Five warming centers and several Detroit Public Library branches are available for Detroiters who need a respite from the cold.
Nushrat Rahman, Bridge Detroit
A guest author for Bridge Magazine.
Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Click here to support her work.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit’s moratorium on residential water shutoffs is ending. What to know.
A moratorium on residential water shut offs in Detroit runs out Dec. 31. Residents should apply for assistance programs to avoid shut offs.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroiters object to DTE rate increase as many reel from power outages
DTE is asking for a 8.8 percent rate increase, or $10 more a month for residential customers. Advocates say customers shouldn’t have to bear the costs.
Posted inUrban Affairs
Detroit’s 36th District Court to limit the use of cash bail after settling lawsuit
Michigan’s busiest district court will limit the use of cash bail, saying the practice disproportionately burdens poor people and puts them behind bars.
Posted inChildren & Families
Report: Fraction of Michigan kids who qualify for child care subsidies use them
Roughly one-third of children in Michigan under age 5 qualified for child care subsidies, but only 5 percent received those credits. Meanwhile, an estimated 44 percent of Michiganders live in “child care deserts” — places with a lack of licensed child care providers.
Posted inChildren & Families
Michigan’s affordable housing crisis may get worse, as eviction moratorium ends
The pandemic moratorium is slated to end Saturday, which could exacerbate housing problems in a state that already has a shortage of affordable homes.
Posted inUrban Affairs
More than 20,000 Michiganders have applied for federal rent aid since March
More than 20,000 Michiganders have applied for help to pay their rent through a federally-funded rent aid program that launched two months ago, reflecting an ongoing need for housing assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted inChildren & Families
Child tax credits are expected to start arriving in July. Here’s what to know.
Starting this summer, eligible families are expected to get monthly payments, through expansions in child tax credits, to support the cost of raising kids.
Posted inChildren & Families
Back to school puts financial strain on Michigan’s most vulnerable families
As the new school year ramps up and the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, parents are having to make tough financial decisions. Nonprofits and social service agencies say they see families struggling to purchase materials for school, access child care and put food on the table.