Portage County Job and Family Services flags young-adult homelessness, expands data tracking and wins tax advance

RAVENNA, Ohio — Kelly Jones, speaking for Portage County Job and Family Services (JFS), reported to the Board of Commissioners on agency data for late 2024 and early 2025, described planned changes to how the agency tracks transportation and visitation services, and requested an advance of levy tax proceeds to smooth cash flow; the board approved the advance by roll call.

Jones reviewed December 2024 data (and noted what the board will see differently in February, when January data is incorporated). She said there were no major variances in core public-assistance categories — cash assistance, food assistance, Medicaid and child-care programs — but she proposed new, more granular tracking for NET (Medicaid nonemergency transportation) trips, internally driven trips by county drivers, trips related to workforce needs, and trips declined by providers because of staffing shortages.

"We're gonna start capturing data because that is such a great need," Jones said, describing the plan to isolate calls, trips completed and trips providers cannot meet. She told the board the agency has grown its internal driver capacity from a single JFS driver to four and will separately record trips handled by county drivers.

Jones also told the board she planned to isolate shared-placement funding requests presented to the Family and Children's First Council subcommittee (ICAT), where JFS, the mental-health board and Portage County Developmental Disabilities review clinical placements for children who are not in county custody.

She flagged a continuing concern about homeless 18-plus residents, saying the county increasingly funds hotel stays for young adults who are not in county custody and who must sign leases independently. "It's really a red flag for us," Jones said.

Jones highlighted the Benefit Bridge pilot (a voluntary program to help participants transition off public assistance into employment) and shared a success story: a 70-year-old participant moved from earning $10 an hour to $16 an hour in health care and is no longer on public assistance after receiving housing, transportation and other supports through the program.

On workforce and staffing, Jones said the agency's target full staffing level is 210 employees; current staffing fluctuates (she cited around 186). She warned the board of budget pressure: JFS saw roughly a $1,000,000 reduction from 2024 to 2025 in certain public-assistance and child-welfare funds and the agency continues to await the governor's biennial budget decisions.

Jones summarized association advocacy asks to the state: the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services faces long-term operating reductions and — across child-welfare and other associations — leaders are requesting additional state funding (figures cited in the meeting included a $30 million ask for child-welfare operating support and $10 million for workforce stabilization, and a broader note that public-welfare operating budgets have declined by about $22 million since 2014).

To manage near-term cash flow, Jones asked the board to authorize the county auditor to advance tax collections from the 2024 tax year (bringing funds forward from March to February). The board approved the request by roll call (Sabrina: yes; Jill: yes; Mike: yes).

The report included quantitative program details Jones presented: JFS manages roughly 40 funding streams and more than 100 programs; child-welfare custody cases numbered 121; there were 42 open adult-protective-services cases; and the quarter-4 customer-service survey received 55 resident responses. Jones said the agency will present more granular transportation and visitation metrics in future reports.

Ending Jones said she will return with updates as data collection changes take effect and as budget details become clearer following the governor's budget process.