Immigration stems population loss

According to Managing Migration: The Global Challenge, the latest population bulletin issued by the Population Reference Bureau, the number of international migrants is at an all-time high.

There were 191 million migrants in 2005, which means that 3 percent of the world’s people left their country of birth or citizenship for a year or more. The number of international migrants in industrialized countries more than doubled between 1985 and 2005, from almost 55 million to 120 million.

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Detroit Free Press: All three metro Detroit counties show decline in latest Census | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

For the first time in recent memory, Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties all are experiencing an exodus of residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates being released today.

All three counties had more people move away between July 2006 and June 2007 than select them as places to relocate.

Wayne lost more residents — 35,296 — than any other county in Michigan. In Oakland, a total 7,101 fewer people called it home. And in Macomb the number was 1,412 fewer.

“For the first time, all these counties are experiencing outmigration,” said Kurt Metzger, research director of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, who noted that 73 Michigan counties had a net outflow of residents."

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Increasing union numbers could benefit United Way

United Way for Southeastern Michigan and other United Ways across the country have been partnering with the men and women of organized labor practically since our inception in the 1940s. The contributions of time and money union members provide each year continue to be critical to the success of our work. Just last month, for instance, the International Union UAW committed to recruiting 1,000 volunteers from its ranks to support United Way's newly lauched Operation ABC -- a unique initiative focused on getting every child in the region to read at grade level by third grade. Union members also contribute to ongoing United Way work that takes place across southeast Michigan year 'round.

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Low birthweight’s tie to reading performance

While a number of factors contribute to a child’s ability to read effectively – mother’s education, socioeconomic status and lead exposure to name a few – a child’s weight at birth may be the most significant. Research indicates low birthweight babies are much more likely to fail in school than those of average weight or better.

As United Way for Southeastern Michigan pursues its Agenda for Change, which targets educational preparedness as one of three focus areas, it is critical to increase awareness of contributing (root) factors that impede progress. Getting more children to read at grade level is one of the priorities of the educational preparedness work, as evidenced by the recent launch of Operation ABC -- a unique initiative focused on improving grade level reading by mobilizing at least 2,000 volunteers and rallying multiple sectors of the community around the cause. Research shows that what a child weighs at birth is an important factor in future educational success.

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A Treasure Trove for Data Geeks Everywhere!

Bottled water consumption exceeded that of coffee for the first time in 2005, as the average American drank 25.4 gallons of water compared to 24.2 gallons of coffee. Ten years earlier the numbers were 11.6 and 20.2 gallons respectively. Remember, these are just averages, as I can attest since my coffee to water ratio is drastically skewed in the other direction. Alcohol consumption (driven primarily by beer drinkers) exceeds that of coffee and trails bottled water by less than half a gallon.

While our national body mass index keeps rising along with the number of weight loss books, programs, pills and television shows, it appears, to some degree, that the nation is getting the message about healthier eating and exercise. The last 10 years has brought a 25% increase in per capita chicken consumption (60.4 pounds) and a 2 percent decrease in that of beef (62.4 pounds). Pork, the other white meat, has not fared as well as chicken, or even beef, falling by 4 percent (46.5 pounds). Whole milk consumption has declined by 20 percent, while we are eating 40 percent more yogurt. We are eating 17 percent less frozen dairy products – still 24 pounds a year – but we can’t seem to get enough of cheese, especially mozzarella! Overall cheese consumption has grown by 17 percent in the last 10 years to 31.4 pounds per person, with mozzarella accounting for 10.2 pounds. Now I know why there is a pizza shop on almost every corner.

Few of us were smoking cigarettes in 2005 than ten years earlier – 20.8 vs. 24.6 percent. Males out smoked females by five percentage points – 23.4 vs. 18.3 percent. Michigan exceeded the national average with 22.1 percent of our residents smoking, in spite of our high tobacco tax. While cigarette smoking is down, I am not sure what effect the proliferation of cigar bars is having. Finally, self-reporting (which, as all of us know, can be somewhat biased) indicates that just under half the adult population is getting the recommended amount of daily exercise, with men outdoing women 49.9 to 47 percent.

You are probably tired of numbers by now, but you may, at least, be curious as to their source. Well, the data geek in me is thrilled to announce that the latest version of the Statistical Abstract of the United States was released last week. While not as “edge of your seat” exciting as the Farmers’ Almanac, the Abstract contains almost 1,400 data tables arranged in 30 sections, covering just about any topic you might want.

While you can certainly purchase the Abstract from the federal government, the most convenient way to browse is to go to the Census Bureau’s website where you will find the entire volume online. Please take a look and let me know some of your favorite statistics.

Kurt Metzger
Research Director
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Community Investment and Partnerships

The Boomers Are Coming; The Boomers Are Coming

My parents met during World War II when my father, who was in the Army, was stationed in Belgium. Whether it was the chocolate, the stockings, or his incredible good looks, Lore Richter fell head over heels for him and left her country and family in April of 1946 to travel to New York City, where they were wed, and then on to Cincinnati, Ohio, where they set up residence. In January of 1947 (it was 9 months and 2 days later for those of you who are counting) they were joined by a 6 lb. 14 oz. baby boy. It was that event that solidified my place in the first month of the second year of what was to be called some years later - the Baby Boom.

Being kind of a founding member of the “greatest generation” (sorry, I think Tom Brokaw already gave that moniker to an earlier cohort) and assuring you younger folks that the 60’s were GREAT, my interest is always piqued by articles that talk about us.

I came across some research the other day that combines the baby boomers with volunteerism – what I would consider the DAILY DOUBLE. The research explores the question:

As the first wave of the 76 million-strong baby-boom generation begins turning 62 and receiving Social Security benefits January 1, will they create a massive army of willing and able volunteers?

While I hope you will take time to peruse some of the studies, allow me to give you a few of the findings:

• The vast majority of adults who volunteer while working also do so after retirement. What’s more, a significant share of older adults who don’t formally volunteer give it a try after retiring. (I will have to part of the first sentence because I don’t see retirement as a possibility for years to come.)
• Volunteers who put in many hours over many years and who are married to volunteers tend to volunteer the longest. Non-volunteers take the leap more often if they have been uninvolved for relatively few years and their spouses volunteer. “These results point to the need to focus efforts on retaining older volunteers to maximize volunteer engagement during later years,” the researchers conclude.
• Despite older adults’ relatively high rates of engagement -- defined as paid work or formal volunteering -- researchers see enormous potential for recruiting more older adults into the workforce or nonprofit volunteer forces.

The upside of longer work lives, the researchers point out, includes increased retirement incomes, greater tax revenues, and reduced net Social Security payouts. The payback from increased volunteerism includes enhanced health status, potential reductions in the cost of government health programs, and benefits to those receiving services.

While that soldier passed away in 1979, his Belgian wife, now 87 years old, taught elementary school French until well into her 60s. She still lives in Cincinnati and runs circles around me as she volunteers 2 days a week, attends exercise and water aerobics classes, participates in book clubs and a number of cultural activities, and cheats at crossword puzzles. What could be better than that?

If you are interested in the research, here are the links to each of the reports.

• Will Retiring Boomers Form a New Army of Volunteers?
• Retaining Older Volunteers Is Key to Meeting Future Volunteer Needs
• Are We Taking Full Advantage of Older Adults’ Potential?
• Posted with these research briefs was the discussion paper, Volunteer Transitions among Older Americans

Kurt Metzger
Research Director
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Community Investment and Partnerships

A picture is worth 1,000 words

An interactive picture is worth much, much more

United Way for Southeastern Michigan launched the Agenda for Change this year, which targets the areas of educational preparedness, financial stability and basic needs. The Agenda is based on research and focused on outcomes. Our partnerships with funded programs and collaboratives, going forward, will strive to benchmark both individual and community conditions and track success on the plan through a variety of metrics.

The value of understanding the “landscape” through which community (or neighborhood) indicators are screened, and using those same indicators to measure the outcomes of their investments is becoming a priority for funders locally, and across the country. Administrators of neighborhood initiatives, like those funded by the Skillman Foundation, the Knight Foundation or Local Initiatives Support Corporation, known as LISC, need accurate, readily available local data in order to effectively engage community residents on issues so that they can drive necessary change.

UWSEM’S Research Department, in conjunction with partner United Ways in Charleston, S.C., and Tucson, Ariz., have partnered with the Community Information Resource Center at the University of Missouri to create the Community Issues Management, or CIM, Web site. Lifting the collective IQ of a community on pertinent issues begins with service-minded intermediaries that bring a heritage of grounded connections to the residents and institutions at the local and regional level. Outside experts and a multiplicity of programs are not a substitute for trusted, local institutions and professionals with deep roots. United Way welcomes its role as a convenor of these intermediaries across the region. They are looking at ways to utilize CIM and engage people across the region in important community work.

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Where Do You Rank?

An analysis of surnames, conducted by the Census Bureau using 2000 Census responses¹ and released this past week, reveals that Smith remains the most common surname in the United States. But for the first time, two Hispanic surnames — Garcia and Rodriguez — are among the top 10 most common in the nation, and Martinez nearly edged out Wilson for 10th place.

The number of Hispanics living in the United States grew by 58 percent in the 1990s to nearly 13 percent of the total population, and cracking the list of top 10 names suggests just how pervasively the Latino migration has permeated everyday American culture. Garcia moved to No. 8 in 2000, up from No. 18, and Rodriguez jumped to No. 9 from 22nd place. The number of Hispanic surnames among the top 25 doubled, to 6.

Reinaldo M. Valdes, a board member of the Miami-based Spanish American League Against Discrimination, said the milestone “gives the Hispanic community a standing within the social structure of the country.” “People of Hispanic descent who hardly speak Spanish are more eager to take their Hispanic last names,” he said. “Today, kids identify more with their roots than they did before.”

Demographers pointed to more than one factor in explaining the increase in Hispanic surnames. Generations ago, immigration officials sometimes arbitrarily Anglicized or simplified names when foreigners arrived from Europe. “The movie studios used to demand that their employees have standard Waspy names,” said Justin Kaplan, an historian and co-author of “The Language of Names.” “Now, look at Renée Zellweger,” Mr. Kaplan said.

And because recent Hispanic and Asian immigrants might consider themselves more identifiable by their physical characteristics than Europeans do, they are less likely to change their surnames, though they often choose Anglicized first names for their children.

The latest surname count also signaled the growing number of Asians in America. The surname Lee ranked No. 22, with the number of Lees about equally divided between whites and Asians. Lee is a familiar name in China and Korea and in all its variations is described as the most common surname in the world.

Altogether, the census found six million surnames in the United States, a finding that tells us that we’re a richly diverse culture. Among those, 151,000 were shared by a hundred or more Americans. Four million were held by only one person.

But the fact that about 1 in every 25 Americans is named Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller or Davis “suggests that there’s a durability in the family of man,” Mr. Kaplan said. A million Americans share each of those seven names. An additional 268 last names are common to 10,000 or more people. Together, those 275 names account for one in four Americans.

As the population of the United States ballooned by more than 30 million in the 1990s, more Murphys and Cohens were counted when the decade ended than when it began.

Smith — which would be even more common if all its variations, like Schmidt and Schmitt, were tallied — is among the names derived from occupations (Miller, which ranks No. 7, is another). Among the most famous early bearers of the name was Capt. John Smith, who helped establish the first permanent English settlement in North America at Jamestown, Va., 400 years ago. As recently as 1950, more Americans were employed as blacksmiths than as psychotherapists.

In 1984, according to the Social Security Administration, nearly 3.4 million Smiths lived in the United States. In 1990, the census counted 2.5 million. By 2000, the Smith population had declined to fewer than 2.4 million. The durability of some of the most common names in American history may also have been perpetuated because slaves either adopted or retained the surnames of their owners. About one in five Smiths are black, as are about one in three Johnsons, Browns, and Joneses and nearly half the people named Williams.

The Census Bureau’s analysis found that some surnames were especially associated with race and ethnicity.

More than 96 percent of Yoders, Kruegers, Muellers, Kochs, Schwartzes, Schmitts and Novaks were white. Nearly 90 percent of the Washingtons were black, as were 75 percent of the Jeffersons, 66 percent of the Bookers, 54 percent of the Banks and 53 percent of the Mosleys.

The following list provides you with the Top 50 surnames. You can find a more complete list by clicking here.

By the way…..your author ranks 1,613 in the list!

Kurt Metzger,
United Way for Southeastern Michigan Research Director

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¹ Compiling the rankings is a cumbersome task, in part because of confidentiality and accuracy issues, according to the Census Bureau, and it is only the second time it has prepared such a list. While the historical record is sketchy, several demographers said it was probably the first time that any non-Anglo name was among the 10 most common in the nation.

U.S. Population Continues to Move South and West while the Tri-County Population Continues to Sprawl from the Core

Source: Research Services, United Way for Southeastern Michigan
By: Kurt Metzger
Published: June 28, 2007

Phoenix has become the nation’s fifth most populous city, according to U.S. Census Bureau population estimates released June 28, 2007. As of July 1, 2006, this desert metropolis had a population of 1.5 million. New York continued to be the nation’s most populous city, with 8.2 million residents. This was more than twice the population of Los Angeles, which ranked second at 3.8 million. Detroit, while estimated to have lost just over 12,000 residents between 2005 and 2006, remained in 11th place with Jacksonville, Florida closing the gap to 75,000 persons.

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Aging population strains health care system, families

Source: Detroit Free Press
By: RUBY L. BAILEY, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Published: June 10, 2007

Experts say things will only get worse as loved ones seek living and nursing options

It was 2 a.m., the room was dark and Doris Wackerle, rising from the haze of sleep, didn't notice the bedside chair as she headed for the bathroom.

The 85-year-old stumbled, fell over the chair and onto the floor.

Wackerle crawled to the phone and roused her daughter, Peggy Trabalka, who lived nearby. Trabalka arrived to find her mother shaken, not hurt. But she realized that her mother's time in an independent-living center in Highland Township was nearing its end.

Trabalka, 63, had the difficult job of telling her mother, who'd always lived independently, that she'd have to move and accept more help.

"I thought, 'I can't drag my mother out of there against her will,' " Trabalka said, "so I tried to make it her idea. Once she lived with that thought for a while, she got comfortable."

The two then began a journey that thousands of families undertake every year: the search for appropriate long-term care.

Finding such options is likely to get harder as Michigan's population ages, straining nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and home-care dollars.

"The only growth in this region is going to be in the population 65 and older in the next 20 years," said Kurt Metzger, research director of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. "All the needs, from housing to long-term care, are going to increase dramatically."

Seniors now make up about 12% of Michigan's population. By 2020, the percentage will rise to 15%. By 2030, people 65 and older will make up roughly 19% of all residents, Metzger said. The issue also affects residents with disabilities, who make up about 16% of the state's population.

Nursing homes, the long-term care option most often turned to, are the most expensive, averaging around $5,000 a month. With more people seeking help to pay for nursing homes, Michigan's Medicaid payments ballooned from $900 million in 2000 to $1.4 billion in 2006. About 320,000 disabled Michigan residents and 90,000 seniors are on Medicaid.

Help centers open

Hoping to get a handle on the spiraling costs as well as to help residents through complex decisions, the state Department of Community Health quietly opened four help centers in April. Called Long-Term Care Connections, they serve limited parts of metro Detroit and outstate areas, but are expected to expand.

Though nursing homes can be the best option for those in need of 24-hour care or those with conditions that can't be cared for at home, such options as home-based care or an assisted-living facility could be better and cheaper for many others.

Michigan spends less on non-nursing home care -- 14% of its Medicaid dollars -- than the national average of 22.9%, said Lisa Alecxih, who works for the Lewin Group, a health research firm based in Virginia. She has studied long-term care centers in Wisconsin similar to ones in Michigan.

"The hope is, by getting to these people at the decision point, by providing information about their options, that more people will be able to remain in the community and live independently," Alecxih said.

The hunt for information is difficult. It can take dozens of calls to get details about in-home medical assistance, help with meals and baths and guidance through Medicare and Medicaid requirements.

People looking for options "are pretty much into the phone book, the senior center or whatever you can sew together," said Michael J. Head, director of the state Office of Long-Term Care Supports and Services.

Families stretch their budgets

Wackerle's family spent hours looking online and driving to check out several homes before finding an American House assisted-living facility in Grand Blanc. They've patched together a way to pay for it, using Wackerle's Social Security benefit of $1,100 a month to cover part of the $1,600 monthly fee, which includes meals and 24-hour care.

Trabalka will stretch her own household budget to cover the rest, including utilities. She'll do her mother's laundry to save on costs.

"We've been working around the clock, trying to get her where she needs to go," said Trabalka, who moved her mother in early May.

Kelly and Craig Satterfield have spent months searching for assisted living, health care and other assistance for their son, Steven, who has physical and mental disabilities. He'll turn 17 next year, and the Satterfields fear he could lose some or all of his state health care benefits and be dropped from special-needs programs. Finding information has been difficult, the Ferndale couple said.

"My fear is, when he's 18, he's on his own," said Kelly Satterfield, 42, who said Steven is learning to cook but fails to think about turning off the stove, bringing into doubt his ability to live on his own. "Even if he lived in a group home, he'd have to come up with his own insurance, transition to his own care."

Their son could continue to live with them indefinitely, but, "what happens once we're not around?" she asked.

"The hardest part is finding who's the gatekeeper for the information and how to access this stuff," said Craig Satterfield, 43.

"To just come up to a dead end, it's very disheartening."

Loved ones lack information

With little time and scant resources, many families end up choosing nursing homes, the fastest way to get all their needs met, said Robert Kane, a professor and endowed chair in long-term care and aging at the University of Minnesota.

"It's an emotionally complex decision typically made in a moment of panic with an incredible clock ticking overhead," Kane said. "There is no good source of information."

When Robert Gurk's 84-year-old father, Warren, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's last year, his son, 52, received the names of three nursing homes from a hospital social worker. Because the state doesn't have a system that ranks quality or provides information about the number of beds available, Gurk checked the homes in person.

One in Saline was affordable but had a year-long waiting list. Another in Toledo was too far away for easy visits. The third, Arden Courts in Livonia, was expensive but had an opening.

Warren Gurk has lived there since. But he's rapidly depleting his Ford Motor Co. pension and savings to pay the $8,000 monthly costs for nursing home care for himself and his wife, Loretta. He receives roughly $1,700 a month from his pension and Social Security benefits.

Gurk's son hopes the Veterans Administration will help his father, a Navy veteran who served in World War II. But the wheels are turning slowly. He contacted the VA last July and spent months gathering the necessary documents, including doctor bills and financial information.

If his father's application is not approved, Gurk hopes his dad's depleted assets would allow him to qualify for Medicaid, though he doesn't understand why his dad has to lose everything -- and risk eviction -- before he can get help.

"The system is not confusing. It's baffling," said the younger Gurk, who has decided to put his father on the waiting list at the Saline home and hope for an opening.

The four Long-Term Care Connections centers were funded with $4.5 million from Michigan's Medicaid budget and $4.5 million in matching federal money. Experts say the state could save millions by helping residents find alternatives that cost as much as 80% less than nursing home care.

"We're talking about taking a teeny bit of that Medicaid budget with the expectation that nursing home care will drop off enough to cover costs," said Head. "In the longer run, we are concerned about the availability for long-term care. Ten to 15 years out, we know there's going to be pressure on it."

The Detroit center, in Brewery Park on the east side, serves the city, Highland Park and the Grosse Pointes but plans in late September to include all of Wayne County.

Customized care plan

Clients are assigned a counselor, who offers care and housing options, referrals and nursing home admission screenings. The counselors work with hospitals, nursing facilities, home health providers and other community-based organizations to come up with a plan for each client, said Helen Love, director of the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, which runs the center and its 30 employees.

"We're talking about customized, one-on-one care," said Love, who said counselors travel to meet with clients in their homes if needed.

The Detroit center recently helped Arthur Rucker, who was discharged last year from Sinai-Grace Hospital to the Eastwood Nursing Home in Detroit after having a toe on his left foot amputated because of diabetes complications. Other options were never discussed, the 57-year-old said.

He lived there one year -- with the state footing the bill through Medicaid -- though he believes he was well enough to live in a less-costly setting. A social worker at the nursing home put Rucker in touch with a state long-term care counselor in April. He moved in early May to a Detroit apartment.

Mary Henderson's search for options is beginning. After colon surgery in early April, she had to move in with her daughter, Helen Phillips, in White Lake Township.

Henderson, 91, hopes one day to get back to her condo but figures she'll need help with shopping, driving, cooking and cleaning. She's hoping her income from rental units she owns and her small Social Security benefit will cover the costs.

"Having to go this route is new to me," she said, "but it just seems like it shouldn't be this hard."

Contact RUBY L. BAILEY at 313- 222-6651 or rbailey@freepress.com.

United Way awarded research grant

United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Research Department has been awarded an $18,500 contract by Wayne County to develop a 2007-2010 Community Needs Assessment report for Wayne County Head Start.

For more information, please contact Kurt Metzger at 313-226-9270.

State stagnant, but grows more diverse

Source: The Detroit News
By: Mike Wilkinson
Published: Thursday, May 17, 2007

For most of this decade, Michigan's anemic growth in population has been fueled entirely by minorities, with every one of the state's 140,000 additional residents either Hispanic, Asian, black or other minority.

Census figures released today also show that the white population in Michigan dropped for the second year in a row, leading to the state's first overall drop in population since the early 1980s.

The census estimates, drawn from birth, death and migration data, paint a picture of a more diverse state, mirroring changes across the country.

Nationwide, the Hispanic population surged by nearly 7 million since 2000, and minorities now comprise nearly a third of the country, with more than 100 million residents.

"There is a trend that metropolitan areas have the greatest amount of diversity," said state demographer Ken Darga. "And almost every part of the state has diversity."

That diversity may stress already strained race relations. Southeastern Michigan is the nation's most segregated region and solving racial discord is considered crucial to Metro Detroit's revival.

Dr. Alvin Poussaint, a teaching psychiatrist at Harvard University and an expert on race relations, cautioned that the initial reaction to a growing minority community can be flight as the majority population feels threatened.

"Often there is not acceptance but resentment and rejection," he said.

State and local leaders, he said, can combat those fears by putting out a "message to the people of Michigan that should be welcoming" and he said the state -- and the nation -- must confront racial issues.

"It has to be solved," he said.

The population estimates show there were just over 19,000 fewer white residents in Michigan in 2006 than in 2005. The black population also fell by about 2,400. Compounding the slow growth is an aging population, particularly among whites, that is having fewer babies. The disastrous economic situation has also caused many to leave the state to find work.

Meanwhile, the Hispanic population rose by nearly 7,000 from 2005 to 2006 and the Asian population grew by 6,100.

"They (Asians) are taking the higher tech jobs that go wanting because we don't have a qualified native population," said Kurt Metzger, a director of research for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

In the past, discussions about race in Detroit have centered on blacks and whites, said Ozzie Rivera, director of the multicultural affairs office at Madonna University in Livonia. Although blacks remain the largest minority group in the region and state, the growing Hispanic population must trigger a wider discussion in Metro Detroit about minorities, Rivera said.

"If that discussion is not held, there is room for cultural misunderstanding," he said.

You can reach Mike Wilkinson at (313) 222-2563 or mwilkinson@detnews.com.

The Nations Of Michigan

Source: MetroMode
By: Tanya Muzumdar
Published: May 10, 2007

One of the first things any immigrant learns upon settling in the United States is: the car is king. And no city makes that clearer than Detroit.

While many of us learned to conquer the wheel in Driver's Ed class or from our parents, newcomers seek out companies like Shondhan Enterprises, Inc., a company Hamtramck city council president Shahab Ahmed owns with his wife. Ahmed, who emigrated from Bangladesh to the U.S. in 1986, saw a way to turn his own immigrant experience into an economic opportunity. "Hamtramck, an immigrant city, had no driving school until I opened one in 1998," Ahmed boasts. The couple's firm has since grown to 12 employees; it provides driving instruction, state-required road tests, and immigration legal services for thousands of customers a year in a wide swath of cities from Troy to Ann Arbor. Ahmed attributes his successes and those of other Detroit area immigrants to the ability to capitalize on the opportunities found through hard work.

Success comes to people "brave enough to make the trek into another country with a different culture, language, and set of laws," believes Dr. Karen Majewski, mayor of Hamtramck. Dr. Majewski, who is a former professor of Polish studies and the current executive director of the Polish American Historical Association, continues: "I am a scholar of ethnicity and migration myself, so I'm awed by that leap of faith it takes to get into another world."

For many new arrivals, the wide-awake city of Hamtramck is that world. Shondhan Enterprises is one of the hundreds of businesses which give Hamtramck its beat. Signs translated into languages such as Arabic and Bengali abound, enticing you to pop into ethnic restaurants, clothing stores, and some of the city's 15 bakeries. Ever heard of rasgulla or gulab jamun? Aladdin Sweets and Café sells the freshly made milk and cheese-based Bengali sweets popular with South Asian immigrants and others in the know.

Mixing It Up

"Real cities remain viable by serving their marketplace," says Erik Tungate, Hamtramck's director of community and economic development, who estimates the 2.2 square mile city contains anywhere from 500 to 700 businesses – 30 to 40% of them immigrant-owned. Since the 1980s, the Conant Street district alone, he says, has migrated from a mainly Polish influence to a veritable United Nations, where business owners represent about 30 different ethnicities.

"To be a student of Hamtramck you have to be a student of Detroit," says Tungate. "Over the past five years, it's been miraculous, like raising the dead here. In the next five years I see greater downtown Detroit – the T formed by midtown south to the Detroit River and then east and west along the riverfront – completely gentrifying. Hamtramck will become even more of a hotbed of immigration because it's a walkable, affordable enclave just outside of the greater downtown Detroit area."

According to census records, Hamtramck's population bottomed out in 1990, to 18,000. By 2000, the city scored a 25% increase in residents – to nearly 23,000, 41% of whom were foreign-born. Of those, nearly one third entered the USA after 1990. Today, the long chains of cars parked along the city's residential streets attest to the city's growth and density. The Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) estimates Hamtramck's population at 25,000, although Tungate says that people close to the city put the number nearer 35,000, a density of about 17,000 people per square mile.

"More immigrants are probably coming now [to Hamtramck] than at any time except for the 1910s and 1920s. It's often a surprise to people that we continue to have a sizable new immigration from Poland, the Ukraine, and other central and eastern European countries, in addition to Bangladesh and Yemen," says Dr. Majewski, who estimates that anywhere from 26 and possibly up to 40 different languages are spoken in the public schools.

Between 2000 and 2007, SEMCOG estimates the population of southeastern Michigan has grown 1.1%; compare that with a nearly 9% increase for Hamtramck over the same timeframe. Much of that trend is due to immigration, which is "our best hope at the moment for southeast Michigan and the state as a whole," says Kurt Metzger, director of research at the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. "When you look at real entrepreneurial neighborhood development and the impact of retail, look at southwest Detroit, Hamtramck, Dearborn, and other areas of new immigrant population. Drive up John R or Dequindre and you'll see Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, Thai video stores, and all of these different new markets opening up," he says. "Whether it's the Arab community, the Chaldeans, Latinos, Albanians, Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, you name it, they're here. Many people don't realize we already have a very diverse population here. A lot of immigrants are arriving while the area still loses its population, which is maintaining itself, really, through immigration."

And southeast Michigan is drawing a very educated new populace, in the desirable 25 to 40 age range that the area needs to attract for its workforce – particularly from Asian countries, according to Metzger, who has found that 75% or more of the Asian Indian arrivals have college degrees.

A new talent pool

Dr. K.P. Ravikrishnan, Director of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, arrived from India in 1969 in response to the tremendous need for physicians in Detroit – brought on by Medicare and improvement in the provision of services to treat diseases such as tuberculosis. Today, an aging population and expansion of health services perpetuate the local physician shortage.

"We are still in a growth phase of both the influx of international medical graduates and also demand here. The sky is the limit as far as what you can provide in terms of prevention and optimization of medical care," says Dr. Ravikrishnan, who is also an assistant clinical professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University medical schools. He estimates that 40% of Beaumont Hospital's medical residents are international medical school graduates. Originally residents from India, Pakistan, and the Philippines composed the majority of the international contingent. Today presents a more varied picture, as residents from the former Soviet Union, Romania, Poland, Korea, Taiwan, China, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran now call Michigan home.

In addition to hospitals, ethnic professional organizations also play an integral part in linking countries together through knowledge. Dr. Ravikrishnan, president of the 1,500 member Michigan Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (MAPI), explains: "Regulations and guidelines are constantly being changed, so the MAPI educates medical professionals on issues in the community, nationally, and India."

The best kind of investment

Immigration has raised the quality of life for countless area residents. So what has been the quantitative impact, as shown by the dollar value of the goods and services, that immigrant residents provide to Southeast Michigan each year? According to the results of the newly released "Arab American Economic Contribution Study" conducted by Wayne State University's Center for Urban Studies, in 2005 Arab American salaries and business activities contributed up to $7.7 billion to the local economy.

This is a good start, but more comprehensive information should be out there. "It would be nice if immigrants wanted to tell their stories and start a program to collect this kind of information, putting it for public consumption to really understand the impact of immigration in southeast Michigan," says Metzger, who cites some groups' reluctance to put themselves in the public eye as a possible reason for the lack of initiatives in this area.

Many, however, are invested citizens who visibly contribute to their local communities and forge ties between countries. Ahmed, who prides himself on his commitment to mingle with society, has served Hamtramck's government since 1998. Various positions included a stint as the city's multi-cultural coordinator, in an effort to make the government more accessible to the people – smoothing the way for even more business and economic investment.

Ahmed's 2003 election to Hamtramck's city council made him the first Bangladeshi-American elected to public office in the USA, extending his influence beyond city boundaries. Afterward, the U.S. State Department invited Ahmed to Italy to speak about how countries can better assimilate immigrants into new countries and cultures.

Southeast Michigan has greatly benefited from the entrepreneurial development, knowledge base, and understanding that comes from sharing with people from different lands – and it needs more. "In trying to make this region more successful, we have to not only think about keeping our young people here, but also about increasing and reaching out to our immigrant population," Metzger says. "We have a good base of population from India and China here to have those kinds of links and to better connect with those growing economies."

Fewer kids being born in Wayne Co., study says, but more of them are poor

Source: The Detroit Free Press
By: Jack Kresnak, Free Press Staff Writer
Published: April 23, 2007

While the number of births in Wayne County has declined over the past few years, more of the county’s children are living in poverty, according to a study released today.

The demographic study was conducted by the Detroit-based United Way of Southeastern Michigan on behalf of Great Start, a countywide collaborative that promotes programs to help children develop from birth to age 5.

According to Kurt Metzger of the United Way, the number of children who are younger than age 6 and living in poverty rose in Detroit from almost 37% in 1999 to almost 46% in 2005. The number of children in Wayne County living in poverty rose from almost 25% to just under 30% in that period.

Metzger said that there were 40,680 births in Wayne County in 1990 and 27,422 in 2005, a decrease of about a third. Just over 11,000 of that decrease occurred in the city of Detroit.

Metzger also said that 29 of every 100 babies in Wayne County are born to mothers who did not receive adequate prenatal care, and 1 in 4 babies in the county is born to a mother without a high school diploma. Both are indicators that the children will struggle in school, Metzger said.

There was some good news: The number of children found to have lead poisoning decreased to 5.2%, though more children are being tested, Metzger said.

Great Start, a public-private collaborative funded mostly by the Kellogg Foundation, is at the beginning of a 10-year effort to improve the well-being of children in Wayne County. Similar groups exist in about 20 other Michigan counties, including Oakland. They are part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s effort to focus on programs for very young children, a response to recent scientific research that says most of a child’s brain capacity develops in the first three to five years of life.

John Colina, president of the Southgate-based Colina Foundation, said that for every $1 spent on early childhood development, the public receives $17 in benefits that include a better-educated and higher-earning workforce and fewer children failing in school and going on to become criminals.

Virginia Burns Saleem, manager of Detroit Head Start, who represented Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick at a Great Start briefing in Dearborn this morning, echoed Colina’s statement, saying, “If there’s no investment, there’s no return.”

For more information about Great Start and its efforts to get people involved in helping children, go to www.greatstartcollaborativewayne.org.

Contact JACK KRESNAK at 313-223-4544 or jkresnak@freepress.com.

[Source]

Kids living in poverty on rise, study says

Source: The Detroit Free Press
By: Jack Kresnak, Free Press Staff Writer
Published: April 24, 2007

While the number of births in Wayne County has declined, more of the county's children are living in poverty, according to a study released Monday.

Spending on programs to help children in their first years of life -- when brain development is the most rapid -- will prevent problems later, said officials with Great Start, a Wayne County collaborative.

The study was conducted for Great Start by Kurt Metzger of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, who said the percentage of children under age 6 living in poverty in Detroit grew from 37% in 1999 to almost 46% in 2005. The percentage of those children living in poverty in Wayne County outside Detroit rose from almost 25% to just below 30%.

Metzger said there were 40,680 births in 1990 and 27,422 in 2005, a 33% drop.

Of every 100 babies born in Wayne County in 2004, 29 did not have adequate prenatal care and one in four babies in the county was born to a mother without a high school diploma. Both are indicators that the children will struggle in school, Metzger said.

There was some good news: The percentage of Wayne County children tested and found to have lead poisoning dropped to 5.2% in 2005; it was 9.5% in 2001.

John Colina, president of the Southgate-based Colina Foundation and a member of Great Start, said that for every dollar spent on early childhood development, the public receives $17 in benefits that include a better-educated and higher-earning workforce and fewer children failing in school and going on to be criminals.

For more information about Great Start, including how to get involved, go to www.greatstartcollaborativewayne.org. Contact JACK KRESNAK at jkresnak@freepress.com.

[Source]

Most plan to learn, leave

Source: The Detroit Free Press
By: Kristen Jordan Shamus
Published: April 29, 2007

Graduates of big state colleges won't stick around, poll shows

More than half the students at Michigan's three biggest universities say they'll leave the state after graduation -- with nearly half of those saying they will do so to find jobs.

But while the state's high unemployment rate shapes the opinions of the students interviewed for The Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll, some experts say the perception of a lack of good jobs in the state is worse than the reality for young people looking to start a career in Michigan.

Those experts point to thousands of positions in the health care, financial services and information technology fields -- many at small- to mid-size companies -- among the 34,000 total jobs listed in a statewide job bank.

They also say the promise of Google in Ann Arbor, a major medical complex being built in Grand Rapids and a little-known IT explosion in the Lansing area offer hope for graduates of the state's universities.

"The picture is not as bad as it appears," said Kelly Bishop, director of the career center at Michigan State University.

College graduates are finding jobs in the state, he said.

Michael Casey is among them.

When he tosses his cap at his MSU commencement Saturday, he'll know that he has a job waiting as a financial analyst with an automotive supplier in Troy.

"I had other offers, which weren't as good of pay, out of the state," in Chicago and Tennessee, said Casey, 21, of Redford Township. He begins work in June at Arvin Meritor. His choice came down to family and love for southeastern Michigan.

Although Casey had good luck in his in-state job search, many of his classmates are giving up on the idea of working in Michigan after graduation -- at least for now.

Fifty-three percent of the 640 students surveyed at MSU, Wayne State University and the University of Michigan say they expect to move away, according to the poll, taken by phone April 9-16. The poll was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, Iowa, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

At U-M, just one in four students said they expect to stay in the state after graduation.

Excluding out-of-state and foreign students, the number expecting to leave the state dips to 46%. But almost three in four native Michiganders who plan to leave said they are open to returning.

Of those who said they plan to leave Michigan, 47% said they'd go where there are good jobs and 24% just want to try living somewhere else.

"As much as I love Michigan, it really comes down to the job issue more than anything," said Justin Rumao, 22, of Canton.

A mechanical engineering major at MSU, he's interned at the Erlanger, Ky.-based Toyota Motors Engineering & Manufacturing North America. When he graduates next year, he hopes to work there, but he said he'd eventually move back to Michigan for graduate school or a job.

"What's great about living here is the fact that you can experience four seasons year round," he said. "The people are always nice. There's always something to do."

Phil Gardner, director of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at MSU, said negative talk about Michigan's job picture, mostly by public officials, has convinced many students not to even bother looking for a job in the state.

"We've talked them into this situation," he said.

Attractive opportunities

Here are examples of opportunities that might be attractive to state graduates:

• Google, which opened an office in Ann Arbor last year, says it will hire for 1,000 new jobs during the next five years.

• In the Grand Rapids area, at least 2,800 health care jobs -- and thousands more in related support positions -- are expected to open during the next 10 years, according to a study by Deloitte Consulting. They will come from the Van Andel Institute, which is tripling its lab space, making room for 400 more researchers, as well as the Helen DeVos Children's Hospital expected to open in 2010, St. Mary's new Hauenstein Center for the treatment of neurological disorders slated to open next year, and MSU's expanded Grand Rapids medical school campus.

• Polytorx, a company that makes a new, durable form of concrete reinforcement, is headquartered in Ann Arbor with manufacturing operations in Ypsilanti. It expects to create 1,800 jobs within five years.

• Auburn Hills-based United Solar Ovonic is expanding its solar panel manufacturing business in Greenville, with plans to add five plants -- and 200 jobs per plant -- by 2010.

• An information technology boom in the Lansing area has led to a demand for graduates in that area, said Kate Tykocki, a Capital Area Michigan Works! spokeswoman. She said there are about 300 to 400 IT job openings in the Lansing area.

One problem is that most students don't know about those jobs, said Kurt Metzger, research director for the United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

Some Michigan companies are recruiting in other states and countries to fill their jobs, he said.

"We need to be telling our universities and telling our students that there are a lot of good jobs here," he said. The Michigan Poll found that students attending U-M and MSU are the most likely to leave the state, with 57% and 56%, respectively, saying they plan to go to another state or country when they graduate. WSU students are more likely to stay put, with 44% saying they plan to move.

Imran Usmani, a 23-year-old junior at Wayne State who is studying computer science, said he's likely to leave the state when he graduates next year but hopes to return eventually.

A native of India, Usmani grew up in Saudi Arabia and says his WSU degree will bring a higher salary in those countries. "I've got to go back because I don't think there is a good opportunity for me in Michigan," he said.

"When I have a secure job, and have earned enough money, I probably will come back to start a business or something over here."

Tykocki of Michigan Works! said people like Usmani with degrees in computer science and technical fields are in demand in Michigan, especially at small and medium-size businesses near Lansing.

"Students just don't know that the opportunities are here," she said.

What Michigan is missing

The 24% of students polled who said they'd leave Michigan because they want to see what it's like to live elsewhere exacerbate a so-called brain drain -- the flight of young, educated workers -- that Metzger says is predominant in Midwest and Northeastern states.

"Brains are going where the population is going" to the South and West Coast, he said.

The poll confirmed the popularity of those areas, as well as Chicago and the East Coast.

Wanderlust likely will take Patricia Hines, a WSU freshman, to warmer climes.

"I'd like to see what it's like to live somewhere else," said Hines, 20, of Detroit.

A nursing major, she has her eyes set on Atlanta. She doesn't like Michigan's weather, cost of living and things it has for young people to do.

No matter how well the state markets its job offerings, Robert Camaj, 21, of Farmington Hills said the key is in giving young people other reasons to stay.

Camaj, who graduated Saturday from U-M, wants to live in a community with vibrant shopping, cleaner streets, better public transit and more culture.

"Detroit will always be my home, but for one thing it's kind of scary -- in terms of crime and things like that," said Camaj, who plans to attend law school in New York City in the fall.

Contact KRISTEN JORDAN SHAMUS at 313-222-5997 or kshamus@freepress.com.

Quality Of Life: The Survey Is In

Ed.'s Note: What follows are some of the results from the second in a series of metromode surveys that will help create a blueprint for changing the region. The next survey will appear May 17th in the Regional Activation Zone — metromode's place to get inspired, informed and connected to the community, found in the lower left corner of the metromode home page. To read more about the zone, click here.

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In November 2006, six of the region's top civic organizations - New Detroit, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, United Way for Southeastern Michigan, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan - joined forces to form a unified group called One D: Transforming Regional Detroit to ensure the region works together to achieve measurable goals in six areas of priority:

1. economic prosperity
2. educational preparedness
3. regional transit
4. race relations
5. regional cooperation
6. quality of life

While each of these organizations works to meet specific objectives of its own, all recognize that they have a collective responsibility to the region as well. Input and data gained from the community, government officials and other organizations outside of One D are extremely important factors in the success of this unprecedented transformation effort, and will be used by One D to build a one-vision, one-plan blueprint for transforming Southeast Michigan. The final blueprint is expected to be unveiled at the 2007 Mackinac Policy Conference.

As part of this data gathering effort, Issue Media Group (the publishers of Model D and metromode) and United Way for Southeastern Michigan have partnered to regularly survey the Detroit region, on behalf of the One D partnership and each of its member organizations, regarding key quality of life and economic issues in order to get a better handle on " the pulse of southeast Michigan."

We want to serve up surveys that will better help us, and others, understand what our residents are thinking. We want to open this capacity to other organizations that are working to make the Detroit region a better place to live and work. We are at an important crossroads for this region and we want to be able to measure our progress through the opinions of its residents. We hope you will want to join us on this journey.

We will be delivering a new survey each month. Upon review and analysis, we will select the most pertinent questions and repeat them at regular intervals over the next several years. In this way we will be able to track perceptual change over time and match that to the demographic and economic indicators that will comprise the One D Report Card.

Our first survey appeared in the March 1st issue of metromode and was designed to obtain feedback on "quality of life" issues in Southeast Michigan. This report provides the results of that survey.

On March 22 we launched a survey designed to obtain feedback related to the new "branding" effort from the Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. Late in April we hope to look at Race Relations in Metro Detroit. Future surveys will delve into Art and Culture, Transportation, Education, Economic Opportunities and more. We welcome suggestions from organizations and individuals regarding other issues of importance and hope that you will join us as we take the "Pulse of Metro Detroit."

Quality of Life in Metropolitan Detroit

Our first survey addressed a number of Quality of Life issues in Metro Detroit. Over 1,000 persons took the time to complete the survey during the three weeks it was available. This report provides a summary of the responses received, and ends with a brief overview of respondent demographics.

The first question asked the following:

Using a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "very satisfied" and 1 means "very dissatisfied," please rate your satisfaction with each of the following in the Southeast Michigan region – and in Your Community:

• Quality of public safety services (i.e., police, fire, ambulance)
• Flow of traffic
• Access to arts and cultural activities
• Public transportation (bus/rail)
• Transportation services for the elderly and disabled persons
• Access to financial services
• Social services for families that need them
• Availability of quality food (fresh fruits and vegetables)

The following only address the Southeast Michigan region

-Redevelopment/revitalization of urban core communities in the region
-Management of suburban growth and development in the region

Figure 1. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Satisfied" for the Region

Figure 2. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Dissatisfied" for the Region

Figures 1 and 2 paint a very clear picture of the issues that Detroit area respondents feel are strongly present and those that they feel are lacking in the region as a whole. Over half of respondents indicated satisfaction with the access to arts and cultural activities, access to financial services, and the availability of quality food. The only other category to rise above 40percent in satisfaction was the " quality of public services." On the dissatisfaction side of the aisle, nearly four of every five respondents stated that they were dissatisfied with the availability of public transportation. This was followed by recognition of the lack of coordinated efforts tomanage suburban growth while working to redevelop and revitalize our urban core communities. Two other transportation-related issues also exceeded a 40 percent level of dissatisfaction –" transportation services for elderly and disabled' and general " traffic flow."

We also asked respondents to rank the majority of these issues from the perspective of their own communities. Suburban growth and urban revitalization were only asked in a regional context.

Figure 3. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Satisfied" for Their Community

Figure 4. Percent of Respondents Answering "Very or Somewhat Dissatisfied" for Their Community

The results provided some interesting counterpoints to the regional opinions – a result similar to that found when respondents look at politics on the national and local level. In general, respondents show greater satisfaction, and less dissatisfaction, at the smaller geographic level. Services – both public (government) and private (food and finances) received high satisfaction ratings. The high preponderance of arts and culture in Detroit tended to lower the satisfaction score for this issue. Transportation, however, remained the principal issue of concern – garnering dissatisfaction responses from over 70 percent of the respondents.

Due to concerns about public safety and the lack of services – particularly grocery stores – in Detroit, we took a separate look at how Detroit residents answered this question. Only 42 percent were satisfied with the availability of quality food, while 34 percent expressed satisfaction with the quality of public safety services. On the negative side, Detroiters agreed that public transportation leaves a great deal to be desired – 71 percent were dissatisfied, with 47percent of responses being " very dissatisfied."

We next asked respondents to consider the issues in Question 1 and tell us:

Which THREE of these items do you think should receive the most emphasis from community leaders over the next THREE Years?

The results are shown in Figure 5. Consistent with the views expressed in Question 1,respondents overwhelmingly listed Public Transportation as the issue that should receive emphasis from community leaders. Thirty-eight percent of respondents listed this as a "first priority," while 81 percent of all respondents listed it as one of their three top issues. Coming in second was the need to invest in the redevelopment/revitalization of Detroit and our other older, urban core communities. An assessment of the quality of public safety services, and improvements where necessary, came in a close third, followed by the issue of managing suburban growth and development.

The importance of these responses is that they point to issues that we must look at on a regional basis. We cannot continue to expect individual leaders to solve the problems. Rather, we must work across historical geographic and racial lines to get the job done. Respondents are tired of the "rhetoric" and want to see "action."

Figure 5. Percent of Total Responses – Three Items for Community Leader Emphasis

Our next question asked the following:

Several items that may influence your perception of living in the Southeast Michigan region are listed below. Please rate each item on a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "very satisfied" and 1 means "very unsatisfied."

• Quality of public schools
• Quality of post-secondary education (colleges, universities, vocational)
• Quality of governmental services
• Availability of quality jobs
• Availability of affordable housing
• Racial and ethnic harmony
• Availability of arts and cultural amenities
• How much the region values education and retains talent

Figure 6 provides a summary of the two ends of the spectrum – 5 (very satisfied) and 1 (very dissatisfied).While dissatisfaction ruled the day for most of the factors listed, respondents did show a great deal of satisfaction with the "quality of the region's post-secondary education" and the " availability of arts and cultural amenities." 72 percent of respondents were satisfied (very or somewhat) with our post-secondary educational opportunities, while 58% were satisfied with the region's arts and cultural opportunities.

On the other end of the spectrum, only 7 percent of respondents were satisfied with the "availability of quality jobs" (77% were dissatisfied), and only 10 percent were satisfied with "how the region values education and retains talent" (69% were dissatisfied).

Figure 6. Percent of Total Responses – Three Items for Community Leader Emphasis

We followed up the ranking question with the following:

Which THREE of these reasons will have the most impact on your decision to stay in the Southeast Michigan Region for the next 10 years?

An analysis of the results (Figure 7) spells trouble for our region. The availability of quality jobs far outdistanced any other response with 84 percent of all respondents listing it in their top 3 – and 48 percent listing it as number 1. The quality of public schools came in distant second at 48 percent, with regional values of education and talent retention placing third at 38 percent. All three of these issues ranked very low in their "satisfaction ratings."

Figure 7. Percent of Respondents Who Listed Item as Impacting Decision to Stay in SE Michigan

We also found that a number of respondents (almost 9 percent) wanted to provided other issues that were of importance to them. While they covered a wide range of issues, the primary categories were family, crime, cost-of-living, taxes and transportation.
The next question asked respondents to do the following:

Please rate the Southeast Michigan region on a scale of 1 to 5 where 5 means "excellent" and 1 means "poor" with regard to each of the following:

• The region as a place to raise children
• The region as a place to live
• The region as a place to work
• The overall image of the region
• The overall quality of life in the region
• How well the region is planning for the future
• How well the region works together

Figure 8. Percent Distribution of Responses Rating SE Michigan Region by Category

While respondents were stingy on giving an excellent rating to any of our quality of life categories, the region was rated positively by at least 40 percent of respondents as "a place to live" and as "a place to raise children." Almost 35 percent of respondents rated the overall quality of life positively. On the negative side, almost 80 percent of respondents rated the region as below average or poor in the area of "how well the region works together." "Planning for the future" and "the overall image" also came out on the negative end for almost 70 percent of respondents.

While the image is being worked on by a number of organizations, with the Detroit MetroConvention and Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) taking the lead in changing our brand, the lowratings for regional collaboration and planning should sound a clarion call to all " regional leaders." The ability to attract and retain young, educated residents and thereby build a knowledge-based economy that is attractive to a wide range of individuals and companies requires that we begin to work together as a region and develop regional plans for land use, transportation – public/mass and highways, housing, cultural amenities, and much more.

Our final question asked the following:

On a scale of 1 to 5, where 5 means "very safe" and 1 means "very unsafe," please rate how safe you feel in the following situations:

• In your neighborhood during the day
• In your neighborhood at night
• Overall in the community where you live
• Overall in the city of Detroit
• Overall in the Southeast Michigan region

Figure 9. Percent Distribution of Responses on Feelings of Safety by Location

Southeast Michigan residents generally feel safe in their neighborhoods, communities, and throughout Southeast Michigan. The only area where safety was an issue was in the City of Detroit. Nearly three in five (57 percent) respondents expressed feeling "unsafe" or "very unsafe" in the City of Detroit. An analysis by geography shows that Detroit residents feel somewhat safer in their city than nonresidents – 21% vs. 15%. Nevertheless, 50 percent of Detroit residents reported feeling "unsafe" or "very unsafe," as compared to 60 percent of nonresidents.

It is obvious from these results that the image of Detroit must be changed by addressing the issue of crime and safety. A previous study of Crime in Downtown Detroit by this author showed that the core of the city was safer than many communities in Southeast Michigan, as well as other downtowns in cities across the country.

Mayor Kilpatrick made crime a major topic of his 2007 State of the City address. He stated:

"The crime issue in the city of Detroit has consistently and constantly undermined any notion of recovery and revitalization or renaissance in this city for more than 40 years. No matter what we do – host the Super Bowl … host the All-Star Game … lead the region in new housing … sell million dollar condos downtown … build more housing than ever … open three new neighborhood recreation centers … fix streets … fix parks … host the Grand Prix on Belle Isle –the crime issue constantly undermines any notion of recovery all the time.

But the new officers and new tactics by themselves are not the only answer to our crime problem. One mistake we make in our community when we discuss crime is to immediately discuss police and police only. We must look at the nature of the crime we experience and develop strategies out of what we learn. And we must have a very candid conversation within this community about what we are doing to ourselves.

My Beloved Community, I truly understand the history of African American people in this country. But we have come to a point in our community where this is no conspiracy by Outsiders doing this to us. This is us killing us. This is mostly African Americans killing African Americans. This is some family member of mine or yours killing some family member of yours or mine. And we, as a community, have to stop it now. Nobody's coming to save us. We have to stand up for ourselves and stand up now."

While this is certainly an issue that Detroiters must be ready and willing to tackle, it must be understood that the Southeast Michigan Region can be healthy and safe unless all its components– with Detroit being the largest component of all – are healthy and safe. This is an issue that we all must be willing to tackle.

We ended the survey with the following open-ended question:

Based on the questions above, in a couple sentences, what is your opinion on the overall quality of life in your community and in the region?

Almost 900 respondents took the time to give us their thoughts. I do not plan to lengthen this report with an accounting of all the responses (they are available upon request). Needless to say, the comments covered the broad spectrum of issues and ranged from very negative to very positive. I think that the response that sums things up the best is the following (which was provided in all caps as shown):

"DESPITE THE REGION'S SHAKY IMAGE, I HAVE NO DESIRE TO LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE."

Demographic Summary

The survey was conducted strictly via the web. A number of outlets were used, in addition to MetroMode and ModelD, to get the word out as to its availability. No incentives were provided to respondents. A relatively detailed set of demographics was collected from our respondents. This section only reports the results of several of the questions.

1. What is your current county of residence (identified through question on ZIP Code)?

• Macomb County 05%
• Oakland County 30%
• Wayne County 60%
• City of Detroit 32%
• Out-Wayne County 28%
• Elsewhere 05%

A quick review of the table shows that Macomb County is extremely underrepresented, when compared with other counties in the region. While several reasons for this may be put forth, there is no way to substantiate any of them. Suffice it to say, efforts to increase Macomb responses will be undertaken for future surveys.

2. Do you expect to be living in Southeast Michigan – 1 year from now; 5 years from now?

These results are quite positive in that almost 80 percent of respondents say that they will be in Southeast Michigan over the next year, while only 8 percent are sure that they will not. While the " stayers" drop to 43 percent when the length of time is extended to 5 years, the drop is more a factor of uncertainty (35%) rather than an intention to leave (22%). It may be assumed that a regional thrust toward cooperation and planning, coupled with increased attention to issues of public safety and a changing economic climate, will change these " Don't Knows," as well as some of the " Nos," to " Yeses."

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Kurt Metzger is a demographer and research director for United Way for Southeastern Michigan.

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One D: Transforming Regional Detroit consists of United Way for Southeastern Michigan, New Detroit, the Detroit Regional Chamber, Detroit Renaissance, the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan.

Reasons to roam

Many are leaving Michigan, but there are a few pluses for those who stay

BY RON DZWONKOWSKI
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

Michigan was one of just four states to actually lose people last year -- about 5,200, net -- and the population is expected to drop by at least that much again this year.

This might not be such a bad thing -- more jobs, more room, less traffic for those who stay -- if we got to pick who had to go. Surely we all know someone whom Michigan would be better off without.

But people get to make up their own minds, and the departing folks already include many who would have been important to this state's future if they had just been able to find one for themselves here.

The population loss adds another layer of urgency to efforts to restructure the Michigan economy.

You'd think a state with around 10 million people would hardly notice a loss of 0.1% of them, a number equal to the year-round population of Cheboygan. But think about who leaves a state when it's fallen on hard times: People who can. That means people with the resources to relocate or the brains to have found opportunities elsewhere and the energy to pursue them. Such people would logically fall into just a few groups: retirees with secure benefits, entrepreneurs, people with skills or experience in demand elsewhere, and recent college graduates.

Retirees have always been the largest group to leave Michigan, usually for warmer climes. College grads, well, you can't blame them. They are highly mobile and those student loans have to be repaid. Maybe they will come back, maybe not. That likely depends on what Michigan can create for them to come back to.

Michigan is hardly Iraq, but it's interesting to note that the United Nations estimates about 12% of Iraq's population has fled since the U.S. invasion turned into a bloody civil war. The first people to get out when things deteriorated were those who could -- the educated, upper class of Iraqi society, professionals who had the means to leave. Their absence has hampered efforts to get the country functioning again and, should Iraq ever be stabilized, raises the question of whether there will be enough capable people around to run it.

When the Michigan economy bottoms out -- sometime in late 2008, economists say -- will there be enough smart, industrious people around for the rebound? Nothing attracts creative people and entrepreneurs like other creative people and entrepreneurs.

Michigan needs to develop some reason beyond hope to keep those folks home for the next year or two. It's nice that the cost of living here is relatively cheap compared to the coastal or southern hot spots, but the cost of living doesn't concern you much if you're not making one.

Kurt Metzger, a demographer with United Way of Southeast Michigan, says the population drop from 2005-06 was the first for Michigan since the severe recession of the early 1980s, when outward migration topped 100,000 a year. The states of New York, Rhode Island and hurricane-stricken Louisiana also lost people last year while Texas, Florida and California were the leading gainers.

Metzger says Michigan out-migration began ticking upward again in 2001 and probably hit about 65,000 last year. Immigration offset some of the loss, as did Michigan's natural population change, 40,733 more births than deaths. But Metzger says that "natural growth" has decreased 45% since 1990, as births continue to drop and the average age of the state population increases.

Another consequence of this population drop, one that is most evident in Detroit, is the cost of maintaining a societal infrastructure built for X-number of people when only Y-number are around to pay taxes to support it.

"The tri-county area," Metzger says, "has fewer people today than it did 30 years ago and yet less open land. That is a result of some really stupid decisions about infrastructure and land use, and now we're all paying for it."

Since creative people like to go against the tide, maybe there's a way to market this. What about a commercial showing the stream of U-Hauls moving households out of Michigan and a lone traveler walking in the opposite direction? "Michigan," the announcer could say, "where we don't know what we're waiting for, but the lines are sure shorter."

RON DZWONKOWSKI is editor of the Free Press editorial page. Contact him at dzwonk@freepress.com or 313-222-6635.

[Source]

The Oakland Press: Poverty shift to suburbs hits Oakland County, too

Areas around Grand Rapids, Lansing, Detroit lead U.S. in rates of increase

While Oakland County ranks among the most affl uent counties in the nation, it has not been immune to a national trend of growing poverty in suburban communities.

For the first time in the nation's history, suburban poor have ou