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DSS recommends approving data‑sharing MOA to prepare for Path NC rollout; highlights Hospitality House housing work
Summary
The county social services director recommended signing a data‑sharing memorandum of agreement so Ashe County can join the Path NC child welfare system and supply data for the public dashboard; the director also described Hospitality House’s recent housing outcomes and urged commissioners to consider a funding request.
Tracy, the Ashe County Department of Social Services director, recommended the board approve a data‑sharing memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services so the county can prepare to move to the Path NC child welfare system and supply data for the public dashboard that will go live July 1.
Tracy told commissioners Path NC is scheduled for an August cohort and that the MOA will allow the county to share data for the Rylands Law dashboard and for staff conversion to the new system—replacing the current systems and avoiding double entry. “It is a computer system that's not perfect, but it is really gonna help in being able to connect with other counties and their child welfare data,” she said.
Tracy also briefed the board on local social service statistics and highlighted Hospitality House, a regional homelessness service provider. She said Hospitality House housed 247 people last year through its permanency and rapid rehousing programs and asked commissioners to consider a county funding request she was carrying on the organization’s behalf. Tracy disclosed she serves on Hospitality House’s board.
Commissioners moved to approve the data‑sharing MOA at Tracy’s recommendation and the motion was seconded and approved during the meeting. Tracy also discussed state‑level bills being considered in the legislature, including one she described as an effort to criminalize camping in public spaces and another proposal to condition Medicaid on work requirements; she cautioned about the potential negative effects of criminalization on access to housing and benefits.
Tracy answered commissioners’ questions about case management counts and a special assistance funding policy that affects how adult services appear in case totals. She estimated Medicaid expansion added roughly 1,500 people locally and said Medicaid brought about $45 million into the county’s health care economy, a figure she asked commissioners to consider when evaluating related state proposals.
