LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Poverty Task Force released its second set of policy recommendations Tuesday.
The task force aims to boost the state’s efforts to lift struggling Michiganders out of poverty and improve their health outcomes.
REFERENCE: Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity, Poverty Task Force Full Report
Significant investments for Michigan families have centered on gaps in Michigan’s social safety net and were included in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s FY22 budget, since the task force’s first 2021 report.
Tuesday’s report included 29 recommendations designed to address disparities that the task force says make some Michiganders both poorer and sicker than others.
The task force made these recommendations in five key focus areas:
- Income and social protection
- Housing, basic amenities and the environment
- Early childhood development
- Social inclusion and nondiscrimination
- Access to affordable health serves of decent quality
Overall, the 2022 report examines policy gaps that affect struggling Michiganders with health inequities concentrating on the social determinants of health and offers recommendations designed to address these disparities.
The World Health Organization defines social determinants of health as the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes.
The Poverty Task Force consists of leaders from 14 state departments, with input from the legislature, philanthropy and community organizations working together to develop a comprehensive anti-poverty plan for Michigan.
