In November 2016, the university launched a new initiative to address one of the world’s most critical and seemingly intractable problems: poverty. Called Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, the initiative explores and tests models to ease the effects of poverty, and broadly shares that knowledge. The initiative works with community groups and supports active-learning options for students to engage on issues related to poverty.

The unique approach involves multiple schools and colleges at U-M tackling poverty from all angles, and focuses on three areas: research, teaching and practice.

Poverty Solutions’ interdisciplinary research is initially focused on boosting economic opportunity, expanding educational attainment and improving health.

Classes in many different disciplines will work to increase the number of students exposed to poverty issues and will prepare emerging scholars for successful careers in research, policy and practice that contribute to poverty prevention and alleviation.

Faculty and students will work with communities to apply what is learned. The Edward Ginsberg Center for Community Service and Learning is connecting U-M researchers and community groups to facilitate this process.

“Engagement will be a guiding principle of what we do here,” said Associate Professor of Social Work Luke Shaefer, who is leading the initiative. “Our research will be connected to the real world. Whether we are in Washtenaw County, Detroit, Lansing or Washington, we will bring our research to policymakers and communities.”

Poverty Solutions has more than 17 projects taking place in the Detroit metro area and a Summer Youth Employment Program was piloted in Washtenaw County.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have launched a new lab designed to help state and local agencies, social service providers, nonprofits and educators improve life outcomes for Michigan youth, from birth through age 25.

The Youth Policy Lab is a hands-on initiative to support the growing demand for rigorous evidence about the likely outcomes of proposed policy interventions. A partnership between U-M’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Survey Research Center at U-M’s Institute of Social Research, it is led by professors Brian Jacob and Susan Dynarski and associate research professor Robin Tepper Jacob.

Through a competitive selection process, the lab chooses different organizations each year and provides pro bono technical assistance, including needs and feasibility assessments, analysis and evaluation, policy design, placement of an onsite technical expert and support from content area and methodological experts. Some of the lab’s first partnerships include projects with City Connect, the Detroit Police Department, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, MDRC, the Michigan Department of Education, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Poverty Solutions and U-M’s Child and Adolescent Data Lab.

“Michigan’s public sector organizations provide critical services and we are excited to offer technical support to help bolster their capacity,” Robin Jacob said.

The lab has collaborated on projects with organizations such as City Connect, the Detroit Police Department, Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, MDRC, the Michigan Department of Education and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The initiative, which builds upon the researchers’ experience partnering with service providers and agencies to evaluate programs, is made possible by a $2.6 million grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

University of Michigan researchers are helping Benton Harbor officials come up with ideas to improve the city’s transportation and water distribution systems. Jerome Lynch, a professor in the department of civil and environmental engineering, conducted a series of workshops exploring issues in Benton Harbor that can be addressed through the adoption of SMART (Sustainable Mobility & Accessibility Research & Transformation) city technologies.

SMART, a university-wide initiative, works with local, regional and international partners to promote sustainable, urban mobility. SMART champions innovative transportation approaches that can be combined to provide users with a seamless system of urban mobility that is environmentally safe, efficient and connected.

The workshops, offered at no cost to the city, are helping ensure that future Benton Harbor developments complement southwest Michigan and the Chicago megaregion.

“Our goal is to improve services for residents, business and visitors,” said Benton Harbor Mayor Marcus Muhammad. “We seek to establish an efficient infrastructure upon which sustainable employment enterprises may be built. Smart and healthy cities utilize information and communication technology to connect, manage and enhance a city’s assets, including water, transportation, medical waste, energy and more.”