A version of this column originally appeared in Michigan Advance.
Every child deserves a safe place to live and the opportunity to reach their full potential. But housing prices continue to rise and pandemic relief measures that aided families have expired. Homelessness is climbing: the U.S. set a record for homelessness in 2024, with children seeing the largest increase – 39% – of any age group. Three new reports show that we have to do more to protect housing stability for Michigan families.
The Ending Homelessness in Michigan 2023 Annual Report counts the total number of people the state’s homeless response system serves during the entire year. The national 2024 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report is based on point-in-time (PIT) counts, which states conduct over a single night during the winter. The Schoolhouse Connections Data Profiles examine homelessness among children and youth during the school year.
Homelessness is devastating for kids by making it difficult for them to attend school and do their best. The chronic absenteeism rate for students experiencing homelessness is twice the rate for the state as a whole. Despite substantial improvements in Michigan’s high school graduation rates over the past decade, unhoused students have been left out. Just 58% graduated on time in 2023.
To make matters worse, President Donald Trump has proposed putting unhoused people in internment camps and jailing those who don’t comply. At the same time, just a few short weeks into his second term, he’s illegally sabotaging supports for struggling families, raising the costs of living with new tariffs, rescinded guidance protecting sensitive places like shelters and schools from immigration enforcement, and pushing other policies that will drive homelessness even higher.
After falling steadily following the Great Recession, homelessness increased again during the first Trump administration. It fell dramatically in Michigan during the first two years of the pandemic as emergency rental assistance, protections against eviction and enhanced safety net programs helped families maintain economic security.
With the end of those measures, the state reports that more than 33,000 people in Michigan were literally homeless in 2023 – an increase of 2% over 2022. (“Literally homeless” means a person lives in a shelter or a place not meant for human habitation.) Similarly, the national report shows that Michigan’s 2024 PIT count grew by 9%.
Eclipsing both of those increases, homelessness among Michigan’s school children rose by an alarming 15%. Nearly 33,000 pre K-12 students and another 10,000 kids age 3 and younger didn’t have a safe, stable home during the 2022-2023 school year.
Children receiving special education were overrepresented, following a larger pattern of disproportionate homelessness among people with disabilities. This disparity reflects the higher costs of living for households that include disabled people, combined with school and workplace discrimination that limits opportunity for disabled kids and adults.
The reports show the continued impacts of racial injustice as well. Due to ongoing discrimination in education, employment and housing, Black and Indigenous people – including children – continue to experience homelessness disproportionately.
The reports also contain troubling findings about the impact in rural communities, where homelessness is less common, but shelter access is limited – particularly for families with children. Rural kids are overrepresented among Michigan’s unhoused students.
Homelessness affects children in every community. Fortunately, we know what works: increasing the housing supply; the Housing First approach (which recognizes that people need stable housing before they can address other needs); robust rental assistance; and strong tenant rights.
The Michigan League for Public Policy will continue fighting for these affordable housing solutions and more fundamental economic measures to improve families’ security, such as maintaining critical safety net services, increasing the minimum wage, and expanding guaranteed basic income programs.
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.
