Public Health Solutions says families in Gage County face rising housing and basic-needs crises

Angela Johnson, program manager for Healthy Families America at Public Health Solutions, told the Gage County Board of Supervisors on April 2 that the county is seeing more families living in hotels, more tenant-reported bed-bug and roach infestations, and growing needs that shift the home-visiting program from preventive to emergency support.

“Our home visits have increased almost double in the last year,” Johnson said. She told the board the program completed nearly 1,500 home visits across its district in the last year compared with about 800 the previous year and currently serves roughly 70 families. Johnson said the local team includes eight home visitors, two of whom are bilingual.

Johnson said the program partners with Sixpence, Head Start and Early Head Start and has reestablished ‘welcome baby’ visits with the local hospital to see newborns before discharge. Still, she said, staff increasingly respond to basic needs—food, shelter, diapers and transportation—rather than focusing only on parenting education. “We’re in this constant intervention mode,” she said.

The presentation cited several specific, quantifiable concerns: Johnson said roughly 40% of mothers and fathers in the program have not completed high school or a GED; the program reported two deaths among clients in the past year—one overdose and one suicide—and multiple families displaced from other counties who lack local supports. She described one family the program helped for about two weeks with diapers, wipes and food until the father obtained employment.

Johnson asked supervisors to consider ways to channel earlier referrals so Healthy Families can work preventively rather than entering cases already involved with child welfare. She also raised the rising cost and logistical barriers to professional pest remediation when families are living in hotels; supervisors suggested local resources and noted private vendors in town that provide treatment but said cost is a major barrier.

Supervisor discussion focused on connections to workforce development, childcare (Title 20) and transportation. Johnson said staff routinely refer clients to employment programs but that parents often lack reliable childcare or Title 20 eligibility required to take jobs; transportation remains an ongoing barrier, especially for mothers.

Ending: Supervisors thanked Johnson for the update and encouraged continued coordination between Public Health Solutions, the county and local nonprofits. Johnson said the program will continue to request referrals earlier in cases so staff can provide preventive services before families enter child welfare systems.