HUMAN SERVICES GET COUNTY BOOST

October 26, 2018
Jamie Kuhn, County Board Supervisor 608.616.0084
County Board

Committee increases support for youth, mental health, homeless, immigration

 

The Dane County Board's Health & Human Needs Committee has approved several important amendments focusing on mental health crisis intervention, youth and immigration services to Executive Joe Parisi's proposed 2019 operating budget.

 

Amendments approved Thursday include adding $80,000 toward the fight against homelessness including $20,000 for support services for residents of Rethke Terrace and $60,000 for rapid rehousing programs for individuals on the communitywide priority list, specifically veterans and chronically homeless individuals.

 

Additional amendments include adding $70,000 for the Dane County Immigration Assistance Fund; $20,000 to the Goodman Community Center to partner with Anesis Therapy to provide mental health services for youth and their families; $20,000 to increase sexual assault prevention services and $30,000 to support community violence intervention approaches specific to the La Follette High School area neighborhood

 

The committee also directed $70,000 to Rainbow Inc. to provide restorative healing and hope for young children and their families who have experienced trauma.

 

"The Health and Human Needs Committee worked thoughtfully to honor the needs of the community," said Supervisor Jamie Kuhn (District 16, southeast Madison) who chairs the  committee. "Our modifications to this budget are about our commitment to our youth, those in need of assistance with housing, immigration services and access to community services and mental health."

 

Other amendments approved by the Health & Human Needs Committee include $20,000 to OutReach, Inc. to improve health care for transgender and gender non-conforming people in Dane County and $3,500 to Latino Nation, a Verona High School student-led effort working to provide immigration assistance in Dane County.

 

"This was a collaborative process that built off a strong base budget and it shows our commitment to kids," said Supervisor Hayley Young (District 5, downtown Madison). "Dane County's future was the theme that emerged from our meeting from funding the Goodman Center to the Rainbow project. I'm also really proud that we funded transgender support at Outreach and sexual assault prevention services."

 

The amendments approved Thursday now move on to the county's Personnel & Finance Committee for an additional public hearing on Tuesday of next week. The hearing is in Room 351 of the City-County Building and begins at 6 p.m.