Crime Victims Crisis Center faces potential reorganization

All but one of the 11 Freeborn County employees laid off in the middle of the state government shutdown have been called back to work, Freeborn County Administrator John Kluever said Wednesday.

The position of the remaining employee, Rose Olmsted, the supervisor of the Crime Victims Crisis Center, will be discussed during an upcoming Department of Human Services board meeting on Tuesday. Kluever said at that time, there will be a discussion about the possibility of reorganizing the crisis center — even potentially having it offered outside of the county government in the private sector.

He said there are four employees that work in the crisis center. The supervisor position was the only nonunion employee affected by the layoffs.

He noted that the services that the Crime Victims Crisis Center provides are not mandated services, and the commissioners will need to consider whether they want to continue funding these areas.

He noted the center is heavily grant operated and runs with the help of many volunteers as well. In 2010, about $105,000 for operations came from grants, donations and other funding and about $34,000 came from the county. This can vary from year to year.

Also spearheaded by Olmsted was the Freeborn County Crisis Response Team, which is trained to support people who have been affected by hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, floods, vehicle crashes and shootings, to name a few.

The Crime Victims Crisis Center also plays a part in the Domestic Abuse Prevention program, among other programs.

“We’re looking at a discussion about how to move forward with any changes or reorganizations,” Kluever said.