---
title: "The Michigan Benefits Initiative: Findings Report"
description: That’s the question we’ve been asking during a year-long research and storytelling project.
image: https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Michigan-Benefits-Accesss-Initiative.jpg
---

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# The Michigan Benefits Initiative: Findings Report

[![Picture of Laura Bowen](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e) Laura Bowen](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/author/laura-bowen)  October 23, 2019

[Reports and Publications](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/tag/reports-and-publications) [Strategy and Systems Design](https://vivasocialimpact.com/ourwork/tag/strategy-and-systems-design)

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![](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Michigan-Benefits-Accesss-Initiative.jpg)

##### How could public systems work better for families?

That’s the question we’ve been asking during a year-long research and storytelling project to understand families’ experiences accessing and using public services to create better lives for their children.

The first thing we did was research to understand a system that was redesigned to better work for the families that need it. Michigan made significant investments in redesigning its public service system using human-centered design principles, and the result is impressive.

[Learn more about what Michigan has done right](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/Michigan%20Bridges%20Report-VIVA.pdf), and where they have room for improvement. And stay tuned for what we learned in California.

*“I personally just want a safe environment. So these systems help a lot, you know, keeping her healthy and keeping me strong.” – A. James, Michigan resident and mother*

*[![ReportCover_TheMichiganBenifitsAccessReport](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ReportCover_TheMichiganBenifitsAccessReport.png?width=401&height=519&name=ReportCover_TheMichiganBenifitsAccessReport.png)](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/Michigan%20Bridges%20Report-VIVA.pdf)*

[Read the report](https://vivasocialimpact.com/hubfs/MI%20Bridges%20Report-FINAL-Spreads.pdf)

 

 

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