A new report from the Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) and Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan estimates as many as 15,565 Michigan children, infants to age 4, are homeless. That estimate is 159 percent higher than what’s reported in the shelter system.

Researchers share that the difference in numbers comes from differing definitions of homelessness; the larger figure in the report includes children who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, not just those in shelters. Therefore, we may have more children experiencing homelessness than was previously