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Public commenters press Durham County for DSS audit and 1% social-services reallocation to family reunification
Summary
Two public commenters urged the board to prioritize services for families: Antoinette Hawes called for a DSS audit and redistribution of county priorities, while Amanda Wallace urged commissioners to reallocate 1% of the social-services budget (she said about $1,000,000) to family reunification and preservation.
At the start of the public-comment period, Antoinette Hawes urged commissioners to take stronger action to support marginalized residents and said Durham County should audit the Department of Social Services, alleging misallocation of funds. "Y'all need to audit DSS," Hawes said, urging commissioners to shift resources to families and child-reunification programs.
Amanda Wallace, founder of Operation Stop CPS and a Durham resident, told the board she was correcting what she described as misinformation from a previous meeting and pressed for a reallocation of 1% of the social-services budget — which she said equates to about $1,000,000 — to family reunification and family preservation. "We are demanding 1% of the social services budget, which is about 1,000,000 total," she said. Wallace also criticized family-treatment court initiatives and urged funds be redirected to community-based reunification supports.
