Most Michigan families have lost income during pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has affected everyone in Michigan – from restaurants who have been forced to close to students who have to take classes online. But new data from Kids Count shows that most families with children have been especially harmed.

A project of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count tracks various measures of children’s well-being throughout the nation every year. A report released last week shows that most Michigan kids aren’t doing as well as they were in the spring.

Among the key takeaways of the report is that 56% of Michigan households had adults who had lost employment income since the pandemic began in March.

More than a third of Michigan households with children have had trouble paying for basic household expenses, while nearly a quarter of households had adult members struggling with depression or feelings of hopelessness.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread economic damage and isolated families in unprecedented ways,” according to the report. “Parents have had to juggle both educating and caring for their children and millions of Americans have lost not just their jobs, but their sense stability, source of income and health care.”

You can read the full report here.