Effort focuses on investing in housing to prevent family separation and keep children safely at home.
West Michigan Partnership for Children has advanced to the final Preparation Phase of Imagination Factory’s Creative Cluster, Invest in Housing – A Solution to Prevent Family Separation. This national initiative brings together communities to design innovative, cross-sector solutions that address the root causes of family instability before child welfare involvement becomes necessary.
Imagination Factory’s Creative Cluster model supports organizations in rethinking how systems invest resources, emphasizing upstream, prevention-focused strategies that can create lasting change. WMPC’s participation in this work reflects a continued commitment to advancing solutions that improve outcomes for children and families.
“We’re excited to be selected as a site representing Michigan in this national initiative,” said Sonia Noorman, CEO of WMPC. “This opportunity reflects both the strength of our community and our shared commitment to finding better ways to support families, starting with stable housing.”
At the core of this initiative is a simple but powerful belief: when families have access to stable housing, children are far more likely to remain safely at home, reducing the need for foster care. Housing instability is one of the leading drivers of family separation, and addressing it directly presents an opportunity to strengthen families and communities in meaningful ways.
During this final preparation phase, WMPC will partner with our community to co-design innovative approaches that shift existing resources toward housing as a prevention strategy. This includes exploring how funding, partnerships, and service delivery can be aligned to better support families before crises escalate.
This work builds on WMPC’s long-standing focus on data-driven, community-based solutions that prioritize keeping families together whenever safely possible. By investing earlier and more intentionally, WMPC aims to contribute to a more effective, accountable child welfare system—one that addresses challenges at their source.
WMPC will share additional updates as this work progresses and opportunities emerge for community involvement and partnership.
Learn more about Imagination Factory.
