Wright County HHS accepts $5,625 in donations, introduces new supervisor and highlights child-safety gains

The Wright County Board on Sept. 9 approved a resolution accepting $5,625 in donations to Health and Human Services for July and August 2025, welcomed a newly hired supervisor and received a county performance report showing gains in child-safety and permanency measures.

Jamie, a county Health and Human Services presenter, reported donations of $500 in car‑seat funds from the Rotary Club of Buffalo, $5,000 to the special needs fund from the Wright County Area United Way and $125 in staff donations to the HHS donation closet, for a total of $5,625. The board approved the donations by resolution; Commissioner Diedrich moved and Commissioner Holland seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Jamie introduced Hope Spooner as the department's newest supervisor in financial assistance, replacing Michelle Zek on the adult benefits team. Spooner told the board she “is happy to be back” to Wright County and that she lives in Montrose (District 5).

Jamie also briefed the board on the county's performance report on child safety and permanency. Key figures presented in the report include:
- The percent of children with a substantiated maltreatment report who did not experience a repeat substantiated maltreatment report within 12 months: 97.3% (improved from prior year; denominator reduced from 140 to 112 children).
- The percent of children discharged from out‑of‑home placement to permanency in less than 12 months: 60% (up from 51%).
- The percent of days children in family foster care spent with a relative: 71.6% (up from 70.5%) with a total of 22,381 days recorded.

Jamie also reported the county's performance on the Minnesota Family Investment Program and Diversionary Work Program self‑support index showing that a notable share of eligible adults were off cash assistance and working at least 30 hours per week three years after baseline.

The board did not take additional action on the performance metrics; the presentation was framed as informational praise for staff results.