We’re getting an inside look at the number of Michiganders who have turned to The Salvation Army for basic needs assistance so far this year.

The Human Needs Index (HNI), a joint project between The Salvation Army and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI, tracks changing levels of need across the country over time.

The HNI examines seven areas of assistance from meals to housing, provided by The Salvation Army.

Michigan’s data:

• Our state’s 2018 human needs index is 1.18, higher than the national average of .99.

• Overall the data shows that we are seeing a decrease in need in terms of Michigan’s HNI however, Michigan remains one of only six states in the country that has not yet returned to pre-recession levels.

• The study shows our HNI has been steadily dropping since 2016 (when we were ranked in the top 10 for states with the highest HNIs).

• So far in 2018, The Salvation Army has provided Michigan residents in need:

  • 916,334 meals

  • 36,878 groceries

  • Energy assistance to 13,689 families

According to the researchers, the most significant finding in their latest nationwide analysis is that a lack of trust in government is linked to higher usage of The Salvation Army’s services. This was determined by analyzing states where trust in government is low. Conversely, the study shows that states with a higher trust in government have lower usage of nonprofit services.

 “This new way of looking at how trust in government influences the way people get help fighting poverty underscores the importance of government and charities working hand in hand,” Lt. Col. Ward Matthews, national community relations and development secretary at The Salvation Army said. “It’s also a wake-up call for nonprofits who rely on the generosity of the American people to meet human need. If trust in government continues to decline, our role will be increasingly important in meeting the daily needs of our fellow Americans.”

The idea of a lack of trust in government aligns with other research, including what CMF recently shared from the Influencing Young Americans to Act Report where participants said they placed more trust in nonprofits than in our government.

Also, the Pew Research Center’s research showed only 18 percent of Americans “just about always” or “most of the time” trust our government.

CMF reached out to researchers with the HNI to see how Michigan ranked in terms of trust in government.

The research team told us that “Michigan falls right in the middle of the pack in terms of trust, at 25th. So, it's neither a very high nor very low trust state.”

Want more?

Check out the latest data from the HNI.