Southwest Michigan Journalism Collaborative (SWMJC) is a dynamic group of 12 partners representing media, educational or community organizations dedicated to strengthening local journalism. We support and enhance the news ecosystem in Southwest Michigan, to provide accurate and equitable coverage, and to promote diversity of voices among journalists and sources alike.

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Featured Story

Yes, housing really is more unaffordable in Kalamazoo — here’s why

Hatfield is looking around Kalamazoo County for affordability, hoping to stay in Kalamazoo Public Schools, without sacrificing too much in areas like safety. She scours Zillow and other websites to find homes for sale before they disappear. They often go quickly, she said. It’s a common tale in Kalamazoo County. Incomes have risen 19% since 2019 — but housing prices are up 46%. Finding housing that doesn’t break the bank used to be a problem for low-income folks. Now, even households with a decent salary are in a pinch.

LATEST STORIES

Uncovering Adverse Childhood Experiences and trauma-informed care intervention helps children thrive

The ACE scoring method is illuminating the relationship between stresses that children face that lead to public health problems later in life and the importance of preventing ACEs before they happen, a cause being promoted by a number of organizations across the region.

Communities and economies get boost from cultural events

From summertime outdoor concerts to annual festivals focused on specific cultures, Kalamazoo and its surrounding area has no shortage of arts and cultural and events for the public to attend. These events not only reflect and celebrate community identity but also can give cities and neighborhoods an economic boost.

How Kalamazoo racial segregation fueled today’s home affordability problem

The massive white and middle-class flight out of the Northside and the neighborhood‘s economic decline was no accident. It was a result of public and private policies — including racially restrictive housing covenants, steering and redlining — explicitly designed to keep Black residents out of white neighborhoods and segregate Kalamazoo housing by race, all the while starving Black neighborhoods of resources.

[LISTEN] As teens experience mental health crisis, music therapy is one way they are finding help

Music therapy helps teens identify, verbalize, and study their emotions, empowering them to change the way they act and feel, says Hannah Joseph, a clinical social worker and music therapist specializing in therapeutic support for children and adolescents at Kalamazoo Child and Family Counseling. Listen to this story on WMUK.

COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS

The Mental Wellness Project

SWMJC inaugural collaborative reporting project focused on mental health in Southwest Michigan. The goal of this project is to shed light on the key issues impacting access to mental health services. This project was funded by Solutions Journalism Network.

Youth Mental Health

In early 2024, SWMJC was awarded a collaborative reporting grant by Solutions Journalism Network to focus on youth mental health. With the U.S. General Surgeon’s recent report on the increased urgency to address youth mental health, this project highlights current solutions.

Equitable Community Development

This collaborative reporting project is focused on economic and community development issues in Southwest Michigan.