Dr. Marcella Wilson, CEO of Matrix Human Services, speaks to the Fellows.

Challenge Detroit has embarked on its first mission with Matrix Human Services. Matrix, Detroit based non-profit, is on a mission to eliminate poverty by connecting people in the Detroit area who live below the poverty-line with services and resources that are available to help this segment of the population. During our introduction to Matrix, I learned of the vast services the organization offers. Our focus is the Osborn facility which services a part of Detroit that is very in need of its presence. As part of my emersion into Matrix, I toured a technology center which hosted free computer training classes. Previous graduates of this class were eligible to receive laptops provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and free internet through the Clearwire. Just to understand the spectrum of resources that Matrix provides to the community, I was also given a tour of the home in midtown Detroit which Matrix runs for runaway and homeless children. Located in the Virginia Park neighborhood, this unmarked, yet well-kept home, provides a place for children to come to receive services and an action plan to resolve the child’s issues at home. These are just two of the numerous programs Matrix offers to the community. Along with facilitating its own programs, Matrix also refers people to other organizations that can provide alternative resources which helps maximize the organizations efficiency and outreach.

Matrix is an organization model that is very important to Detroit. According to Data Driven Detroit, one of our partners on this project, Detroit’s per capita income was less than $16,000 in 2008. I do not know the exact figures but the proportions of people in Detroit living below the poverty line and at risk of falling below are palpable throughout the city, especially in neighborhoods that have become most hard hit by Detroit’s economic events over the decades such as Osborn. Matrix provides facilities throughout the city that make aid more accessible for the people who need help the most. I could not be happier that our first challenge is with an organization that has created so much outreach in the community.So what is the challenge, you ask! It is only the most common question I have been getting asked since I learned that I was selected to be a part of Challenge Detroit. Our challenge with Matrix is to build a community impact study that will show Matrix’s potential impact on the community and in some instances, how effective it has already been. Such a resource would be useful for potential donors who are interested in knowing, “Why should I give my money to Matrix?” I just heard on NPR that Matrix would be receiving a grant from W. K. Kellogg foundation for $572,000. For organizations that thrive on grants, a community impact study can be an essential tool for financial contributors just as a prospectus would be to a stock investor- that’s the prospective of Matrix’s board chairman.

In order to make this happen, the Challenge Detroit Fellows were broken into groups to focus on Matrix’s various conduits to eliminate poverty. My group’s segment of the study will examine how Matrix has employed technology to create access to jobs and general wellness. Additionally, we are looking at how Matrix’s reach into the community will be impacted with capital investment at various levels. A subsidiary goal of my group will be to make recommendations on how the organization can become self-sustaining with additional capital investment. Since grants to Matrix must usually be directed to the programs and not facilities upgrades, capital investments would be necessary to create a for-profit business model that is able to support the non-profit programs which do not generate sufficient revenue to break even or help grow the organization.

We are currently approaching the third week of the Matrix challenge and I have learned quite a bit already. I don’t think I have ever been as intimately abreast of the struggles of the non-profit world as I have within these few weeks of working with Matrix. There are a lot of people who work for Matrix and it seems that making the most of every dollar is a constant focus as it should be. I appreciate most how Matrix utilizes volunteers and is taking advantage of revenue generating yet charitable causes to help support the organization as a whole. Seeing the ends and outs of this organization first hand lends significant motivation to complete our first challenge to the best of our ability. Ultimately, I believe Challenge Detroit can play a part of Matrix’s evolution to the next level of alleviating poverty in Detroit!

Contributed by Michael Gilmore, Fellow