Michigan Family Voices

06/05/2026

📣 Feedback needed!

Are you a youth or the parent or caregiver of a youth? Do you have lived experience with the public behavioral health system, including CMHs and their providers? Are you a behavioral health service provider in Michigan?

We would love your thoughts! Your input may help inform:
✅ State policy or program changes.
✅ Best practice to engage with children, families, and providers.
✅ Guidance for and understanding of service eligibility and access.
✅ How to strengthen partnerships between children, families, and service providers.

The MDHHS Quality Improvement Council, the MDHHS Bureau of Children's Coordinated Health Policy & Supports (BCCHPS) is recruiting individuals for several opportunities - surveys, focus groups, art design, personal stories, Advisory Committees, etc.

If you are interested, please scan the QR code in the flyer or visit:

https://bit.ly/43Nq4oh

05/29/2026

Policy decisions shape real lives.

Join The Arc Michigan this June for a three-part Disability Policy Webinar Series featuring leaders from across Michigan and the nation discussing the issues impacting disability services today—and what may be ahead.

From legislative updates to conversations about access, quality, and the future of services, this series is designed to keep advocates, families, and professionals informed and connected.

📅 June 5, 12 & 26, 2026
Register now: https://tinyurl.com/ArcMi26

05/19/2026

Help amplify the Direct Care Worker Wage Coalition's statewide action alert: https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4460/actions/public?action_id=6858

With FY27 budget discussions underway, now is a critical time for lawmakers to hear directly from advocates, beneficiaries, providers, workers, families, and community members about the urgent need for sustainable direct care worker wages.

Please take a moment to complete and share the one-click action alert within your networks. It only takes a minute, but together our collective voices can help drive meaningful change.

Michigan’s direct care workers help people with disabilities live safely and independently in their homes and communities. But despite years of policy commitments, funding intended to support higher wages has too often failed to reach providers, families, and workers.

04/30/2026

To register, please fill out the following Google form: https://forms.gle/Cw2qDaSAekUGpoEQ8

03/13/2026

Share your perspective! Review the video at left and get ready to talk about DCW wages and how they are impacting you. We’ll get the details shared with lawmakers in your area, so you can have a meaningful impact on this year’s budget debate.Thank you! I'm ready to share my story!

02/18/2026

10 days left to apply to LIPA!

02/02/2026

LIPA 2026 applications are now open!

The Leaders in Policy Advocacy (LIPA) 2026 program is now accepting applications!

LIPA is a six-month leadership program for adults with developmental disabilities and parents of minor children with developmental disabilities who want to better understand how systems work, learn how to influence change, and strengthen their advocacy skills.

LIPA helps participants move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling prepared and informed. Through hands-on learning, participants gain practical skills to understand policy, navigate systems, engage with decision-makers, and share their lived experiences clearly and effectively. As well as building a supportive community where participants learn alongside others who care about belonging, access, and making real change together.

💻Full details at https://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/lipa/
🔗Apply at https://tinyurl.com/2026LIPA

Applications for this year’s program will be accepted February 1–28, 2026, with accepted participants being notified in early March.

01/22/2026

The Direct Care Worker Wage Coalition Needs Your Voice!

Direct Care Workers (DCWs) are essential to thousands of Michiganders—but wages tied to Medicaid funding haven’t kept up. Many DCWs earn very low pay, often without benefits, contributing to a 39% turnover rate. This creates instability for people with disabilities, families, and workers alike.

Your story has power—and can drive real change.

The DCW Wage Coalition is gathering stories to advocate for livable and sustainable Direct Care Worker wages.

Share how Michigan’s direct care workforce has made an impact on your life:

🔗 https://www.dcwmichigan.org/share-your-perspective

10/31/2025

📣Michigan Alliance for Families is hiring a Parent Mentor!

If you're in Genesee County and are interested in providing information, mentoring, and support to other families around special education issues, apply!

This is a full time position (36.5 hours) at $23 per hour.

09/17/2025

Action Alert!

Michigan lawmakers are considering a budget proposal that would devastate direct care agencies. Section 1033 of HB 4706 reduces agency reimbursement rates by $4.56 per hour—a 20% cut—while still requiring agencies to maintain the $3.40/hour raise for workers.

This impossible math will force agencies to slash services, close programs, and leave vulnerable families without support.

With one click, you can tell your lawmakers: protect funding for direct care workers and the agencies that employ them.

Send a letter by clicking on this link: https://bit.ly/4mogK1b