COVID-19 Racial Impact on Michigan (Additional funding and extention for COVID-19 Needs Assessment in Washtenaw Neighborhood??)

This study has two aims that address structural perpetuators of racial disparities in Michigan. The first is to identify gaps in resources and services among residents of color in Washtenaw, Wayne, and Kent counties. The services in question refer primarily to health and employment, including job loss, unemployment insurance, and related employment support services such as education, transportation, and childcare. As policymakers grapple with recovery options in the wake of COVID-19, it is critically important the needs of the low-income, largely African American populations of Ypsilanti, Detroit, and parts of Grand Rapids not be taken for granted, or assumed to align with the needs of more affluent, White communities. Moreover, this study will identify gaps in services using data, not guesswork or anecdotes. Research has shown that community assessments are an important way to identify unmet needs (Joska & Flisher, 2005; Kersten, Low, Ashburn, George, & McLellan, 2002).