways they expect to lure in more businesses while managing tax credits, maintain a balanced budget and whether their past experiences transfer to the duties of the city's top position. The debate included former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, Triumph Church Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr., Detroit City Council President Mary Sheffield, Councilmember Fred Durhal III and former City Council President Saunteel Jenkins. Todd Perkins, Joel Haashiim, Jonathan Barlow and DaNetta Simpson are also running but were not a part of the debate. Mayor Mike Duggan held a panel discussion of his own at the conference aimed at propping himself up for his 2026 gubernatorial bid, and moderators asked candidates to delve into whether he did the city right by his policies. In the debate, mayoral candidates had chances for rebuttals, which often resulted in defending themselves or their platforms. Craig and Sheffield sparred over the theft of $44 million from the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy's former CFO, William Smith, as the former police chief aimed his argument at Sheffield, who sits on the board. "I'm not saying the board did anything wrong, but I think it warrants a closer examination to find out what went wrong, because we're talking about fiscal leadership and fiscal responsibility. Something's lacking there," Craig said. Sheffield clapped back, noting she is not part of the audit or finance committees, and called his argument "disingenuous." "All of the documents were altered. The public documents that were put online and submitted to the board at public meetings were all altered. No one knew what was going on," Sheffield said. "In that situation, we now know, and for me as a leader, the importance of oversight and more control as it relates to fiscal management." Here is how candidates tackled the debate: Candidates addressed what they believed the business community's role in the city is and explained how they would manage things like using tax incentives to attract businesses. Tax incentives have been a contentious subject for residents but several developers relied on them to build major projects. Jenkins said she would partner with businesses, noting 'over half of the tax abatements will have expired' by 2030, which would require searching for ways to extend them. 'Otherwise, we'll start to lose businesses. We'll start to lose jobs, and the role of business is twofold. It's creating jobs. It's an economic driver,' Jenkins said. Durhal said the city is facing an 'abatement cliff' and expects to restructure it. 'We can utilize, as we spread out the length of that abatement, an opportunity to opt in and generate revenue earlier for our city by allowing developers, as well as those who have built there, to pay a little bit early, and that'll add more money and revenue to our general fund here,' Durhal said. Kinloch expects to convene various business and community leaders to ensure they are aware the mayor is receptive to business in the city. 'The mayoral office does not just cast vision, it also communicates that vision, and it also convenes a table. In order to bring stakeholders together, we have to make sure that businesses are not the only stakeholders at the table, that we are calling together neighborhood leaders. We're calling together the philanthropic community because we want to ensure that residents feel as much a part of the community as anyone else,' Kinloch said. Craig mainly focused on growing the middle class by building out small businesses. 'We have to focus on growing our middle class. I talk a lot about growing small businesses, but that doesn't take away from continuing to grow big businesses. We have got to raise revenues in this city,' Craig said. 'One of the things I have heard as chief and deputy mayor over time is many neighborhoods feel left out, the businesses feel left out. As police chief, I leveraged working very closely with small businesses,' Craig said, referring to Project Green Light, an initiative that places cameras at businesses to prevent crime. Sheffield said during her tenure on council, she tried bridging the gap between people and businesses, and credited public-private partnerships for contributing to the city's growth. 'When it comes to tax abatements, my number one issue is addressing the core of why we have to abate in the first place, and that is because we pay some of the highest property taxes in the country,' Sheffield said. 'My goal, day one, which we're laying the foundation now, is to ensure that we're addressing real structural property tax reform so that we do not have to continue to abate our way out of the issues that we have in Detroit." Candidates highlighted the Duggan administration's record of attracting businesses and manufacturers after the city came out of bankruptcy, laying groundwork for the next mayor, restoring basic city services, reducing crime, maintaining a fiscal foundation and overall rebuilding confidence for investors. But several highlighted the need to invest more in neighborhoods. 'We need to make sure that there is a commercial corridor in each of the seven districts. We have to ensure that our planning is intentional and that it is inclusive, and when we are having discussions about tax abatements, discussions about affordable housing, we have a real plan in place that is driving development and affordable housing and public transit in a way that is building our neighborhoods, and we also have to include schools,' Jenkins said. Durhal and Sheffield pointed out that Duggan's successes also stemmed from working alongside City Council. Durhal hit hard on the continuing need to change the city's high property taxes. 'What nobody's talking about when we talk about comprehensive property tax reform, all of those ropes lead through Lansing … so when we take our plans to Lansing, we're going to lower property taxes, we're going to work on preemption to give our city the ability to have the determination of our future. And I think we can have a better job of delivering from Lansing to continue Detroit's growth. You're going to need that experienced leadership to continue that growth." Kinloch credited Duggan but also pointed out that the city needs to tackle homelessness and poverty, and bring equitable jobs to help residents 'not only just survive, but thrive.' Craig critiqued the 'red tape bureaucracy,' indicating it holds back business owners from opening up their establishments due to dozens of steps they have to face, which Duggan addressed last week. Sheffield stressed that boosting the middle class and raising the income levels of Detroiters, who face a median income below the statewide average, is important to creating a pipeline of future jobs. 'Without a doubt, we have to ensure that more investment comes back into our neighborhoods and that we're activating our commercial corridors. I'm very excited for my administration to be way more hands-on as it relates to the education of our youth,' Sheffield said. Moderators questioned candidates about leaving their roles, leaning toward a political party — despite the mayoral post being nonpartisan — running a religious institution while potentially balancing public office and proving their abilities. Jenkins served on City Council amid Detroit's bankruptcy but resigned early to pursue an executive role with The Heat and Warmth Fund. She added that her last day on council was when officials announced Detroit was exiting bankruptcy. 'We had a plan in place that would not be changed for the next 10 years, no matter who was on council. So I did something that's actually very similar to what our current mayor did. I left my elected position and went to serve as CEO of a multi-million dollar organization that was serving some of the most vulnerable citizens across the state of Michigan.' Sheffield has been an advocate involved with numerous politically progressive individuals, though concerns about a deeply conservative White House do not deter the council president. 'I know how to find common ground,' Sheffield said. 'I come from a legacy of fighters. It is really about bringing resources back to Detroit, improving the quality of life for Detroiters.' Craig has publicly declared himself conservative and flexed his relationship with the White House but pointed out that he is 'a Detroiter first' and expects to draw out more federal money, if elected. Kinloch expects to run his church simultaneously with his role as mayor, if elected. He promises to serve as a full-time mayor and go to church on Sundays, preach, and leave the day-to-day responsibilities to an executive team at the church. Durhal addressed his past leadership experiences in Lansing as an assistant Democratic leader of the House, and his experience chairing City Council committees, as proof he can manage more than what his resume shows. 'You've got to have relationships up there. Folks talk about working across the aisle. We've got a proven track record of doing it,' Durhal said. The city maintained a balanced budget since bankruptcy and has since received more than $800 million in federal money. Officials are in the process of transferring any remaining federal money that must be spent by next year, along with retaining employees. Boosting revenue will require some creativity from the next mayor. 'We have to diversify our revenue streams,' Sheffield said, suggesting ideas such as an entertainment tax, but noting the city needs a 'phenomenal' chief financial officer to maintain fiscal discipline. Durhal said that an amusement tax would not generate enough, though it's projected to raise about $10 million a year. 'That's not enough funding to move this city forward,' Durhal said. Jenkins added that adopting a balanced budget, which Durhal and Sheffield touted, does not make one a good fiscal leader. Although she credited city officials throughout the years for maintaining a balanced budget, simply because it is their duty. Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@ Follow her: @DanaAfana This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit mayoral candidates debate at Mackinac Policy Conference
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
More than half of Black women surveyed in metro Detroit reported experiencing evictions
A survey of Black women in metro Detroit during the years since the COVID-19 pandemic found more than half of respondents reported experiencing an eviction in their lifetime. A research paper published May 14 by native Detroiter Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson sheds new light on the scale of evictions among Black women. As Sealy-Jefferson, a social epidemiologist, was researching the impact of evictions, mass incarceration, stress and tax foreclosures on preterm births among Black women, she was frustrated: she knew Black mothers were more likely to be evicted from their homes than other groups but there was no data to illustrate the scope of the problem — and what it does to them. She decided to do something about it. In September 2020, Sealy-Jefferson embarked on a five-year project, studying the link between evictions among Black women and health outcomes. She surveyed 1,428 Black women from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, conducted focus groups with about 90 participants and interviewed 55 Black women who experienced an illegal eviction. Now, the numbers and stories are in and, as she puts it: "I grossly underestimated the horror." More: Detroit Public Library to host free estate planning workshops at local branches Here are some key takeaways from the survey: More than half of the participants said they'd been evicted. Of those evictions, nearly half were reportedly illegal, meaning they happened outside the courts. Participants self-reported evictions. A quarter of participants said they were evicted during childhood. Forty percent reported facing housing discrimination (participants were asked if they had ever been discriminated against or treated unfairly when they were trying to buy or rent) Childhood and court-ordered and illegal eviction during adulthood were associated with a 12% to 17% "higher risk of poor self-rated health," which is how participants rated their own physical health. Meanwhile, childhood eviction and experiencing illegal eviction in adulthood was linked with a 34% to 37% "higher risk of worse relative self-rated health," which is participants' physical health compared with most people their age. A reporter with the Free Press and BridgeDetroit spoke with Sealy-Jefferson, the study's lead author and an associate professor of social epidemiology at the Ohio State University College of Public Health. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. QUESTION: Can you tell me why you conducted this study and why you decided to pursue the topic? ANSWER: The housing crisis has been a problem for decades, so this is not only our problem, but this was our mother's problem, and likewise, it's going to be our daughter's problem if we don't do something about it. … I convened a group of Black women leaders — local, national and international leaders — on this community advisory board, and I also organized Black women from my community to share their stories for action. We need the data, because without the data, we can't have solutions. We can't have conversations about solutions to a problem that doesn't exist. And this definitely exists. I know a lot of people who have been evicted. Most Black women know people who have been evicted, it's very common, but the link between having this experience and health at the population level is something that hasn't been documented. You posed two questions in your research: What is the magnitude and severity of residential evictions among reproductive age Black women from metro Detroit and are evictions associated with poor health. What did you find? We found that eviction is extremely common. Court ordered evictions are common and illegal evictions are equally common, among reproductive age Black women. We're able to document empirically that having these eviction experiences across the lifetime — so during childhood and during adulthood — is associated with worse self-rated health among Black women, and that hasn't been shown before, and this suggests that these eviction experiences may account for some of the other inequities that we see at the population level, in terms of health of Black mothers, Black families and Black communities. Was there a finding that surprised you, and, if so, why? This study is not limited to low-income Black women. It's not limited to renters. It's not limited to just city of Detroit residents. … I knew it was high, but it sort of took my breath away that 25% experienced an eviction during childhood, 60% had high ACES (adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, losing a parent or bullying). What do you hope comes of this study? What solutions would you like to see address some of the issues that you identified? We really have to have very clear understanding about root cause intervention. This housing crisis is not going to be fixed with individual-level solutions, because the problem is a structural problem, so we need structural solutions. We need society-level solutions to the problem, because it's not about individual behavior. The conversation has to include reparations — federal government funded reparations for the descendants of African chattel slavery, like that is part of the root cause solution. We also need enforcement of the existing housing laws that protect tenants, because landlords are violating people's civil and human rights in broad daylight, and there's no consequences for them because nobody's checking. … We need policy change. We need enforcement of the existing policies. We need intervention studies. We need more research. … We need our elected officials to pay attention to this data and work with community on what solutions to these problems are. What's next? This is the first study. We have a lot of data, we have a lot of numbers and we have a lot of stories that we really are going to be, in the coming months, disseminating. … I will continue to work with the community advisory board and the community, the participants and the interested parties in the community to decide, what do we do with this data? What is next? What's the most pressing question that we can answer with this data that will help you to advocate for yourself, that'll help you to understand what's happening in your community? What are the short and long term impacts of evictions? Without the human right to stable, safe and affordable housing, it really jeopardizes your ability to do all of the things that you need to do in order to have a good life, a good healthy life and a productive life. It's very rare that you'd be able to do all of the things you need to do if you don't have the basic foundation, which is stable, safe and affordable housing. Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@ Follow her on X: @NushratR. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Survey sheds light on evictions among Black women in metro Detroit
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Could no-strings-attached 'cash prescriptions' slash poverty among Michigan's youngest?
In the Upper Peninsula, Jackie Tasker-Wilson has to drive downstate several times a month to see her doctors for her high-risk pregnancy — trips that set her and her partner back a couple hundred dollars each appointment. That's money she can't spend on rent, food or necessities for the baby. Kayla Wychopen, also in the U.P., recently gave birth and is living in transitional housing with her boyfriend. She said she constantly worries about finding a permanent place to live and affording food and all of the things her baby will need. A fast-growing program, Rx Kids, might help them both and hundreds of other families in the state. Rx Kids, which grew out of Flint, is designed to tackle infant poverty by providing so-called "cash prescriptions" — $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 a month up to a year of the baby's life. Earlier this year, the program, led by Flint pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna, expanded to Kalamazoo and parts of the Upper Peninsula. Pontiac and cities in Wayne County are slated to get their own versions in the next few months. Ypsilanti could get its own program, too, if the city can raise enough money. Rx Kids is among dozens of programs across the country experimenting with providing direct cash payments to people with the greatest need. As millions of dollars flow directly to families in the state, Michigan could be poised to help answer the question of whether cash in hand does indeed make a dent on child poverty. In recent months, a reporter with the Free Press and BridgeDetroit talked to pregnant women about the program, as well as maternal health nurses in the U.P., and state legislators in the regions where the program is expanding. Pregnant women, from the U.P. to Kalamazoo, seem to think Rx Kids will make a difference, saying they'd use the money on diapers, formula, wipes and to save. Nurses who visit pregnant women say extra cash each month can relieve financial stress for families worried about paying for essentials like rent, transportation and food. Bipartisan lawmakers in Michigan saw early promise in the program and said they're watching for a range of outcomes that would spell success, from increased birth rates and school enrollment to improvements in child development and health. "Every hour, every day that a baby is born into and grows up in poverty is a failure on all of us. It is a failure on society, because we can do better," Hanna, director of Rx Kids and associate dean of public health at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, said during the announcement of Rx Kids in Pontiac. She leads Rx Kids with Luke Shaefer, head of the University of Michigan's Poverty Solutions initiative. In the northernmost part of the state, where tourism drives the economy, there are lulls in employment during the offseason, making income less certain. Housing and heating can be tough to afford as residents already struggle with transportation and access to health care, county health department leaders and maternal health nurses told the Free Press. "A lot of families are living paycheck to paycheck, and there's no cushion. So if an emergency arises, they are really hurting. They are really looking for support," said Karen Senkus, health officer for the Chippewa County Health Department. Now, they may have that extra help. Families with newborns or babies on the way in five U.P. counties — Chippewa, Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft — can apply for the Rx Kids program. Moms can get $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 for the first six months of their baby's life. Rx Kids has given $288,500 to 180 families so far, as of April 22. It would be a big help for 24-year-old Tasker-Wilson, who said she struggles to save. Each month, she and her boyfriend have about $400 a month remaining after all their expenses, from bills to paying off debt and other costs, she said. It has been expensive preparing for the new baby. She has had trouble finding work while pregnant. Tasker-Wilson has applied for child care, restaurant and housekeeping jobs, only to get rejected. Employers told her they don't want her to work for only a few months, only to quit, or they don't offer maternity leave, she said. "We're basically still on one income. It's definitely difficult," she said in late March. Her boyfriend works as a driller. In Chippewa County, where Tasker-Wilson lives, more than a quarter of children under 5 years old live in poverty, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. That's higher than the 19% of kids under 5 years old living in poverty across the state, but available data at the county or city level can be limited, so estimates are not as precise. Nearly half of households in the county fell below the United Way's ALICE threshold in 2022. The ALICE measure (which stands for asset limited, income constrained, employed) considers households earning above the federal poverty level but still struggling to afford the basics. Nurses the Free Press followed in the U.P. say families are struggling with the basics — housing, health care, work, child care and transportation. Nurse Monica Eriksen, who works for the LMAS (Luce, Mackinac, Alger and Schoolcraft) District Health Department, said she sees poverty every day, childhood or otherwise. It looks like not having enough money to change diapers or neglecting medical needs because of a scarcity mindset. In February, Eriksen visited Marie Woosck in front of her home, remote and tucked away in snowy Munising. Woosck's high-risk pregnancy had been an emotional roller coaster, the 22-year-old said at the time. Part of what worried her was the distance to her hospital — about an hour away. "Up here, it's a big struggle for us pregnant women to find the right care we need," Woosck said. Eriksen, who is also Woosck's doula, ended up driving her to the hospital at midnight in early March, a few days before her scheduled C-section. Woosck was worried about having her baby in the car because it would have been risky for her to have a vaginal birth. "I was terrified," she said about the long drive to the hospital while in labor. Over in Sault Ste. Marie in early February, Christy Curtis, a nurse with the Chippewa County Health Department, checked in on Wychopen and spoke to her about subsidized housing and how her pregnancy had been going. Curtis tries to work with moms as early in their pregnancy as possible because later they may not have time to access housing and food resources, she said. Women struggle to work after giving birth and find child care. There are long wait lists for subsidized housing and rent costs have gone up. "You've got these families that are barely making it," Curtis said. Before giving birth to her baby girl in late April, Wychopen, who is living in transitional housing, wanted her own home before her daughter was expected to arrive. "I don't really want to raise a baby in a room," Wychopen, 26, said. It would be a big relief, expectant moms said, to have the extra money to spend on utilities, child care, formula, diapers and wipes. "There's a lot of poverty up here that people just don't see," said Republican state Sen. John Damoose, who represents part of the U.P. and the northern Lower Peninsula. Downstate in Kalamazoo, Kiara Wenman applied for the Kalamazoo Rx Kids program because living and food costs have skyrocketed lately for her and her partner. The 22-year-old, a Starbucks supervisor, said she lives comfortably but not enough to save or cover a sudden financial shock — that's where the cash would make a difference. She said she'd spend half to save to buy a home, and the rest on groceries or needs for her baby boy, due in late April. "Whether there's a car issue, whether there's (an) insurance claim, anything that could possibly happen, I feel like that would give us a setback. But with the program, I feel like that would keep us still on track when emergencies happen," Wenman said in March. By the end of the month, she received a $1,500 deposit, which she tucked away in her savings. In the city of Kalamazoo, where about a third of kids under 5 years old live in poverty, expectant moms can get $1,500 mid-pregnancy and then $500 the first 12 months of their infant's life. Fifty-three percent of households in the city also fell below the ALICE threshold. The Kalamazoo program has, as of April 22, distributed $528,500 and enrolled 324 families. Poverty and infant deaths are linked, said Jameca Patrick-Singleton, executive director of Cradle Kalamazoo and vice president of community health for the YWCA Kalamazoo. In Kalamazoo County, Black babies are significantly more likely to die than white babies. "When you're talking about a program like Rx Kids, it helps to address some of those social determinants of health. Why? Because you're talking about no-strings-attached funding, and so people are able to use money for transportation, for food, for rent, whatever they need, in that moment that they need. It'll help families to combat some of that poverty, it'll help moms, particularly Black moms," Patrick-Singleton said. A common theme among infants who die in Kalamazoo County is economic instability, said Dr. Aaron Davies, chief of quality for the Bronson Medical Group. "People who are doubling up, who are sharing couches, trying to figure out how to meet their basic needs around housing, that leads to unsafe sleep situations where infants are being put down on couches and other places where we know they're at a higher risk of having unsafe sleep-related death," Davies said. Families who can't afford housing or are living out on the streets, cars and hotels, are co-sleeping because they don't have a choice, Patrick-Singleton said. Quality, affordable housing is a "desperate need" in the community, she added. Kalamazoo County needs 8,000 new units by 2030 to meet future demand, according to updated estimates from the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, which, in 2022, published a sweeping housing plan for the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. What's more, there are roughly 13,600 renters and homeowner households who spend more than half of their income on housing expenses, 2023 American Community Survey figures compiled by the Kalamazoo-based research institute show. "We've seen babies die because of homelessness," Patrick-Singleton said. More than a year after launching in Flint, Rx Kids has stretched across the state, to rural and urban pockets, in its bid to rid Michigan of infant poverty, garnering tens of millions of dollars in public and private dollars as well as interest from lawmakers to propel its mission. In total, the program has raised more than $100 million. Backers include the Flint-based Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, among others. Meanwhile, over in Flint where the program first began, moms told the Free Press they used their money for rent and baby food — and it ultimately left them less stressed. Alexus Towner, who received $500 a month from April 2024 to March 2025, used her Rx Kids money for the apartment she rented after experiencing housing insecurity, when she lived in a shelter and, before that, with her mom. The birth of her youngest child by C-section was extremely difficult, she recalled. After giving birth, Towner, 27, of Mount Morris, a city just north of Flint, said she had a lot on her plate. Her daughter, who has autism, had to repeat kindergarten. Towner didn't have transportation. The Rx Kids program, which she applied to while living in Flint, gave her "so much more room to breathe," she said. The majority of her monthly cash payments went to rent — the rest on her kids' food, household products and other essentials. Shalamar Reed was about seven months pregnant when she got into the Rx Kids program in Flint. She had been diagnosed with preeclampsia, a serious medical condition associated with high blood pressure. Reed, who was put on bed rest in her first trimester, applied to the program because she had to quit her job as a direct care worker, she said. With the $1,500 lump sum, she purchased her daughter's essentials: crib, car seat and stroller. She uses the $500 a month to buy formula, diapers and wipes. The 36-year-old Flint mom sees Rx Kids as extra help, giving her a boost when she may not have enough. "When I run out of something, I'm not stressed," she said in January. This article was produced as part of a series for the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism's 2024 Data Fellowship. Contact Nushrat Rahman: nrahman@ Follow her on X: @NushratR. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rx Kids expands in Michigan aiming to cut infant poverty
