The Metro: Detroit’s mayor focuses on addressing poverty

By: Sam Corey

27 January 2026 at 19:21

It’s been less than a month since Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield took office, but she’s already begun putting her agenda into motion.

Her administration is creating a new Office of Neighborhood & Community Safety and establishing new departments aimed at reducing poverty. The administration has also brought Rx Kids a program that gives cash to new mothers, to the city.

Why did Sheffield’s office make these changes? And what does she hope to accomplish in her first year?

David Bowser is Mayor Sheffield’s chief of staff. He spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent.

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