Luzerne County human services departments highlight services in budget presentation

Luzerne County’s human services departments used their recent 2022 budget presentations to highlight services they provide to county residents and some of the issues they are facing.

County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo publicly thanked these departments and told county council their employees have been working tirelessly throughout the coronavirus pandemic to help people who are “disenfranchised” and “have no voice.”

Collectively, their proposed budgets total $113 million, and they are seeking $8.7 million from the county’s general fund operating budget, which is about the same as this year’s earmark.

Children and Youth

The agency is seeking $6.9 million in county funding toward its $45.63 million budget, said county Human Services Program Director John Alunni, who was appointed interim Children and Youth administrator after prior director Joanne Van Saun was arrested in July.

Van Saun pleaded guilty last month to child endangerment and obstruction offenses related to her failure to investigate hundreds of reports alleging child abuse and neglect in 2017.

Alunni told council the agency has received 6,788 referrals this year through Nov. 10.

That includes 812 Child Protective Services (CPS) and 2,721 General Protective Services (GPS) referrals, Alunni said.

CPS cases must be immediately investigated because they involve allegations of physical, sexual, emotional and medical abuse or neglect, he said.

Response time for GPS cases varies from immediate to 10 days based on the alleged risk, he said. Parental drug addiction, mental health concerns, inadequate living conditions and truancy are among the types of reports categorized as GPS, he said.

Other referrals focused on a range of help with affordable and safe housing, food, clothing, mental health or substance use disorder treatment and other services needed by families, he said. Many parents served by the child welfare system also struggle with reliable child care, unemployment, a lack of knowledge about child development, a lack of transportation and limited or no positive support systems, he said.

Currently, 3,654 families are receiving ongoing services from the agency, he said.

There are 886 children in placement outside their parental home and another 296 children “achieving permanency” through a stability plan covering their long-term housing and care, Alunni’s report said.

As of Nov. 10 this year, 72 children have been adopted, he said.

Future agency goals include stabilizing the Children and Youth workforce, Alunni said.

It is approved for 208 workers, but there are currently 60 vacancies, officials said.

Recruiting and retaining caseworkers has long been a challenge here and statewide largely due to low compensation and the high on-the-job stress of investigating alleged child abuse and neglect, officials have said.

To help with recruitment, county officials had increased the caseworker starting salary in 2018. The more experienced “caseworker 2” position currently starts at $38,956 annually, while compensation for the entry-level “caseworker 1” job begins at $32,419, according to job postings on the human resources department “career opportunities” link at luzernecounty.org.

Council Chairman Tim McGinley commended agency fiscal officer Chris Dalessandro for submitting timely fiscal reports to the state for the last nine quarters. Delays in past reports held up the county’s receipt of reimbursement, creating cash flow issues elsewhere in the county budget, McGinley said.

McGinley urged the agency to “keep working hard” amid the fallout from Van Saun’s guilty plea and other ongoing challenges.

”I know that you’ve worked under some trying circumstances over the past many months, but we appreciate your efforts, and certainly the people you’re servicing appreciate your efforts,” McGinley said.

Mental Health/Developmental Services

The agency is seeking $158,821 in county funding toward its $23.3 million budget.

More than 19,000 residents in Luzerne and Wyoming counties receive mental health support from the agency annually, said Administrator Tara Fox.

The agency also provides developmental service support to another 2,000 residents and early intervention services to 500 children.

Services range from less restrictive outpatient or case management to the most restrictive option of placement at the Clarks Summit State Hospital inpatient psychiatric facility.

Drug and Alcohol

The agency is seeking $175,850 in county funding toward its $7.4 million budget.

It manages client cases, provides funding for uninsured or under-insured residents with substance use disorders, links clients to family programs and support groups, oversees a state opioid-response housing grant, distributes the opioid overdose antidote Narcan and assists with other emerging needs, said Administrator Ryan Hogan.

His goals for 2022 include expanding bilingual services, enhancing the staff retention and training of outside providers and exploring the addition of an adolescent residential rehab facility in this region.

Hogan told council all drug and alcohol treatment is voluntary and that there is no legal way for loved ones to force someone to undergo it.

Stigmatization remains a “big issue,” he said. The agency is trying to make the general public understand substance use disorder is a disease that can result in success stories when it is properly treated.

Agency on Aging

The agency is not seeking any county funds toward its $13.86 million budget, which is covered by state and federal funds and other income, said Executive Director Mary Roselle.

It operates 17 active adult centers in Luzerne and Wyoming counties that provide a hot meal, education programs, socialization and evidence-based exercise and wellness programs.

Roselle told council her agency continues to offer many online exercise programs because they became popular when they were launched early in the coronavirus pandemic

The agency also performs assessments for residents seeking services in their homes or assisted living/long-term care facilities.

In-home possibilities include meals for older adults who are nutritionally at risk or have special nutritional needs. Those eligible receive 12 frozen meals every two weeks in addition to supplemental grocery items.

Other options include aides to assist with bathing, grooming and other personal care and adult day care services that provide a break to caregivers.

Eligible adults also may receive medical supplies, such as nutritional supplements and cleansing wipes.

To receive assistance, residents must participate in an assessment, provide a physician certification form and complete a financial application to determine if income guidelines are met.

Veteran Affairs

The department is requesting $360,000 from the county, which is its total budget.

Approximately 22,000 county veterans and their dependents receive assistance from the office, said Director James Spagnola.

Available benefits include disability compensation, wartime pensions, home loans, educational benefits, life insurance and emergency assistance.

The department also coordinates federal burial and funeral assistance, purchases cemetery flags and holders and provides a $100 county burial benefit for wartime veterans and their widows, Spagnola said.

In the 2020/21 fiscal year, the department obtained $3.5 million in new disability compensation and wartime pension benefits, he said. The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is now spending $108.3 million for the two programs in the county annually.

Other expenses

The human services division also is seeking $92,470 in county funding for administration budget, which totals $2.86 million.

A $1 million county match also is requested for a block grant totaling nearly $20 million.