Investing in Us

Detroiters’ priorities for economic mobility in their city

Photo of Detroit skyline by Benjamin Morse

They've packed city council meetings, formed neighborhood associations, drafted community development plans, and answered reporters' questions.

Detroiters have a long history of civic engagement and grassroots organizing as they've weathered decades of neighborhood disinvestment and neglect, a shifting job market, the city's 2013 bankruptcy, and now the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, millions in community investment dollars circulate throughout the city, thanks to the efforts of leaders in the public, corporate, philanthropic, faith, and community development sectors. Many of Detroit's 670,000 residents — 78% of whom are Black — also invest cash and sweat equity into improving their neighborhoods.

And yet, Detroit's recovery over the past decade has been uneven, and the city's status as the poorest big city in the country has not changed.

As local leaders continue to grapple with questions about how community investment and neighborhood revitalization should happen, it is important to look to the people who know Detroit best — its residents — and their visions for a safe, healthy, equitable city.

 Investing in Us  brings together Detroiters’ stories and neighborhood-level improvement plans into a unified city-wide vision of economic well-being in Detroit. The goal of this community-based research project is to help drive policy and philanthropic innovation and complement existing efforts to improve economic mobility from poverty in Detroit. 

About this research

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

With support from the  Ballmer Group ,  Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan ’s Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility team started in June 2019 to gather residents’ views on economic mobility in Detroit for the Investing in Us project.

This report, released in September 2020, summarizes those findings. Next, Poverty Solutions will share this work with funders, policymakers, and residents and publish a series of policy briefs to inspire action on select priorities highlighted in this report.

Often community engagement projects like this begin with new forums that present new opportunities for people to discuss their communities with decision makers.

But Poverty Solutions' Detroit team recognized that over the last decade, Detroit residents have been speaking out in a variety of public spaces like city council meetings, media interviews, and neighborhood planning meetings, among other forums.

So rather than begin this work by creating new and different opportunities for residents to speak, the research team did an in-depth review of about 400 sources of information on Detroit residents' views on economic mobility, dating from 2007 to 2019. 

Detroiters have already spoken volumes, and now the onus is on decision makers at every level to listen.

The researchers partnered with 10 nonprofit organizations, who wrote contributions to the report from their perspectives.

"We appreciate the expertise these organizations have in serving residents and advocating for a variety of issues that all contribute to economic mobility. Their insights are crucial in designing solutions that will promote opportunity for all," said Patrick Cooney, assistant director of Poverty Solutions' Detroit Partnership on Economic Mobility.

Poverty Solutions also teamed up with  Data Driven Detroit  to create  Report Detroit , a first-of-its-kind searchable database and map of the neighborhood-level and citywide reports cited by Investing in Us.

To capture the perspectives of residents in areas that didn't show up in existing reports, Poverty Solutions staff held focus groups to gather input. Some of the focus groups were conducted by community leaders themselves.

“When we started to review existing reports, we realized some neighborhoods and some groups — like Arabic-speakers — weren’t showing up,” said Afton Branche-Wilson, strategic projects manager for Poverty Solutions’ Detroit team and lead researcher for Investing in Us. “So we partnered with a network of community organizations to host focus groups in those communities, and invited leaders to moderate the conversations themselves. These forums revealed deep insights that written reports did not capture.”  

Defining economic mobility

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

Poverty Solutions views poverty as the result of interlinked systems that fail people at the bottom of the income ladder and inhibit their ability to live with dignity.

Mobility from poverty requires access not only to income, assets, training, and employment, but also more intangible resources like power — the ability to make choices for yourself and influence others — and social inclusion,  according to the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty . 

For example, the freedom to search for affordable housing or apply for a well-paying job without the fear of unnecessary background checks could improve the economic prospects of people returning from incarceration. Universal access to low-cost internet would make it easier for a working parent to compare school options for a child with a disability. 

Broadly speaking, Detroit residents and community organizations want more influence in conversations about neighborhood revitalization and economic mobility. 

Detroiters don’t just want the opportunity to speak about what they want. They want to be a part of the decision making and feel valued and included in the fabric of their communities. 

Nonprofit leaders that partnered on Investing in Us talk about the importance of including residents in designing strategies to increase economic mobility and decrease poverty in Detroit.

Key areas of investment

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

The research team organized the Investing in Us report into three main areas of investment needed to promote economic mobility, inspired by the work of the  U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty :

  1. Economic stability,
  2. Resident and community power, and
  3. Valued communities

Below is an overview of the topics that fall into each of those key areas. For more information on how residents describe existing challenges and potential solutions within these areas,  read the full report .

Economic stability

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

Detroiters have a clear sense of the interlinked systems that undermine economic stability in their city, from the lack of jobs to low wages and the high cost of basic necessities like water and rent. Sometimes, residents see racial inequities in who can access key economic opportunities, like high-paying jobs or home loans. Policies and programs to increase access to jobs, raise wages, improve equity in education, provide affordable housing, and promote accessible transportation are foundational to a city where every resident has access to economic stability. 

“A lot of people here are in survival mode.” - resident in focus group hosted in Old Redford by Poverty Solutions at U-M 

See what Detroiters have to say about:

Take a closer look at economic stability issues with insights from these Detroit nonprofits: 

Resident & community power

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

Power is the ability to “ make choices and craft a future ” for yourself, your family, and your community. These capabilities are related to economic success but also link with the social world, where a person’s belief in their ability to influence their environment positively affects their life outcomes.  Research shows  people at all income levels who report a greater sense of control are less depressed and healthier, while those who feel less agency experience worse health outcomes.

Residents said they want more power to shape their own economic destiny, the future of their neighborhood, and the future of their city. One theme throughout is having a seat at the table. To continue to build power and agency, we must collectively build on existing efforts to grow the capacity of residents as advocates, decision makers, and change agents. 

“There has to be a plan to engage the community and make them part of the solutions.” - community leader, as quoted in 2017 “I Dream Detroit” report

See what Detroiters have to say about:

Take a closer look at issues related to resident and community power with insights from these Detroit nonprofits: 

Valued communities

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

In Detroit, there is a widespread sense that the most under-resourced communities are just not valued by the government and are not included in the growth of the “new Detroit.” Committed residents and community groups consistently speak out against inequities in access to environmental protection, community health, and safety. Although many feel their neighborhoods are excluded from the city’s comeback, residents report high levels of social inclusion within their neighborhoods and count on strong relationships with each other, which yield important, but often overlooked economic benefits. 

To create a Detroit where every resident in every neighborhood feels valued, residents insist on spreading investment dollars equitably, so clean streets, recreation amenities, and safe communities are accessible to all. In addition to expanding equity in community investments, we should also invest in Detroit’s great strength, its rich community of neighbors, while ensuring all Detroiters feel included in community efforts. 

“What actually cuts the root causes of violence is affordable housing, recreation centers, good transportation. … That’s what actually reduces crime the most significantly. … Safety is having the power and self-determination for Detroiters, and that’s what we need to invest in.” - resident at March 2019 city council meeting

See what Detroiters have to say about:

Take a closer look at issues related to valuing community with insights from these Detroit nonprofits: 

Meet the research team

For more information on Investing in Us, contact Afton Branche-Wilson at aftonb@umich.edu 

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)

(Courtesy of City of Detroit)