A nine-month stint with The Associated Press brought Sandra to Detroit...27 years ago. She has a bachelor's in journalism and history from Indiana University, and along the way added two master's degrees, one in library and information science and another in public administration, both from Wayne State University. Sandra has worked for The (Toledo) Blade covering education/children's issues, Detroit’s Metro Times and FEMA, where she deployed to Louisiana to help coordinate/communicate about community rebuilding/planning efforts for/after disasters. Sandra has won awards for broadcast, print, digital and community engagement work from the Michigan Associated Press, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters, Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, State Bar of Michigan, Michigan Press Association and Society of Professional Journalists-Detroit chapter. WSU’s Public Administration program named her Alum of the Year in 2015 for her WDET work covering Detroit's bankruptcy. Sandra teaches adjunct faculty at Wayne State (political science) and UM-Dearborn (graduate public administration program). She volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metropolitan Detroit and with Freedom House Detroit. She loves her husband, dog, bicycle, usually in that order. Find her sailing on the Detroit River in her spare time.

How is Federal Housing Money is Spent in Detroit?

The federal government provides $37 million annually to Detroit for housing programs that help stabilize life for people, according to Arthur Jemison.  As...

When $40,000 a Year is Not Enough

ALICE—Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed—is a United Way report about just what income levels are needed to live comfortably in each of...

Detroit Mom Struggles to Make Ends Meet

Detroiter Emaginae Hicks had a job as a waitress after high school to support her two children. She was making...

Bankruptcy Consultant, State Review Panel Seek “Harmonizing” In City Budget

During Detroit’s bankruptcy trial, Judge Steven Rhodes selected Martha Kopacz as his “expert witness” to help him assess whether the...

Bridge Magazine: The Truth About Poverty

Delphia Simmons meets a lot of people in financial distress. In her job at the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS) in Detroit’s...

Where is Poverty in Metro Detroit? [Map]

You may see it everywhere, or you may never see it at all, depending on where you live. As the...

How Poor are Detroit, Metro Area? Here’s What the Data Show [INTERVIEW]

Detroit has the most people living in poverty, as defined by the federal poverty threshold, among the nation’s 20 biggest...

Poverty Tells ‘Heartbreaking’ Stories About Families

Delphia Simmons meets a lot of people in financial distress. In her job at the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS)....