A quick glance at Michigan’s growing CSA field By Brian Rakovitis, manager of financial empowerment initiatives Removing barriers to postsecondary attainment in Michigan provides more opportunities for low- and moderate-income communities, improves the quality of life for residents, and helps combat inequality. Savings play an important role in achieving increased attainment. Studies have found that...
By Benjamin Andrews, junior policy associate The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued a nationwide eviction moratorium on Friday, September 4. The CDC recognizes the necessity of sanitation, distancing, and quarantining throughout this pandemic, and that these precautions are best enabled by people remaining stably housed. The moratorium—in place until December 31, 2020—is an important...
Contributors: City of Lansing, CEDAM, John Hopkins Center for Government Excellence (GovEx) First… A bit of background As the old saying goes, you can’t see the forest for the trees. When you are too close to a situation you sometimes need to step back and gain some perspective, even invite a fresh pair of eyes...
By Brian Rakovitis, manager of financial empowerment initiatives Nearly two decades ago the United Kingdom government decided to invest in its future (and its youth) by opening savings accounts for every child before their first birthday. As Michigan communities pursue similar initiatives, this program provides further evidence for what we already know: small-dollar savings lead...
2020 Show Me the Money Day events reached more than 2,300 Michigan residents. Want to bring an event to your community next year? Read through to find how! Show Me the Money Day (SMTMD) is a statewide community and financial resource fair designed to connect low- and moderate-income individuals and families with safe and affordable...
Dear CEDAM members and supporters, The past week has been a heavy and heartbreaking one. With you I mourn the lives of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor — two Black Americans recently murdered by the police — and all those killed before them. I stand in solidarity with the thousands of protesters who are calling...
By Brian Rakovitis, manager of financial empowerment initiatives On March 19, 2020, the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released a joint statement on CRA consideration for activities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The joint statement details changes to financial institutions when working with customers, expands...
Stimulus payments are being issued, but for many unbanked individuals it could mean months of unnecessary delay before receiving their payment. By Sydney Lipton, junior policy associate and Brian Rakovitis, manager of financial empowerment initiatives The Federal government recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and is disbursing economic impact payments...
We’ve seen the many ways that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected and altered our daily lives and business as we know it. The crisis is exposing the weaknesses in our social safety net like never before—and financially vulnerable households that were living paycheck-to-paycheck before the pandemic are especially at risk. There are immediate and long-term...
By now you have probably heard that the federal government, as part of their Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, plans to disburse economic impact payments (sometimes referred to as stimulus checks) to provide financial relief to individuals and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, requirements laid out by the federal government to receive...
