Independent Research. Real Advocacy.
FHR produces original research on the financial vulnerability of Detroit's independent workforce — and advocates for the policies and protections they need.
FHR Research Reports
Detroit Freelance Protection Index
FHR's flagship annual report measuring the protection status of Detroit's independent workforce across the five protection gaps. Based on aggregate, anonymized Freelancer Protection Score data.
First edition pending sufficient dataset. Take the Protection Score to contribute.
Contribute Your ScoreState of Freelancer Protection Report
An annual assessment of the legislative, policy, and market landscape affecting Michigan's independent workforce — covering health insurance access, tax policy, contract enforcement, and retirement access.
First edition in development.
Advocacy Work
Michigan Freelance Payment Protection
Advocating for a Michigan Freelance Worker Protection Act modeled on laws passed in New York, Illinois, and other states — requiring written contracts and timely payment for freelance work above a threshold amount.
Michigan currently has no freelance-specific payment protection law. Your contract is your only legal recourse.
Research Principles
How We Research
All data is cited with primary sources. We do not publish statistics without source attribution.
Protection Score data is anonymized and aggregated before publication. No individual is identifiable in any FHR report.
FHR does not accept funding from parties with a financial interest in our research findings.
Research methodology is published alongside findings. We welcome scrutiny and correction.