• Mayor Sheffield’s sweeping reorganization will centralize all critical health, social and supportive services under the leadership of UM Poverty Solutions founding director, Luke Shaefer, Ph.D.
• New service model reflects Mayor Sheffield’s community-centered approach to help more Detroiters access supportive services, break cycle of generational poverty
• Benita R. Miller to serve as Director of the new Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services

Mayor Mary Sheffield today announced a sweeping reorganization plan to improve the delivery of critical supportive services to Detroiters most in need to help break the cycle of poverty and enhance their quality of life.

Luke Shaefer, Ph.D., founder and director of the nationally respected University of Michigan Poverty Solutions research initiative will lead the effort as Detroit’s first-ever Chief Executive of Health, Human Services and Poverty Solutions. He will oversee the Detroit Health Department, the Office of Immigrant Affairs and Economic Inclusion, and a new Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services directed by Benita R. Miller.

“Focusing on people and on poverty are the main goals of our administration and a promise we made to Detroiters throughout our campaign,” said Mayor Sheffield, “Detroit can’t reach its full potential if families are struggling just to meet their basic needs. This new structure allows us to confront poverty directly—by aligning health, human services and homelessness prevention around a single, coordinated strategy that puts residents first.” 

The new department will bring together human services and homelessness response functions that were previously housed across multiple divisions, creating a more coordinated, resident-centered system.

The Chief Executive will in turn bring national best-practices to the City’s approach to addressing household basic needs, lowering mental, physical and behavioral health barriers, and leading an administration-wide approach to addressing the root causes of poverty in Detroit.

The move represents a major reorganization of city government centered on improving quality of life and facing health inequities and homelessness head-on with revised strategies and approaches. It also reflects Mayor Sheffield’s commitment to a unified, community-centered approach that integrates public health, human services and homelessness response.

The core mission of the Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services is to reduce barriers that prevent Detroiters from accessing critical support — particularly families with children and residents experiencing housing instability. The department will focus on:

• Uniting programs that address the social determinants of health that impact long-term outcomes for families, such as housing services, utility assistance, transportation, and income supports.
• Coordinating homelessness prevention and family stabilization efforts across city, local and community partners.
• Advancing a “no wrong door” approach so residents can more easily navigate services that are available where they live, work and play.
• Simplifying resource navigation so that residents receive services ranging from basic needs to housing stability to homeownership and home repair, all through one department.

A central goal of the department is to work in close partnership with other city agencies, community organizations and philanthropic partners, Wayne County and the State of Michigan to ensure services are responsive, accessible and grounded in the needs and experiences of Detroiters.

“From the beginning of the transition, our committee emphasized the need for a coordinated, resident-centered approach to health, human services, homelessness, and poverty reduction,” said Linda Little, co-chair of the Health, Human Services, Homelessness & Poverty Solutions Committee and President and CEO, Neighborhood Service Organization. “The creation of this new department and leadership role reflects the Mayor’s commitment to acting on those recommendations quickly. Addressing poverty and its impact on health and housing is essential to improving outcomes for Detroit families, and this structure positions the city to do that work more effectively.”

Luke Shaefer, Ph.D., Chief Executive of Health, Human Services and Homeless Prevention

Shaefer is a nationally recognized expert on poverty and social policy. He most recently served as the Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor of Social Policy at the U-M’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and as founding director of Poverty Solutions, a U-M presidential initiative focused on preventing and alleviating poverty.

Shaefer acted as a special counselor on anti-poverty policy to the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services from 2019-2021, where he contributed to implementing the agency’s unique Energy Direct program that saved tens of thousands of Michigan families from utility shut off and the state’s COVID eviction prevention program that brought evictions in Michigan to an all-time  low.

Shaefer’s 2015 co-authored book, $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America, was named one of the 100 Notable Books of 2015 by the New York Times Book Review. The New York Times and Time magazine have credited Shaefer’s co-authored research as one of the driving forces behind the expanded Child Tax Credit of 2021 that led to a historic decline in child poverty. He also co-founded Rx Kids, the nation’s first maternal and infant health cash program. The new department will direct the City’s efforts on the largest expansion of Rx Kids to-date when it launches in Detroit in the upcoming months.  

As Chief of Health, Human Services and Poverty Solutions, Shaefer will focus on directly confronting poverty by addressing the social determinants of health, including housing stability, income security, and access to services—all factors that shape long-term health and economic outcomes. 

With Shaefer’s arrival, the City of Detroit will also greatly expand its partnership with U-M Poverty Solutions. A brand new cohort of researchers and students will work to provide data, analysis, and evaluation on poverty and economic mobility to inform the evidence-based strategies used by the City’s new department. Shaefer will further lead the administration’s efforts to harness the technical expertise of Detroit’s numerous highly-ranked universities to enhance the well-being of city residents.

“Poverty is the result of systems that fail to serve families as they should–but that means these systems can be reimagined and rebuilt to empower families to lead healthy and full lives.” said Luke Shaefer. “This role is about leveraging data, analysis, lived experience, and harnessing meaningful connections across city departments, universities, and every level of government to break down barriers and help Detroiters thrive. By aligning health, human services and homelessness prevention, Detroit is poised to set a national standard for cities striving to combat poverty and improve quality of life.”

Luke Shaefer, Chief Executive of Health, Human Services and Poverty Solutions

Benita R. Miller, Director of Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services

A Detroit native, Miller is a nationally respected attorney, nonprofit executive, and public-sector leader with nearly three decades of experience advancing child welfare reform, maternal health and family-centered systems.. Miller previously held senior leadership roles in the New York City and New Jersey government, including as  Executive Director of the New York City Children’s Cabinet.

“Families should not have to navigate a maze to get help,” said Benita R. Miller. “This new department is about building a system that centers dignity, trust and access. We can address real barriers Detroit families face and create pathways to stability, health and opportunity by listening to our communities and coordinating services more effectively.” 

Benita Miller, Director of the Department of Human, Homeless and Family Services