Courthouse Series Highlights Community Services Office

(Spirit Lake)– Our series highlighting various offices in the Dickinson county courthouse this week focuses on the Community Services Office. KUOO’s John Adams Sr. recently visited with the Director of that vehicle, Beth will…(click here for comment.) “We offer several different services, one being what we call general assistance which is emergency rent, utilities, medical and burial needs to those folks that qualify or have needs in those areas. Another service that we offer is a representative payee program, whereas we help folks that may need help with their finances, paying their bills, sometimes needing legal representation or an appointment to handle their financial affairs and their monies from Social Security or whatever their income source is. The third area or issue in which we service folks is in regard to mental health and substance abuse. We coordinate all of the county’s mental health needs whether it be an in patient situation, services at our community mental health services center, working with the folks at Echo Plus and several different service providers that we have here in our county coordinating services for folks with disabilities. Likewise with those services that they have needs in substance abuse areas working with Compas Point and other area providers in kind of facilitating and case managing services for the folks.” Why did this office originate? In response to what needs? “The office originated several years ago based on legislation. Counties were required to provide both general assistance needs. Many years ago we were incorporated with the Department of Human Services. That broke away and became a county office as opposed to being with the Department of Human Services. The mental health services of course were legislatively and in 1996 stating that we needed to have a coordination or a central point to offer services to individuals in the county.” And finally, what are some trends or future signs that you see developing through this office? “Well the future holds a lot of things for the mental health area. We are looking at going into a regionalization process very similar to what the Department of Human Services is doing for mental health and substance abuse services, although we’re still in the planning stage of that, not sure what the regionalization process will look like. That will be developing in the immediate to near future.”