Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, partners meet unprecedented demand in 2010 Telling our story event highlights safety net programs

Dec. 2, 2010

 

DEARBORN - During an undoubtedly difficult year, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and its partners helped make a difference by serving the state's vulnerable children, adults and families. In fact, in fiscal year 2010, more than 2.9 million Michigan residents - nearly 30 percent of the state population - received benefits from one of six major cash, medical or emergency assistance programs, Director Ismael Ahmed said today.

 

"Through no fault of their own, an unprecedented number of hard-working families found themselves short on jobs and opportunities, but not short on work ethic," Ahmed said. "Due to their situations, they turned to the safety net for temporary relief.

 

"We continued to meet the need with limited resources to ensure the state's safety net remained strong."

 

MDHHS and partner agencies shared progress in safety net programs, including child welfare, food assistance, weatherization and domestic violence support at MDHHS' "Telling our story" event in Dearborn. Representatives released MDHHS' fiscal year 2010 annual report and the first in a series of short video stories from MDHHS clients, including Amanda Allen, who utilizes the new Family Resource Center at McKinley Academy in Flint.

 

"It's wonderful, it's calm, it's peaceful, it's relaxing," she said. "It's not a stressful environment like going to the agencies downtown."

 

Family Resource Centers serve as one-stop shops for family services located within or near a neighborhood school based on need. They are placed there to coordinate services according to the goals developed and shared by the family, community, school and other agencies involved. The goal is to decrease student school behavior problems, absenteeism and truancy, and increase parental participation and academic performance.

 

There are currently 52 Family Resource Centers operating statewide. The centers provide all MDHHS services, as well as direct support services and referrals for other community resources.

 

At the end of the fiscal year, the food assistance, Medicaid and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs were at historic highs with nearly 2 million people receiving food and health care assistance. The result: MDHHS field specialists were handling an average of 714 cases compared to 320 cases in fiscal year 2002.

 

These tough economic times also forced MDHHS to think innovatively in an effort to maximize efficiency. For example, the Bridges eligibility system, which was cited by Government Technology magazine as an exemplary state system, helped MDHHS staff manage an estimated 200,000 applications each month.

 

That enhanced technology also increased our clients' access to apply for food and emergency energy assistance online. To date, MDHHS has received nearly 240,000 online applications.

 

MDHHS also continued to improve its child welfare program in fiscal year 2010, paying special attention in improved services for children in foster care. For example, MDHHS and its partners increased the number of children adopted from foster care and provided in-home services and supports to children with serious emotional needs.

 

The serious emotional disturbances (SED) waiver program provides in-home services and supports to families with children who have serious emotional disturbances. The program was established by the Michigan Department of community Health in 2005 as a way to use federal Medicaid funds to help children. In 2009, MDHHS worked with DCH to apply the waiver to 200 children in the child welfare system in five counties. It has since been expanded to three additional counties.

 

Other fiscal year accomplishments include:

 

• Reducing the number of children in foster care from 16,545 in June 2009 to 15,023 in October 2010.
    
• In 2010, with 30 counties participating and 150 adoptions finalized, Michigan Adoption Day 2010 was the nation's largest Adoption Day event for the eighth year in a row.
   
• In September 2008, there were 4,396 children awaiting adoption longer than 12 months. As of September 2010, MDHHShad closed more than 63 percent of those cases.
   

 

MDHHS' partners played a huge role in these accomplishments, Ahmed said.

 

"I can't say enough about our partners' role in these accomplishments," he said. "They're all parts of the threads that make up the state safety net and each and every one of them has held strong."

 

Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services Executive Director Jaber Hassan agreed.

 

"The relationship between ACCESS and MDHHSwas a much needed partnership, and through this, we discovered not only that clients received a better quality of service, but also assisted them with additional services," Jaber said.

 

Continuation of the safety net is critical for Michigan's economic future, said Ron Borngesser, president of the Michigan Community Action Agency Association.

 

"We cannot write off 1.5 million of our neighbors who cannot afford basic necessities, much less set aside savings for the future," Borngesser said. "As long as there is support for a strong Department of Health and Human Services and networks like the Michigan Community Action Agencies there will be hope for all our citizens."

 

For more information about MDHHS, please visit www.michigan.gov/mdhhs. Follow MDHHS on Twitter @MichiganDHS or become a fan at www.facebook.com/MichiganDHS.