[Michigan] Families, community key to ending poverty

from The Flint Journal

By Kris Turner

FLINT - As the poverty level in Genesee County rises, so do the concerns of local leaders who want to help move the poor into the economic mainstream.

Eliminating poverty was the subject of a discussion among five panelists Tuesday evening in the International Institute, 515 Stevens St.

Ideas ranging from reshaping family values to education reform were tossed around by the group.

Judge Duncan Beagle, a panelist who presides over the Family Division of the Genesee County Circuit Court, said one way to ensure the economic stability of the poor is to keep families intact.

"There's been a breakdown in the family unit for about 30 years," he said.

The absence of father figures and more single-parent families contribute to financial and social problems that are widespread throughout the county, Beagle said.

"There's a lot of complex issues," he said. "If you serve a father with paternity papers, 90 percent of them don't show up in court. We've got to find a way to get fathers involved in these issues. As a community, we have to be more effective."

If children don't get the encouragement to live up to their potential at home, it is the responsibility of educators to help them find it, said Walter Milton Jr., a panelist and Flint schools superintendent.

"Education is a viable force," Milton said. "A leader is only as good as the people around him. We need to make sure we have a curriculum that is going to really hook the learner. We also need to make sure we are encouraging families to become literate."

If the entire county doesn't come together to eradicate poverty, little will be accomplished, said Denise Chambers, a panelist and director of the Genesee County Department of Human Services.

"I look at Genesee County and see wonderful things going on in pockets," she said. "We have to connect all these wonderful things together."

Encouraging communities to come together and plan the future of retail and housing developments could also offset urban sprawl and the spread of poverty, said David Lossing, a panelist and mayor of Linden.

"The growth and poverty rate is creeping out from the inner cities," he said. "The next logical step is to get the municipalities together and see if we can find some common ground. We can rebuild the tax bases for the cities. We have to step up and do something."

Helping the poor is the responsibility of everyone, no matter their economic class, said Lawrence Reynolds, clinical director for the Mott Children's Health Center.

"These are families at the bottom of the ladder trying to climb up," he said. "The question we have to ask is what are we willing to give up to improve the lives of young families."