Dane County Department of Human Services to support youth, families, and foster parents

MADISON, Wis. -- The Dane County Department of Human Services announced Thursday it was awarded over $150,000 from the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families' "Family First Fund."

The DCDHS said t he grant will support families’ basic needs such as rent/utilities, food, childcare, and transportation. The funding will come from Child Protective Service and Youth Justice wraparound funds, and will also assist kin and like kin who are persons of color from lower income households.

The DCDHS said it 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 critical transition. Funds will also support youth as they transition out of court-ordered placements and into independent living.

Through the award, the DCDHS said 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 childcare costs until childcare subsidy and foster care payments begin. Grant dollars will support foster parents needing specialty items for children, in order to keep them from moving to higher levels of care.

The DCDHS said caregivers will be able to receive a foster care grant until the licensing process is completed.

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