County requests additional childcare funds as eligibility expands; department reports steady shelter and Medicaid caseloads

Lacey Campbell, commissioner of social services and mental health, told the Human Services Committee that the county needs additional funding to cover individuals already approved for the childcare subsidy after state and federal eligibility changes increased demand. Campbell said the county had to stop approving new childcare subsidy applications in April because funding ran out and that the requested legislative appropriation would cover already approved cases for the next 12 months. “This is the first year where counties are consistently running out of day care funds,” Campbell said.

Why it matters: the eligibility and contribution changes are set at the federal and state level, and local officials said they do not have flexibility to prioritize applications or raise family contributions to reduce demand. Campbell said one major federal…