P&P April Issue 2018

locally speaking By Larry Winter

Chippewa County, Wisconsin: Hope-Healing-Health

C hippewa County, WI, has been a member of APHSA’s Peer-to- Peer Health and Human Services Integration Institute. For this issue’s Locally Speaking , Chippewa County Department of Human Services Director Larry Winter has provided insight into their county initiative and institute project efforts by answering the fol- lowing questions. 1 Describe Chippewa County and the Chippewa County Department of Human Services. Chippewa County is primarily rural and is home to 63,000 citizens located approximately 100 miles east of Minneapolis, MN, and 200 miles northwest of Madison, WI. The county offers excitement and adventure year round and is home to nation- ally known companies, including Mason Shoe, Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, and Chippewa Springs Water; and internationally known computer technology compa- nies Cray Inc. and Silicon Graphics Incorporated. The county has abundant natural resources for those who love the outdoors, including bike and ski trails, snowmobile and ATV trails, picturesque parks, acres of pristine forest lands, and fish-laden lakes and streams, camping, golfing, and opportunities to view birds and other wildlife. The Chippewa County Department of Human Services (DHS) employs 80 staff serving citizens from birth to the end of life. In 2016, the department touched the lives of 30,977 through our services, not including individ- uals and families receiving multiple services. Like many other locations

ALICE , an acronym for A sset L imited, I ncome C onstrained, E mployed, are households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), but less than the basic cost of living for the state (the ALICE Threshold). Combined, the number of poverty and ALICE households (42 percent) equals the total Wisconsin population struggling to afford basic needs. How Many Households Are Struggling in Wisconsin?

29%

Poverty

ALICE

58%

Above AT

13%

below threshold for a survival budget of $24,504 or less for a single adult, and $54,348 or less for a family of four. According to the ALICE Report, the county also rates poorly in Affordable Housing (46/100), fair in Job Opportunities (60/100), and fair in Community Resources (52/100). We wanted to find a way to think about human services differently in our journey toward better results for our community. We joined APHSA to help us along this journey. What is Chippewa County DHS doing to address the social conditions in the county? The department is learning how to engage the larger eco-system through the lens of the Human Services Value

across the country, the county con- tinues to experience an increase in the citizen need for services. The highest need areas are mental health, sub- stance abuse, child abuse, and aging. Chippewa County DHS continues to address issues at the individual and family level by connecting citizens to programs and services. Why did Chippewa County DHS become a member of APHSA? Despite our efforts, the health and well-being of the county has not been improving. According to the United Way’s ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) 2016 Report, 2 we learned that a sur- prisingly high portion, 42 percent of households in the County, are at or

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Policy&Practice April 2018