Department of Human Services: Economic Family Support Services
FY 2023 Program Summary & Performance Measures
MISSION
The mission of the Economic Family Support Services Division is to provide supportive services to the citizens of Cabarrus County to assist and support employment, self-sufficiency and promote personal responsibility.
MANDATE
- Child Day Care is mandated under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Reconciliation Act of 1996, which combined all federal childcare funding under the Child Care and Developmental Fund (CCDF). NC law governs the Smart Start program and mandates that a minimum of 30% of Smart Start funding in each county be designated for child day care subsidy.
- The Low-Income Energy program is mandated under Title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. The Child Support Services (CSS) program was established in 1975 by Public Law 93-647, Part B (Title IV-D of the Social Security Act) and NCGS 110-128-141.
- The Child Support Services (CSS) program was established in 1975 by Public Law 93-647, Part B (Title IV-D of the Social Security Act) and NCGS 110-128-141.
- Work First Family Assistance Program (WFFA) and Work First Employment Services are mandated under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PL 104-193) and GS 108A-25.
OVERVIEW
- The Subsidized Child Care Program is a service-oriented program administered by local purchasing agencies (LPA’s) that purchase childcare services for low income and other eligible families. LPA’s determine if families are qualified for childcare services based on federal, state and county rules and requirements.
- Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program provides assistance with rent and utility costs to households who have been impacted by COVID -19.
- Child Support Services is responsible for ensuring that non-custodial parents (NCP) support their children through financial means and with medical insurance coverage or medical support. This support is irrespective of whether owed to the custodial parent or caretaker, which could include foster care or the state for recovery of WFFA. Actions include the location of NCPs, establishment of paternity including DNA/genetic testing, establishment of a support obligation based upon the NC Child Support Guidelines, enforcement of collection of court orders for child support and medical insurance and medical support, spousal support and modifying such orders as deemed appropriate.
- The Crisis Intervention Program (CIP) assists low-income persons with a heating or cooling related crisis.
- Low Income Energy Assistance Payments (LIEAP) provides annual one-time assistance to low income households to assist with the cost of heating expenses.
- Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provides emergency assistance to low-income households to prevent disconnection, provide assistance with reconnection of drinking water, and wastewater services.
- Work First Employment Services and Services to Families Under 200% of Federal Poverty Level is provided to families to secure short-term training and other services to help them become employed and self-sufficient, thereby, supporting themselves and their children.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- 6,851 parents and caregivers received childcare subsidy services supporting employment.
- Provided over $1 million in heating and cooling assistance to eligible households approving over 2,538 applications and assisted 139 families with emergency assistance.
- More than $12 million collected in child support on behalf of children in Cabarrus County.
- Provided $6,252,049 in Emergency Rental Assistance funds to 796 families from April 2021 to January 2022.
CHALLENGES & TRENDS
- Through the challenges brought to us by COVID-19, Child Support exceeded total collections goal by 5.78%.
- Child Care Subsidy served an additional 150+ children from the Waiting List despite funding and provider availability challenges due to the aftermath of COVID-19.
- Cabarrus County’s rapid growth continues to have an impact on the Child Care Provider Community. As the demand for childcare subsidy continues to increase, Cabarrus and surrounding counties are lacking childcare providers to meet the demand of enrollment and capacity. COVID -19 has also created staffing challenges, classroom and facility closures.
- Child Care Subsidy has seen significant copayments and relatively low reimbursement rates to providers, which can limit their childcare options or require them to pay additional funds to bridge the gap between the subsidy value and the payment rate. This puts additional strain on the parents’ ability to access high-quality childcare.
- Affordable housing, plus the volume of applications along with staffing challenges continues to pose an issue for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
- Adding the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) has been a challenge with trying to work with existing water companies to enroll in the energy provider portal in NCFAST in order to establish the vendor payment process.
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS & CHANGES
- This department’s budget has increased due to salary and benefit adjustments as well as inflationary adjustments.
Budget Summary
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
FY 2023 numbers are projections