Human
Services
issues annual report

The Wright County Human Services Agency moved their social services and public health services programs and staff out of the Courthouse Government Center into the newly remodeled Human Services Center Building in 1999. That and other findings are part of the agency’s 1999 annual report, which was recently released.
This move was part of a long range plan by the county to account for both present and future space needs in the Human Services Department and all other county departments as well.
The move into the new building was the first time in the agency’s history that service programs have been split into different buildings. Income maintenance services, including financial assistance, child support, and fraud investigation, remain in their previous quarters within the courthouse.
Establishment of a new in-service automated training center in the new building has assisted in bringing the staff together on an ongoing basis. The communication data sharing, and revamping of practice protocols among staff that joint training opportunities have provided, has been invaluable in maintaining agency-wide philosophical and service-delivery integration, despite the loss of physical proximity in a commonly-shared building.
Careful planning by supervisors prior to and since the move, has helped significantly in finding ways to work together and create as seamless a fabric of services provision as possible. Rather than waiting for barriers to appear, Unit Supervisors, and their staff, have been proactive in establishing regular meetings, joint projects, and cross-unit monitoring and reporting procedures to create constructive ways to facilitate communication and enhance performance.
Wright County Human Services Unit Services Divisions include:
– Social Services Intake/Resource: This unit is the entry point for all social services with the exception of child maltreatment reports.
– Adult Services: The goal for Adult Services is to enable elderly and disabled adults to remain in the least restrictive environment by providing case management, home health aide, and homemaker services, thus preventing unnecessary nursing home placement.
– Children’s Services: This unit was established in January, 1999. Children’s Mental Health Case Management Services are required by State Statute. Social workers coordinate family community support services for children and their families. Service areas include mental health, social, education, health, vocational, recreational, volunteer, advocacy, transportation and legal.
– Mental Health: Services were provided to families with Developmental Disabilities , Adult Mental Illness, and Chemical Dependency.
– Child Protection Unit: This unit’s goal is to ensure that children are safe from experiences and conditions which are determined to be harmful to their health, growth, and development. Child Protection Services screening, assessment, and ongoing casework decisions are made within the parameters of Minnesota State Statutes.
– Public Health: The Public Health Unit provides services in six areas: home health, family health, disease prevention and control, health promotion, environmental health, and emergency medical services. These services are provided through home visits, community outreach, and collaboration with other community agencies.
– Financial Assistance Intake: A total of 3,157 initial programs for eligibility were determined. Staff provided 1,025 in-person screenings and 3,318 phone screenings for financial and medical programs, including MN Family Investment Program, Emergency Assistance, General Assistance, Emergency General Assistance, Chemical Dependency, Medical Assistance, Minnesota Supplement Assistance Program, Group Residential Housing, Auto Readiness, Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility act, and foster care.
– Financial Assistance Maintenance: This unit provides case management services to clients in all programs after the family or person has been approved to receive assistance.
– Child Support Collections: Child Support Officers use District Court or an Expedited Administrative Legal Process to establish orders for child support; determine paternity for children born outside marriage; seek medical support such as insurance coverage, and/or seek child day care (child care) support. this unit collects court ordered child support payments and enforces and modifies orders.
– The Clerical Unit: Provides agency receptionist and support services for the Financial and Child Support Units of Human Services in the Courthouse Government Center, and for Social Services and Public Health at the Human Services Center.
– The Accounting/Data Processing Unit: Maintains all agency accounting and automation systems activity.
Revenues for 1999 totaled $14,966,030. This included monies from county property tax ($4,383,300), state funds ($4,319,583), federal funds ($5,410,879), and other funds ($852,268).
Expenditures for 1999 totaled $16,626,526. Social services accounted for $11,942,804, public health ($1,785,024), and income maintenance ($2,898,698).
Wright County Human Services continues to provide many services and programs as part of its commitment to serving the community. Many of these programs are conducted in collaboration with various community partners, including hospitals, schools, extension services, local community groups, and private agencies.