September 10, 2008

TRAVERSE CITY - Department of Human Services Director Ismael Ahmed today formally invited regional human services organizations and residents here to join efforts to reduce poverty and maximize economic opportunities for all Michigan citizens by attending the 2008 Voices for Action Poverty Summit in Detroit on November 13.

"Too many families are just one paycheck away from sliding into poverty," Ahmed said. "More than half a million children in this state live in poverty. It's a national issue that affects one in five people including citizens all over Michigan. This poverty reduction summit will bring together leaders from across our state to identify strategies to enhance efforts already underway."

The day-long summit on November 13 kicks off a statewide initiative that builds on Governor Jennifer M. Granholm's existing efforts to create jobs, strengthen education and expand access to health care, college and job training by using regional teams to focus resources on the area's most pressing issues. Granholm and Martin Luther King III will keynote the summit, which also offers breakout sessions focusing on work and employment, education, health care and housing in regions.

Ahmed joined DHS staff, community residents and regional partners from Leelanau Children's Center and the Northwest Michigan Human Services at a media roundtable at the Goodwill Inn's dining hall to talk about how Michigan families and individuals are finding creative solutions to these challenging economic times.

Grand Traverse County's poverty rate is 8.7 percent, well below the state's 14 percent overall rate according to the federal Census' American Community Survey estimates for 2007.

"Michigan's efforts to reduce poverty and maximize economic opportunity will help achieve the national goal of reducing poverty by fifty percent in the next decade," Ahmed said. "We know that a state effort combined with regional solutions and committed, caring people can make all the difference."

For more information, please consult the DHS Web site at www.michigan.gov/dhs or www.michigan.gov/poverty.