YWCA and local service providers praise Rock County decision to keep community initiatives funding

Representatives of local service providers thanked the Rock County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday for a decision to not eliminate the county's Community Initiatives program and urged the board to preserve centralized administration of the funds.

The speakers said the program supports coordinated services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking and that moving administrative responsibility into individual county departments could increase paperwork and complicate service delivery. "We are deeply grateful for the strong partnerships we have cultivated with the county departments and for the continued support we receive," Heidi Deininger, executive director of YWCA Rock County, said during public comment.

The speakers described long-standing collaboration between county departments and nonprofits. Britney De Lao, who identified herself as speaking on behalf of the YWCA, said, "We appreciate the transparency and inclusive approach taken to engage stakeholders through the process" and thanked the staff committee and board for the decision to keep the program. Kelsey Hood Christiansen of Family Services of Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois said she was "advocating for the community initiative funds to continue being part of the county administrator rather than the administrative responsibility of the departments," arguing that shifting administration would "blur the lines of those partnerships" and increase burdens on nonprofit partners.

All three speakers described services that rely on cross-agency coordination. Deininger noted that YWCA staff provide training to law enforcement on the lethality assessment protocol and that YWCA staff are available around the clock to support survivors and shelter clients. Christiansen said Family Services works with the Human Services Department, the Rock County Jail and other agencies on multi-agency teams including a domestic violence leadership team and an anti-trafficking response team.

Speakers asked the board and staff committee to keep the program structure as simple as possible so nonprofits can focus on direct services rather than administrative tasks. There was no formal motion recorded during the public comment period on changing the program's administration; the remarks were part of the citizen participation portion of the agenda.

The county earlier notified stakeholders that the Community Initiatives program is undergoing reform; speakers asked to be included in that process. The board did not vote on any new changes during the public-comment period; further administrative or policy steps would be handled in committee or staff process later this year.