Dane County commission identifies service gaps for older adults, people with disabilities, children and domestic-violence survivors

Dana [last name not specified], chair of the Dane County Commission on Sensitive Crimes, told a joint meeting of the county Policy, Public Safety & Justice and Health and Human Needs committees on May 22 that the commission’s coordinated community response teams are identifying critical gaps in services for victims across elder abuse, intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), child abuse and neglect, and domestic violence and sexual assault (DV/SA).

The commission, created by a Dane County ordinance as an advisory body, compiled recommendations that range from restoring mobile mental-health outreach for older adults to expanding forensic accounting for financial exploitation and creating accessible shelter and housing options for victims, Dana said. “We are dealing with victims and so ensuring that we have been able to work with county executive to get new members in as appropriate for the ordinance,” Dana said.

Why it matters: county and nonprofit providers reported recent, steep drops in some federal and foundation funding and long waitlists for clinical services, reducing capacity at a time advocates say need is growing. Committee members and staff discussed how those shortfalls affect emergency housing, mental-health follow-up and services for people with complex needs.

Elder-abuse needs: The commission defined elder abuse consistent with its ordinance as mistreatment of anyone age 60 or older and stressed a need for in-home mental-health outreach teams that can assess and prescribe when older adults cannot reach clinics. The commission noted the earlier “Journey” mobile outreach team was disbanded and Newbridge’s mental-health resource team does not provide direct intervention. The report requested access to forensic accounting for complex financial-exploitation cases and more affordable, certified fiduciaries to help older adults regain financial stability.

The commission also recommended a nursing case manager embedded in Adult Protective Services (APS). Dana said Milwaukee County’s APS nurse case manager model has been beneficial and recommended a feasibility approach for Dane County. The commission further reported that a feasibility study funded in the 2025 county budget is underway to evaluate a dementia stabilization and care-transition unit for people with dementia whose behaviors make home care unsafe; the unit would allow medication assessment and planning for return to the community, Dana said.

IDD (intellectual and developmental disabilities): The commission reported that adults with IDD face dramatically higher victimization risk and have special needs when incidents are behavioral in nature. The report cited that people with IDD are “up to 10 times more likely to be victims of crime” and “over a lifetime, 92 percent of persons with intellectual disabilities will have experienced sexual violence,” and recommended stronger training for residential staff, improved law-enforcement education about best practices for behavioral incidents, more IDD-informed counseling resources and consistent transition planning from child to adult long-term care programs.

Child-abuse and neglect: Presenters said long waiting lists for mental-health providers and loss of emergency housing options are pressuring child-protection systems. The commission flagged loss of hotel and short-term housing funds and called for emergency funding that can be accessed quickly by relatives or caregivers who take in children after removal from unsafe situations. The commission also raised concerns that children in shelters may be exposed to secondary trauma and that older youth without safe housing face higher trafficking risk.

DV/SA (domestic violence and sexual assault): The commission described multiple housing and shelter shortages, noting that the county’s high-lethality domestic-violence shelter is intended for those at greatest risk but is not fully funded. Dana said only 30 beds were open in the high-lethality shelter at the time of the presentation and the waiting list contains “dozens,” a number that changes daily. The commission called for expanded permanent affordable housing, more transitional options and greater capacity for harm-doer treatment programs; presenters said only two harm-doer programs exist locally and access is limited.

Funding and staffing pressures: Presenters and committee members discussed sharp reductions in Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding that previously flowed through the state. The commission said Wisconsin annual VOCA awards had been near $44,000,000 but dropped to about $13,000,000 statewide after an October funding cliff, and advocates reported that some local agencies had to lay off staff or reduce services. One provider cited a $250,000 cut that was partially restored by temporary funding, leaving a continuing shortfall.

Local collaborations and small expansions: The commission highlighted localized efforts, including Spanish-speaking men’s groups and a hospital-accompaniment program in which RCC (a local victim-services provider), Unidos and other agencies coordinate forensic exam referrals and follow-up. Presenters urged prioritizing proven providers when limited funds are available rather than creating new, untested programs.

Committee response and next steps: Supervisors at the meeting acknowledged the breadth of need and said the information should inform county budget and crisis-system planning. Chairs indicated the joint meeting was intended for learning and that the committees may schedule a follow-up joint session on related crisis-system issues, including CARES expansions and co-responder models.

The presentation was a noticed informational item and no formal votes were taken.