Nushrat Rahman, Bridge Detroit

Song and prayer enveloped about 150 mourners as they paid their respects to 9-year-old Darnell Currie Jr. and 2-year-old A'millah Currie.

RX Kids provides cash to expectant moms and babies — no strings attached. It's 'a great idea,' said Republican state Sen. John Damoose.

Michigan will experiment with guaranteed income in Flint, one of its poorest cities, giving expectant and new moms $7,500 — no strings attached — to lift the stress of poverty from their newborns.

Undocumented immigrants account for about 1.3% of Michigan’s population, according to a 2022 estimate.

Rx Kids, a program providing $7,500 to expectant mothers and families with babies, began in Flint. Now it's in Kalamazoo.

At issue was whether people could recoup the money before the 2020 decision so the matter went back to the high court.

The Double Up Food Bucks program matches money spent on fruit and vegetables for families who receive food assistance.

Across Michigan, there are several lawsuits in state and federal court arguing that former property owners, not counties, deserve profits from tax foreclosure sales.

Ann Arbor joins other U.S. cities testing the idea that recurring cash sets families up for financial success. A national nonprofit recently pitched a program for Detroit.

Five warming centers and several Detroit Public Library branches are available for Detroiters who need a respite from the cold.

A moratorium on residential water shut offs in Detroit runs out Dec. 31. Residents should apply for assistance programs to avoid shut offs.

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.

Michigan’s busiest district court will limit the use of cash bail, saying the practice disproportionately burdens poor people and puts them behind bars.

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.

The pandemic moratorium is slated to end Saturday, which could exacerbate housing problems in a state that already has a shortage of affordable homes.

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.

Starting this summer, eligible families are expected to get monthly payments, through expansions in child tax credits, to support the cost of raising kids.

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.