WE FOCUS on Poverty, Racism and Trauma to Achieve COMMUNITY IMPACT
We view poverty, racism and trauma root causes of inequity and as principal threats to our mission of creating a thriving community for everyone.
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Poverty – Home to the most educated city in America, 12% of Washtenaw County people live below the poverty level and an additional 19% (who are asset-limited, income-constrained and employed) struggle to meet their basic needs– this is over a third (31%) of Washtenaw county people. Our fight isn’t over until poverty is no longer a reality for people in our community.
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Racism – Structural racism and other forms of oppression have contributed to persistent disparities in the education, financial wellbeing and health of Washtenaw County people. Our fight isn't over until race is no longer a predictor, in a statistical sense, of how one fares in our community.
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Trauma – Whether from adverse childhood experiences or one-time events, trauma has a cumulative, negative, and lasting impact on people’s health and wellbeing. It cuts across race, ethnicity and socio-economic status. Although trauma can occur at any age, it has particularly debilitating long-term effects on children’s developing brains. Our fight isn’t over until we have adequate solutions to protect children, youth and adults from experiencing trauma and community supports in place when trauma does occur.
THIS IS YOUR IMPACT in our community.