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County DHS braces for state cuts
Result likely will be reduction in services, longer waits
Published Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Emergency rent and utility assistance. Mental health and chemical dependency assistance. Child protection.
As area municipal and educational leaders prepare for unallotments and delayed state aid payments during the next two years, local health and human services leaders likewise are getting ready to provide services with less.
Earlier this month, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed a $236 million reduction in health and human services spending across the state.
Freeborn County Department of Human Services Director Brian Buhmann said though he does not have a dollar figure for how much the local Department of Human Services will be cut, he does know the reductions will give visible changes to services locally.
“It’s going to boil down to the level and amount of services that the clients will be seeing because of a reduction in funding,” Buhmann said. “We may see a waiting list for services. And we may see families having to step up to the plate even more.”
He said he has been working closely with Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever and the county commissioners since this time last year in anticipation of a challenging legislative year.
“We’re going to do a good job continuing our services,” he said.
In Freeborn County, the Department of Human Services makes up about $12 million of a $38.5 million county budget.
The department provides services in the areas of social services, financial assistance, mental health and victim assistance.
This includes services such as cash assistance, medical programs, food programs, emergency programs and child care assistance. It also includes psychiatric, psychological and therapy services, along with victims advocacy and safe housing, to name a few.
One of the specific programs Buhmann mentioned that will be affected is the emergency general assistance program.
Starting Nov. 1 and going through the end of June 2011, the program — which is used by clients who fall behind on rent or utility payments — will be suspended.
Buhmann said usually people can use the program once every calendar year, though it is most often used in October and May each year. In October, people want to make sure their bills are up-to-date before winter, and in May people need to get caught up from their heating bills, he said.
However, this will not be happening during the next two years.
Another area seeing a reduction is in the Children and Community Service grant the department receives. Buhmann said Freeborn County is looking at least a $117,000 reduction in the grant in the first year of the biennium, which is a 25 percent reduction. The second year it will be closer to a 30 percent reduction, which is about $225,000, he said.
Other reductions announced by Pawlenty include caps to chemical dependency payment rates, reduction or the end of several other grants and changes to provider rates.
Regardless of all the changes, Buhmann said he wants people to know the Freeborn County Department of Human Services will still do its best to provide the services people need.
“They may not be quickly delivered as they’ve been accustomed to, but their needs and safety will be met,” he said.
He encouraged people to start contacting their state representatives and sharing their concerns with them.
Kluever said the county is in a “reasonable” position to handle the unallotments that Pawlenty announced recently.
“I’m not saying everything’s rosy, but we don’t have to do a lot of reacting at this point,” he said. “That I think allows for some thoughtful consideration of what we’re going to be doing.”
A series of budget workshops will begin in late July or early August, and then by Sept. 15, the county’s preliminary budget and levy must be set, he said.
The budget will be finalized in December.
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Comments
Posted by wingo (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 10:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
WHY is it that when ever cuts are made our children come out on the short end. Why?? Because our politicians get paid too much and they won't take cuts themselves. It's a sad country anymore.
Posted by standingby (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
And how many jobs will be cut there? If there are less services and funding, would this not mean a cut back in manpower just as everywhere else this has happened? Too bad we can take care of other countries people and not our own, the people who work hard and pay the taxes to have services like this available for hardships of the tax paying citizen~!
Posted by speakup (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 11:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
How about shooting for QUALITY assistance! Take a drive around the south side of town and take notice of all the sad domestic situations! There are plenty of children already not being served very well by DHS. Young children dirty and unsupervised. It is tragic.
Posted by leftys2221 (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 12:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The various county DHS' also serve adults with mental handicaps and mental illnesses. This cut is going to be devastating to these folks.
Speakup, the funding for these programs was already cut very thin by Mr. Pawlently. People in this field are very over worked already.
Posted by crzy_mama2mny (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 12:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why don't they start with kicking people off welfare? There are 2 families in our neighborhood who have 4 children each. None of the adults work. Why should they when welfare pays more? If the county would tell these people that they have to get a job by October 1 or they would lose all their welfare, I bet they would be able to find a job. The "sad domestic situations" many times are a direct result of the choices people make in life. Also, they are not just on the "south side of town"
Posted by leftys2221 (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The prevailing thought that the DHS just works with individuals on welfare who are lazy or there by the "direct result of the choices people make in life" is wrong. This is also funding for people with mental handicaps and mental illness.
Posted by BabyGotBack (anonymous) on June 30, 2009 at 9:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Keep yours crossed too Feedman. And if you are a man, keep it in your pants.
Posted by trifid (anonymous) on July 1, 2009 at 1:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
LOL. Good one, BabyGotBack. You nailed feedman to the chauvenistic dartboard.
True welfare does not exist. It is those who lie and manipulate the DHS that currently and habitually steal our tax dollars. Enforcement is needed!!
Posted by mankind (anonymous) on July 1, 2009 at 7:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
( QUOTE peterbreitholtz would you be willing to take a pay cut to support families right here in albert lea)
yes, I have taken a pay cut, and yes it does support families right here in Albert Lea
Posted by BabyGotBack (anonymous) on July 1, 2009 at 9:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
feedman - For the record, I am not on welfare and this may shock you but - are you sitting down - really sitting down - I earn a six figure income. Yes, you read that right, no joke. I am a self made successful woman.
My issue with your post is how you address the women. You tell them to keep their legs crossed. Why don't you tell your brothers to keep it their pants or better yet, get clipped. Most of those men - and I use the term men loosely - shouldn't be reproducing themselves.
Posted by mankind (anonymous) on July 1, 2009 at 2:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
By still having a job and paying taxes. Our pay cuts are helping keep the company I work for in business and providing care for the most vulnerable citizen in Freeborn county.
Posted by wingo (anonymous) on July 1, 2009 at 3:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
feedman -- last time I heard, it does take 2 to make a baby. Men ALWAYS put the blame on the woman, start taking some of the credit, I agree with BabyGotBack.
Posted by trifid (anonymous) on July 4, 2009 at 10:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oops! feedman stuck his other foot in his mouth.
BabyGotBack- 2
feedman- 0
Posted by BabyGotBack (anonymous) on July 6, 2009 at 4:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Why thank you trifid!
Now if he would just answer my question on another post as to what he means when he refers to Obama as "blue lips"...should we take bets on whether or not he will respond?
Posted by trifid (anonymous) on July 14, 2009 at 12:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sorry for the late reply.
At this late date my bet is on he won't reply. If feedman were to view my photo he would call me ' a longhaired commie pinko hippie'. He would be correct in only one of those adjectives.
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