Morrison County staff outline plan for community family resource center after regional assessment

Morrison County Health and Human Services on March 10 presented findings from a region-5 "explore and assess" study that recommends establishing a family or community resource center to connect residents with services, reduce child maltreatment risk and build social supports.

"The family resource center has a community navigator — a person — so you get in-person referral services," Melanie Ericson, supervisor of health and human services, told the county board. Ericson said the center would offer free, parent-led activities, a family advisory board and wraparound assistance for concrete needs such as food, diapers and transportation.

The assessment, funded in 2024 through a Sour family foundation grant, found local patterns of maltreatment were driven largely by neglect and that Morrison County has an elevated share of youth with disabilities; Ericson said those conditions contribute to a higher number of out-of-home placements among children with disabilities. The report also flagged that about 48% of surveyed residents said they do not know where to turn for help.

"When you have access to supports and concrete supports and resiliency supports, you're much less likely to find yourself in a situation where children might experience neglect or physical abuse," Ericson said.

Speakers and commissioners discussed service models and access barriers. Commissioners and staff emphasized two models: bricks-and-mortar centers in population hubs such as Little Falls or Brainerd, and a hub-and-spoke approach where a mobile or rotating schedule brings services to outlying communities. Several commissioners raised transportation and stigma as key barriers for rural residents.

Shannon Wagner of AEROS Family Services, introduced during the presentation, described past outreach events the nonprofit has used to build relationships and connect families to services, including a large community engagement day funded through the Minnesota Department of Health that drew more than 200 attendees.

Board members asked about next steps. Melanie Ericson said the regional grant closeout is expected in early April and roughly $27,000 from the original $223,000 grant remained to support final reporting and training. She said nonprofits may now apply directly for local implementation funding because the grant program no longer requires counties to be fiscal hosts.

Commissioners praised the work and stressed the need to align any center with local nonprofits and to design services that reduce barriers for working families. The board did not take formal action to create a county-run center; staff said they will continue strategic planning with community partners and seek funding opportunities to implement either a hub-and-spoke or brick-and-mortar model.

The next steps noted were final grant reporting, a region-5 training in late March, and ongoing work by local partners to plan an implementation approach and pursue philanthropic or implementation grants.