What are your county taxes paying for?
Through a series of articles I plan to explore each of the departments within Sauk County government in order to help residents better understand the services offered in exchange for your tax dollars. For this installment I decided to focus on Human Services. They are one of the biggest departments in the county, and they account for a large portion of the budget.
It would be impossible to adequately cover all the services offered through the Human Services Department in a one-page article. Their programs cover a range of issues including: mental health, substance abuse, juvenile justice, child protection, out of home care, elderly and disability services, economic support and W2 (Wisconsin Works). Instead, I sat down with Bill Orth, the Sauk County Human Services Director, and we focused on a series of programs that help the elderly, developmentally disabled and physically disabled adults and children lead rewarding and fulfilling lives. One of these programs provides early intervention services for kids from birth to 3 with disabilities or developmental delays designed to help families and kids learn how to adjust to their special needs. This program includes speech and physical therapy as well as special education.
The department also assists developmentally and physically disabled adults find appropriate and meaningful work. Through a series of programs on skill building, independent living, and prevocational training, Human Services' staff help their clients become self-reliant.
Human Services programs also help the elderly and developmentally or physically disabled county residents find home based care to meet their basic needs like cooking, cleaning, and bathing. If in-home assistance is not sufficient, Human Services' staff may arrange for the individual to go to an adult family home, or a group home known as a Community Based Residential Facility (CBRF). Currently the waiting list in Sauk County for these long term care services is over 300 people! Individuals on the waiting list who can't care for themselves at home often have to go to a nursing home. In many cases the cost of nursing home care, which is automatically paid for by Medicaid when a person's income and assets are depleted, is more expensive than community based care, but the community funding is not available.
When I asked Mr. Orth about a Human Services program he wished more Sauk County residents knew about, he mentioned a new collaboration with the Central Wisconsin Community Action Coalition, Saint Vincent DePaul's, the Salvation Army, Sauk County UW-Extension, and a number of churches. They have been working together to develop a toll free, 24-hour hotline to help the homeless find the resources they need. This new number is 1-888-472-8526 and cards with this information are currently being distributed throughout Sauk County.
For more information about the services offered through the Sauk County Human Services Department, call (608) 355-4200.
By: Jenny Erickson, Sauk County UW-Extension Community Development Educator
