The Dane County Department of Human Services (DCDHS) announced it has been awarded over $150,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families’ Family First fund. The grant dollars will supplement Child Protective Service and Youth Justice wraparound funds to support families’ basic needs, such as rent/utilities, food, child care, and transportation.
DCDHS will use the award to support child reunification from out-of-home care, expanding the window of time that flexible funding is available to support families during this transition. Funds will also support youth as they transition out of court-ordered placements and into independent living situations.
Through this award, caregivers will be able to receive a foster care grant until the licensing process is completed. Funding will also be used to provide required licensing items such as beds, fire alarms, and pet vaccinations, and may also involve helping pay for child care costs until child care subsidy and foster care payments begin. Grant dollars will support foster parents needing specialty items for children in care in order to help keep them from moving to higher levels of care.
A resolution to accept the $155,906 award from the Family First fund was introduced to the Dane County Board last month and went before the Health & Human Needs Committee at a recent meeting. The resolution is expected to be approved by the Board in the coming weeks.
