This week the U.S. House of Representatives voted 232-190 to eliminate all funding for the American Community Survey — the bedrock of a substantial body of information about child well-being, as well as overall population characteristics for every place in the country.

Five of the 10 key indicators monitored annually by the national KIDS COUNT project to evaluate child well-being in the states come from this survey. The survey collects data about poverty, employment, education, family status — many of the indicators used by communities to evaluate social and economic well-being. This information would no longer be available to track outcomes, guide public policy and assess community needs.

The vote was essentially along party lines, with all but 11 Republicans voting in favor of the amendment and all but four  Democrats voting against. (Michigan’s delegation voted along party lines.)

The amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill was sponsored by Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla. It would also make response to the ACS voluntary by prohibiting the Census Bureau and the Justice Department from using funds to enforce penalties in the Census Act that make survey response mandatory. This policy would seriously undermine the reliability of the data. The Senate is expected to take up the FY2013 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations bill next week. Our senators need to know how much we care about keeping the ACS funded. (Click here to email Sen. Stabenow and click here for Sen. Levin.)

The ACS represented a huge step forward in making current data more readily available to decision makers at the local, state and federal levels. In 2010 the ACS replaced the traditional census “long form” previously distributed to a sample of census takers at the time of the decennial census. Previously the social and economic data from the long form was available once every 10 years, but the ACS is ongoing—administered every month to a sample throughout the nation.

As of 2010, the ACS data has been released annually for places in every corner of the nation–providing vital information about the fast-moving changes in our country and communities. The implications of eliminating such a resource are troubling. We all have a huge stake in this decision.

As all successful business leaders know, good data are key to making good decisions. Why should government be any different? In fact, business leaders also use census data to gauge social and economic trends to make decisions about location, product development and marketing.

As we move into the 21st century, we need to capitalize on its technology and tools to inform and strengthen the efficiency and capacity of our public institutions to improve the lives of our families and children. Without a solid base of information, how can we as citizens and our representatives in government be held accountable for the outcomes of public policy decisions?

– Jane Zehnder-Merrell

May 11th, 2012 Posted to Blog: Factually Speaking,Census,Events,Health Care,Human Services,Kids Count,Racial equity | Comments (1)

There are more than 100,000 people experiencing homelessness in Michigan. Because of this, they all too often forgo the little things that most of us take for granted, like warm clothing and hair cuts.  You can do something to help. 

Project Connect is an effort to help those who are at risk for, or currently experiencing homelessness. For the past five years, Project Connect has been offering a variety of important services at events held throughout the state. These services include such practical things as assistance with filling out job applications and government forms,  to the provision of much needed medical care.

In 2009-2010, Project Connect offered services to more than 14,000 people at over 50 events throughout the state. More than 3,200 citizens volunteered their time at these events to reach out to those who have difficulty obtaining life’s basic necessities.

This year, a number of Project Connect events have already been scheduled and volunteers are welcome and needed. In Charlotte on Thursday, for example, volunteers will staff the Eaton County Project Homeless Connect.

To find out more information about when Project Connect events are scheduled in your community, go to the Michigan Campaign to End Homelessness website. Your help can make a difference in the lives of our most vulnerable citizens, and help assure all the residents of our great state a brighter future!

– Audrey Dowell

January 21st, 2011 Posted to Blog: Factually Speaking,Events,Human Services | Comments (1)

Homelessness in Michigan is a crisis that continues to escalate.

Michigan’s Campaign to End Homelessness recently released its 2009 Annual Summary on Michigan homelessness trends. The group estimated that 100,000 people experienced homelessness in 2009. This is a  nearly 11 percent increase from the estimated 90,300 homeless in 2008 and more than 28 percent higher than 2006 estimates.

According to the report, more than half of the homeless in Michigan were adults and children in families. Single women headed 65 percent of these homeless families, and the average homeless child was only 7 years old.

About 22,700 at-risk and homeless children were served in Michigan public schools in the 2009-2010 school year. These children are four times more likely than nonhomeless children to show delayed development and twice as likely to have learning disabilities. They are also four times as likely to have health-related problems such as asthma and respiratory infections.

The Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP), funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, has provided $23 million in financial grant assistance to those experiencing homelessness or to individuals and families who are trying to prevent homelessness from occurring. Within its first year, HPRP has helped 14,892 people avoid homelessness. Of those, 86 percent did not have an extensive history of homelessness, and 49 percent exited the program within the first year.

HPRP has accomplished much in its first year. What is frightening is that 100 percent of HPRP grants must be spent within two years of their initiation by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). If Michigan’s economy continues to recover at a slow pace, one can only imagine what the homelessness trends will look like in future years without the help from HPRP. Grants that are similar to the HPRP need to be continued in future budgets if we want to see positive gains in the fight against homelessness in Michigan.

Education about this growing problem and who it is affecting is critical. According to a poll conducted by EPIC-MRA in June, 85 percent of Michiganders believe that homelessness is a serious problem. However, only 40 percent believe that more needs to be done to combat it.

There are 100,000 people in Michigan who would disagree.

For more information, please click on the 2009 Annual Summary box at the top of the page on the campaign’s website.

Audrey Dowell is a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Social Work and an intern at the Michigan League for Human Services.

October 18th, 2010 Posted to Blog: Factually Speaking,Federal Stimulus,Human Services | Comments (1)