More than 100 people came to a two-day clinic in Grand Rapids to get COVID vaccinations. It’s one of the many ways Disability Rights Michigan is using a grant to protect the health of the state’s most vulnerable populations. 

The Peers to Higher Education program helps peer support specialists find funding and child care to support them in building a career in mental health.

Established by Governor Whitmer, the Growing Michigan Together Council works to develop a long-term plan of action to address many issues of concern across the state. Different goals include jobs, talent, and people; infrastructure and places; PreK-12 and higher education, and revenue. Block by Block spoke with the Executive Director of the Growing Michigan Together Council and Michigan’s first Chief Growth Officer Hilary Doe, and Melvin Henley at Community Economic Development Association of Michigan to hear about the council’s report.   

Recent data from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shows that 91% of kindergarteners in 2022 were up to date on their vaccinations, while rates of younger ages are seeing a decline. 

Partners in the Michigan ACE Initiative are working to raise awareness of the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), prevent ACEs, and foster resilience among children who have experienced them. 

“We go where the most drug activity takes place, and sometimes that’s a gas station or restaurant,” says XXXXXXXX of the Detroit Health Department. XXXX manages distribution of the kits. “But we also frequent hotels and trap houses. Trap houses are houses where known drug activity takes place.”

As Kent County grows faster than the rest of the state, the community looks at ways to address its ongoing housing shortages. Through government entities, upcoming developers like Housing Next, and seasoned community development financial institutions like IFF, Grand Rapids has a collaborative plan in place to address the issue.   

Detroit photographer Cyrus Tetteh, a staffer at the City of Detroit as well as the creative mind behind the photography book "Only in Detroit," shares some images on the eve of Fat Tuesday -- or Paczki Day as we know it here -- in Hamtramck.

“Equitable access to high-speed internet and digital literacy tools can mean the difference between success and failure for our residents, whether they’re working on schoolwork, finding a job, or navigating workforce training tools,” says Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison.

The Small Business Advocacy Center fights gentrification by increasing economic opportunities for local minority contractors and residents in Southwest Detroit.