Michigan has enacted a law that takes welfare benefits from families whose children miss class, Fox 2 News Detroit reports. While the state believes the rule will ensure that kids attend school, welfare advocates and recipients feel the it is too harsh.

When the policy takes effect Oct. 1, the Michigan Department of Human Services will keep up with kids ages six to 15 who will have to prove they are enrolled in school. If kids within that age range miss more than ten days of class, their parents can lose their welfare benefits.

It is a policy move that one welfare recipient feels is outright wrong. “I think it’s very unfair, and I think it’s very stupid. I mean, it doesn’t make sense,” said Ebony Boost (pictured above), who has three children and is currently on welfare.


Maybe they have household problems, the parents. There might be something going on in the home, but I think they just need to investigate that further,” Boost remarked

The state, however, believes that the rule will help bolster school enrollment.
“Our whole goal is that we’re going to increase academic success for children,” said Sheryl Thompson with the Department of Human Services. “We’re going to have higher graduation rates because the most important thing with this also is that we want to end generational poverty and it starts by increasing our educational values.”

Fox 2 News Detroit has more on this story:
Maureen Taylor, head of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, believes the plan unfairly targets low income families since they are not the only ones who aren’t going to school.

“What kind of plan is this? Let’s punish everybody. Because this kid may have missed some days of school, maybe we should find out why that kid missed school,” she said. “I like motivation, but the motivation here is to take away breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

The policy change takes effect two days before Michigan’s fall count day when attendance is used to determine the funding a school district gets from the state.

There are plenty in favor of the new plan like Ryan Battle, who said there is no excuse why a parent shouldn’t be sending their kid to school.

“It matters. I mean, if you’re not going to school, if you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do with your kids, then how is the future going to work? You can’t raise new presidents if you don’t go to school,” he said.

The state plans to work with families and says that they can get their benefits back if they can prove their children have been back to school for 21 consecutive days.

http://newsone.com/2047592/michigan-welfare-benefits-truancy-policy/

Photo Credit: Kelly Walkotten

Young talent key to future

GRAND RAPIDS (CBS 62) – Want to lure more young talent to the Motor City and places like Grand Rapids and Lansing? Bring them in as interns and you create an environment where they are more willing to consider staying. “I gotta tell ya, Detroit sells itself, people would maybe be shocked by that, but it really does,” said Gilbert on a “Michigan Matters” special look at the role of cities.

Gov. Rick Snyder with CBS 62 Videographer Tim Sargent (on left) and Chief Videographer Paul Pytlowany (on right) who filmed the Michigan Matters special where Snyder talked of the importance of cities. (credit: CBS 62)
Also appearing on the show were: Gov. Rick Snyder, Windquest President Dick DeVos and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan President and CEO Dan Loepp. Gilbert had an astounding 8,700 applications from 157 colleges for 600 full time internships at his companies this summer. And that is with no advertising.

Given that success, Gilbert is inviting other firms to join him in the effort and make downtown Detroit a mecca next summer brimming with 25,000 interns. That’s just one way they talked about how to infuse cities. The four men also appeared at the West Michigan Policy Forum in Grand Rapids Sept 12-13 where 600 people attended. Panels held focused on cities, Right to Work, healthcare as an economic driver and more.

“Our cities are our core,” said Snyder, who made his comments before leaving for China on his second trade mission to the Asian nation. “I tell them what a great place Michigan is to do business,” Snyder said. “We’re the best value in North America.”

DeVos Continues Family Tradition
DeVos, eldest son of Amway co-founder Rich DeVos, talked how the community there has pulled together to help downtown Grand Rapids. It’s a tradition that continues as he mentioned ArtPrize, started by Rick DeVos, his and Betsy’s 30-year-old son who launched the art contest going on now in Grand Rapids. “It brings in creativity and lures more young people,” said Dick DeVos.

He talked how city fathers and mothers have worked together to create Medical Mile and a plethora of other projects. “In a lot of towns, the way you break in and get established is determined by where you live and what clubs you belong to,” said DeVos. “In this community, it’s about how much you volunteer and are able to give,”

DeVos talked of redeveloping the downtown, which began with office buildings. “You could shoot a cannon down the main street at 5:30 and nobody would be hurt,” then came convention venues and then more residential options. When asked to compare how easily things are done in the West Michigan versus East Side of the state, DeVos said: “People think things are done so much more easily in Grand Rapids.’ “But the secret, someone has said, is we try to agree publicly and disagree privately. I’m not sure that’s what happens in Southeast Michigan.”

Doing It In The “D”
Loepp discussed the decision seven years ago to move Blue Cross employees in the Grand Rapids area into the vacant Steketee’s store. It gave us the guts to do what we did in Detroit and Lansing,” Loepp said. “Today, 98 percent of Blue Cross employees work in core cities, with 6,000 in downtown Detroit. As Blue Cross concentrated employees there, they found it also helped strengthen community partnerships as people took them more seriously as a Grand Rapids entity.

Inspired by success, Loepp led BCBSM’s effort to take over a shuttered power plant in Lansing and turned it into the national headquarters for Accident Fund Holdings, Inc. He also moved over 280 BCBSM employees into the revamped building. And his boldest move — concentrating 6,000 BCBSM employees in downtown Detroit this spring where its headquarters has been for 73 years. “It wasn’t about doing it for philanthropic reasons,” Loepp said.“It made good business sense.”

For Gilbert, his dive into Detroit came about following the footsteps of fellow entrepreneur Peter Karmanos, CEO of Compuware, who had moved his company from Farmington Hills to downtown Detroit years earlier. Gilbert was outgrowing his suburban offices and knew he needed more space. He decided to lease space in Compuware’s offices in Detroit and moved 1,700 employees there. That was two years ago. He has been buying up buildings downtown and a mini-Silicon Valley tech area developing along Woodward Avenue.

He has brought another 4,500 employees to the Motor City since with more scheduled to move to Detroit next year.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/25/gilbert-devos-loepp-talk-up-cities/

DETROIT — (WWJ) Employees of Chrysler's Great Lakes Business Center are now working out of new offices in downtown Detroit.

"We are proud to contribute to the continuing transformation of the Motor City," said Reid Bigland, President and CEO – Dodge Brand and Head of U.S. Sales, Chrysler Group. "I am thrilled that one of my teams will be embedded in the city that means so much to our company."

The Chrysler workers—mostly involved in sales and marketing–will occupy the top two floors of what used to be the Dime Building. As part of the deal, the building has been renamed Chrysler House. Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne will also have an office in that building.

Chrysler spokeswoman Katie Hepler said, while they have manufacturing operations in Detroit, the company felt they had to make more of a commitment.

"It's really important to us to also have a corporate presence downtown, to feel the energy of our city," she said. "Hopefully it will contribute to some creativity and innovation that goes forward in our advertising and sales."

All totaled 70 employees will occupy the 33 thousand square feet of space. Chrysler says the office will include a large training room, state-of-the-art board room and a kitchen.

"We are excited to get settled and to really enjoy all that downtown Detroit has to offer," said Mike Dragojevic, Head of the Great Lakes Business Center. "There is an energy and creativity around the city that is infectious."

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/24/detroits-chrysler-house-is-now-open-for-business/