March 2017
Pat Sorenson, Senior Policy Analyst
The governor has proposed several increases in the 2018 state budget that would benefit Michigan children and families with low incomes, including funds to retain food assistance benefit increases approved this year and additional support for clothing for children in families receiving income assistance.
These increases, while welcome, do not overcome years of disinvestment in basic subsistence programs for families living in deep poverty. Since 2007, state lawmakers have restricted eligibility for public assistance through more stringent lifetime limits, toughened sanctions—including the potential elimination of benefits for an entire family because of the truancy of one child—and imposed an asset test for food assistance benefits.
Childhood Poverty Matters
Partly as a result of these policy changes, the number of Michigan children eligible for the state’s primary income assistance program, the Family Independence Program (FIP), dwindled from over 150,000 in December of 2009 to under 40,000 in 2016—a reduction of nearly 75%. The FIP caseload is now at its lowest point since 1957.1
In the face of this decline, child poverty remained stubbornly high, rising from roughly 19% in 2009 to 23% in 2015—an increase of 19%. Poverty rates for children of color are even higher, with nearly half of all African-American children living below the poverty line, as well as 1 in 3 Latino children.
While often thought of as a program for adults, the reality is that nearly 8 in 10 FIP recipients are children and especially young children.2 The well-being of these children is of critical importance as research shows that exposure to chronic stress or adversity in the earliest years of life can affect children’s emotional and cognitive development in ways that can be longlasting.
- Healthy Births: Children of women living in poverty are more likely to be born too small and too early—putting them at an immediate disadvantage developmentally.
- Health and Mental Health: Children from families with low incomes are more likely to suffer from asthma and be hospitalized unnecessarily, as well as be exposed to environmental toxins. Some of these health problems persist into adulthood. Adults who were exposed to more stress early in life are more likely to have a range of health problems, including alcoholism, depression, heart disease and diabetes.3
- Academic Achievement: Poverty has long been connected to poorer performance in school, with more recent research suggesting that the conditions of poverty might actually disturb brain development.4 By the end of four years of high school, economically disadvantaged students are more likely to have dropped out without a diploma (15% vs. 9% for all students).5
With poverty comes substandard housing, exposure to environmental threats like lead, less access to healthy food, unsafe neighborhoods, and inadequate healthcare and child care. To be successful, strategies to address childhood poverty must be two-generational, recognizing the impact of family economic stress on parental health, parenting, and access to work-related supports like child care and transportation.
FIP Helps Stabilize Families and Provides for Children’s Basic Needs
Children’s Clothing Allowance: Children in families receiving FIP live in very deep poverty. The FIP payment represents less than one-third of the federal poverty line ($18,871 for a family of three in 2015) and only 63% of poverty when the family receives federally funded food assistance.
With fewer children being served by FIP and benefit levels basically stalled (maximum of $492 per month for a family of three, with average monthly payments of $366 in 2016), it has become more difficult to juggle housing, transportation and other necessary costs, as well as provide children with decent clothing for school or other personal needs. The governor’s recommendation to expand the clothing allowance for children in families receiving FIP is a small way to recognize those costs.
Pathways to Potential: The governor has also recommended an increase in funding for the Pathways to Potential program that places “success coaches” in schools to identify barriers faced by students and their families and make appropriate referrals to services in both the public and private sector. This model has promise for meaningful school/community partnerships and a two-generational approach to school success for all children. Currently in 259 schools in 34 counties, the funding increase would allow the program to expand to more schools with low student achievement, as well as additional rural areas.
Access to Adequate Healthy Food Matters
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the primary federal program to curb hunger and funds Michigan’s Food Assistance Program (FAP). The beneficiaries include children, working parents, seniors and people with disabilities.
Research has shown that the program has been highly effective.
- Access to food assistance reduces both poverty and food insecurity, especially among children.6
- Maternal receipt of food assistance during pregnancy reduces the incidence of low birthweight.
- Young children with access to food assistance and better diets are healthier, less likely to be obese as adults and more likely to complete high school.
- Diminished food budgets at the end of the month—when food assistance benefits have run out—have been linked to serious health problems related to chronic conditions such as diabetes, as well as increased disciplinary events among school-aged children.7
State Policies to Ensure Access to Nutritious Foods Are Critical
Benefits for Michigan’s FAP are entirely federally funded. To be eligible for assistance, families must have incomes below approximately 200% of poverty or $40,840 for a family of three in 2017. Approximately 1.4 million Michigan residents currently receive food assistance through FAP, with children representing 4 of every 10 beneficiaries. The average family of two receives only $228 monthly.8
“Heat and Eat” Policy: This year, the Michigan Legislature approved $6.7 million in state funding to reinstate the “heat and eat” policy that allows Michigan to leverage additional federal SNAP funds and increase food assistance benefits for more than 350,000 Michigan families, seniors and people with disabilities. For 2018, the governor recommends $6.8 million to continue the program as a smart way to leverage more than $300 million in federal funding to prevent hunger.
Asset Test for FAP: In 2002, the federal government gave states the option to decide if and how they would include a family’s assets when determining eligibility for benefits. Since that time, approximately 35 states have eliminated their asset tests. Michigan was one of the first states to eliminate the asset test but reinstated it in 2012. To receive FAP benefits, applicants must now have less than $5,000 in assets—including the value of vehicles after certain exemptions.
Limits on assets increase state administrative costs—which are funded by the state at 50% of total costs—by requiring state workers to verify additional information, and could discourage families with low incomes from saving a portion of their wages to create the small cushion required to meet crises like a car repair needed to keep their jobs.
The Governor’s 2018 State Budget
Continue federal funding for “heat and eat” food assistance benefits. The governor includes $6.8 million in state funds to allow this program to continue, drawing down more than $300 million in federal funding and increasing food assistance to over 350,000 working parents, children, seniors and persons with disabilities in the state.
Increase the clothing allowance for children in families receiving income assistance. The governor provides a total of $9 million (up from $6.3 million this year) for the clothing allowance for children receiving FIP, with new funds dedicated to increasing the allowance from $140 per child each year to $200.
Expand Pathways to Potential. The governor includes $5.6 million, including $3.3 million in state funds, to expand the Pathways to Potential program that places staff in schools to help connect families to needed community services. New funds in 2018 would be used to lower caseloads in some areas of the state as well as expand into new schools. Priority for expansion would be given to schools with low achievement or those in rural communities that have been targeted for economic development.
Endnotes
- Field Operations Administration Overview: Fiscal Year 2018, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
- Family Independence Program: Total Recipients, Adults and Children, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (January 2017).
- In Brief: The Impact of Early Adversity on Children’s Development, Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University; National Conference of State Legislatures, and the NGA Center for Best Practices.
- Kwon, D., Poverty Disturbs Children’s Brain Development and Academic Performance, Scientific American (July 22, 2015).
- 2014-15 Graduation Dropout Snapshot, Statewide 4-Year (2015 Graduation Cohort), MI School Data, Center for Educational Performance and Information.
- Food insecurity is defined as lacking the resources necessary for consistent and dependable access to food.
- Long-Term Benefits of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, White House Council of Economic Advisers (December 2015).
- Trend Report of Key Program Statistics through January 2017, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
