SOURCE’s 2025 Data Sharing Event Highlights Key Workforce Trends

The SOURCE hosted our second annual Data Sharing Event on March 25, bringing together employers and community partners to look closely at the trends shaping our work. We shared insights from our 2025 Impact Report and discussed what the data tells us about the barriers employees face and the opportunities ahead. Across housing, transportation, and food security, we’re seeing rising instability paired with clear opportunities to strengthen financial coaching, prevention‑focused supports, and deeper employer partnership. Want to learn more? You can read the full report here: https://rb.gy/4xwuy1.

Alison Freas, our President and CEO, shared data on the barriers trending across all our employers. Housing and transportation continue to lead the list, and food insecurity remains a persistent challenge that has not returned to pre‑pandemic levels. Alison highlighted what these trends mean for our members and partners, while also pointing to several bright spots in the data surrounding home buying. These are areas where collaboration and early intervention are making a measurable difference. 

Joyce Rohrer, our Senior Regional Director for West Michigan, shared updates on our continued expansion across the region and the work underway in Kent County with a focus on financial education, and our second year being a VITA tax site. We also formally introduced Kelly Blakeslee as our East Regional Director. Kelly highlighted our growing presence in Southeast Michigan and the steps being taken to build strong employer partnerships and accessible support for members in the region. She highlighted that the SOURCE is here in the region doing the work every day, we have hired Resource Navigators, we’re actively welcoming new employer members, so any organizations or leaders interested in partnering with The SOURCE should reach out

Clementina Floyd, who leads our Financial Education Program, shared key insights from the past year. One in three employees who contact the SOURCE end up engaging in some form of financial assistance, underscoring the ongoing need for support. She highlighted the most common financial goals and barriers members are working through. Clementina provides a financial education series for member companies interested in topics such as debt management, credit building, and budgeting and saving. She also offers 1:1 financial coaching for individuals seeking more direct, personalized guidance. In 2025 alone, 269 families received financial coaching through this work.

Matthew Wehrmeyer from Wolverine Coil Spring, a SOURCE partner since 2007, is the SOURCE’s board chair, and he spoke to his experience working with the SOURCE and shared some stories of the impact The SOURCE has had on his employees. Matthew shared that; “It was an honor and privilege to be surrounded by such dedicated professionals and community members while learning more about the impact of The SOURCE and the meaningful difference they are making in employees’ lives. Their work reinforces that employee retention and engagement improve significantly when organizations address whole-person barriers such as transportation, housing, and financial stress.”

We also hosted a Resource Navigator panel focused on financial insights from 2025, including trending behaviors affecting employees’ financial well‑being: increased use of buy‑now‑pay‑later services, apps that are replacing banking, personal loans for basic expenses, and the need for second jobs. Our Navigators shared common budgeting challenges, credit and debt issues, and the impact of employer perks such as same‑day pay and payroll‑deducted purchases. The panel concluded by offering employers some actionable steps they can take, including offering onsite financial classes, emergency loan options, savings incentives, and stronger advocacy around housing and consumer protections.

We wrapped up the event with table discussions where employers and community partners reflected on workforce challenges, how the data aligns with what they’re seeing in their own work, what surprised them, and the questions it raised. These conversations also surfaced the greatest opportunities for The SOURCE as we continue strengthening our impact moving forward. The discussions pointed to a shared strain across wages, housing, transportation, and mental health, along with a clear need for employers to move beyond quick fixes and invest in deeper financial coaching, supportive policies, and stronger partnership with The SOURCE. Looking ahead, the biggest opportunities center on expanding prevention‑focused financial tools, engaging more employers, and coordinating advocacy around transportation, predatory lending, and state‑level policy changes that directly affect workers’ stability

Amanda Villa from UFW foundation shared her experience at the event stating: “The SOURCE is gathering firsthand data and information from our working families in West Michigan and soon expanding to East Michigan. The data shared at their most recent event not only illustrated the importance of having strong resources in the community but utilizing them to break systems of poverty. The SOURCE uses their stories, data and impact of over 20 years to educate and advocate for what works for working people. It was great to see so many employers, community organizations and members open to what a thriving workforce looks like, and how they can be part of a meaningful and realistic solution for all.”

We are grateful to our wonderful member companies who joined us for this event. Your care for your teams and your investment in their well‑being make this work possible, and we’re proud to partner with you: Cascade Engineering, Corewell Health, Wolverine Coil Spring, Rose Medical, Spectrum Industries, Butterball Farms, Trinity Health, Uniform Color Company, MillerKnoll, GRFT.

We also extend a huge thank‑you to the community partners who joined us to collaborate, dig into the data, and help drive meaningful change: Family Promise, Good Samaritan, Storehouse, Steepletown, AmplifyGR, Metrics Reporting, Home Repair Services, Express Employment, UFW foundation, and Disability Advocates of Kent County. 

Shout‑out to our board members who joined us and for the continued support they bring to this work: Matthew Wehrmeyer, Rene Buggs, Stephanie Schoenherr, Arianna Hovey, Gina Triick,

and our former board chair Becky Ploeg for her continued support. 

And, of course, we celebrate the SOURCE team, whose day‑to‑day commitment and insights make these conversations, and our impact, possible.

To learn more about The SOURCE, visit: www.thesourcemi.org.

About The SOURCE

The SOURCE creates equitable access to opportunities for career growth and improved well-being by stabilizing households, strengthening employment retention, and advocating for changes in community policies to eliminate inequities and systemic barriers to employment. Since its founding in 2003, The SOURCE has partnered with employers, philanthropic organizations, and community-based organizations to improve economic well-being for everyone.

Media inquiries:

Joyce Rohrer

Senior Regional Director, West Michigan

The SOURCE

joyce@thesourcemi.org