ALICE

A local non-profit will soon be marking 26 years helping those who are struggling to improve their quality of life. The organization is called DAPCO. It helps those in the Ypsilanti community with everything from building a business to relationship mentoring to helping with health care and baby products. WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale were joined by DAPCO's co-founder, Brenda Griffin, to discuss community impact.

The number of working poor in Washtenaw County is on the rise. Those are employed people that don’t make enough money to cover basics like housing, food and transportation. A new report shows more than 27% of all households in Washtenaw County live in these circumstances. That’s a significant jump from pre-pandemic levels. Bridget Herrmann is Vice President of Impact and Advocacy for the United Way of Washtenaw County. She joined WEMU's David Fair with details on the report and the efforts underway to address many of the underlying issues in finding a path forward to a better future.

The pandemic continues to cause greater housing and food insecurity and the impact on area veterans is only growing. Derrick Miller is a former Marine and now heads the Ann Arbor-based Community Action Network. He says the nonprofit service organization is being put to the test by increased demand. Mr. Miller joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the increasingly creative means necessary to provide basic needs and a foundation of support for greater quality of life.

A "Community Baby Shower" continues through the end of May in Washtenaw County. We know there is a local and national shortage of baby formula, but there are a number new moms in our community that need a more than that. That's the idea behind the month-long event: to raise needed supplies to be distributed to give mother and child a hand-up as they begin their journey together. WEMU's David Fair was joined by the Vice President of Development of the United Way of Washtenaw County, Susan Smith, to discuss how serious the needs are and what we can collectively do to help in our community.

Parents and the Washtenaw County community at large have the chance to learn more about Active Shooter training designed to ensure a uniform response to…