LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – When Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer created the Michigan Poverty Task Force in 2019, the goal was simple enough: reduce poverty in Michigan. Six and a half years later, the state’s own report suggests that mission is still a work in progress.

According to the Michigan Poverty Task Force’s 2026 report, 40% of Michigan households were below the United Way’s ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) threshold in 2024. This means they live in poverty or earn too little to cover basic expenses. Of those Michigan households, 26% are classified as ALICE households – families that earn above the federal poverty line but still struggle to afford necessities such as housing, food, childcare, transportation, and healthcare.

The numbers aren’t going the right direction.

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The troubling part for Whitmer is that the trend appears to be moving in the opposite direction of the task force’s original mission.

When Whitmer launched the Poverty Task Force in 2019, approximately 38% of Michigan households were at or below the ALICE threshold. That means more Michigan families are struggling financially now than when the initiative began.

The report itself acknowledges the challenge. In 2024, a family of four with two children in child care needed $78,216 a year simply to meet basic living expenses. Given continued inflation, rising fuel costs, increasing property taxes, and other economic pressures, the amount required to make ends meet today is likely much higher.

More programs, same problem.

The Poverty Task Force highlights a long list of policy initiatives implemented during Whitmer’s tenure, including expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit, increasing childcare eligibility, providing free school meals, and boosting housing investments. Yet despite those efforts, the state’s own data shows a larger share of residents struggling to stay financially afloat. That’s an awkward statistic for an administration that has spent years touting its economic accomplishments and job creation plans.

If the state’s anti-poverty task force exists to reduce poverty, and poverty goes up, voters may reasonably ask whether Lansing is measuring success by programs created or by results achieved.