Community Resources

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Health and Human Services – Wayne County

Health and Human Services is a state government agency and offers a variety of different services and programs.

HHS provides financial assistance to those who qualify.  Aid to Dependent Children provides cash payments to economically vulnerable families with children 18 years or younger.  Employment First provides temporary support for a maximum of two years for families where the employable adults are transitioning to economic self-support, through components such as training, education, job preparation activities, or job search. State Supplement adds to the benefits of the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to bring income of aged and disabled individuals up to the need standards of Nebraska.  State Disability is also available at HHS and provides aid to needy persons who have a disability expected to last for at least six months, but less than the 12 months to be required to be eligible for the federal SSI program.  The Refugee Resettlement program provides financial assistance to refugess who have been resettled in the United States and do not qualify for other programs.

Health and Human Services offers the SNAP food program that is intended to raise the level of nutrition among low-income households. Eligibility is based on net income and size of household.

Medical services available are the Aged and Disabled Medicaid Waiver and Kids Connection Health Insurance. The Aged and Disabled Medicaid Waiver is a service system based upon the belief that people care needs should have options for receiving services.  Eligible persons are offered choices of receiving home and community-based services or entering a nursing home. Kids Connection Health Insurance is a children’s health insurance program that provides access to health care for low-income uninsured children statewide.

HHS offers emergency assistance to needy families with minor children in situations where other resources are not available. This could include evictions, loss of utility service, or lack of food supplies.  Low-Income Energy Assistance, a federally funded program, is designed to assist low-income families in meeting energy costs.  This is based on family size, fuel type, and geographic residency.

HHS has a variety of family support services.  Adult Family Home provides a home-like living arrangement to meet the needs of adults who are unable to live independently, but can function adequately with minimum supervision and protection. Employment/Support Services enables low-income families to become self-supporting.  Daycare services, homemaker family support, and transportation services are available through this program.  Aged and Disabled Services provides help for low-income recipients to enable them to be as self-sufficient as possible by offering chore services, home delivered meals, homemaker services, adult day care, congregate meals, respite care, and transportation.  The Child Support Enforcement Program provides legal services for ADC (Aid to Dependent Children) recipients to establish paternity and to help anyone enforce court orders for child support.  It also monitors child support collection and can locate absent parents.  Through their Disabled Persons and Family Support program, HHS helps to purchase services to help employed, disabled adults or help families keep a disabled family member in their home.  Developmental Disabilities Services Coordination links individuals and families to developmental disabilities supports and services by determining eligiblity, coordinating resources, helping determine priority status for funding specialized services, authorizing funds, facilitating individual program planning teams, and monitoring supports and services. Subsidized childcare is also available for families with children 12 years and younger or with special needs.

Medicaid is available for low-income Nebraskans.  This can cover hospital needs, nursing home, physicians, dental, clinic, home health, family planning, lab and radiology, and prescribed drugs.  The Medically Handicapped Children’s program provides diagnosis and referral services to low-income children and purchases necessary to treat them. Protection and Safety (Child Protective Services) works with reports of child abuse or neglect.  Services can include in-home family therapy, family support services, daycare, transportation, case management, and tempory foster care. HHS also provides an emergency shelter care program for short-term care for children 24 hours a day.  Adult Protective Services through HHS also investigates and provides services to the elderly and mentally or physically disabled persons age 18 or older.

Additional resources at HHS include the adoption program, foster care, licensing, and domestic abuse program. Licensing can include certifying a variety of facilities including daycare homes, foster homes, group homes, childcare agencies, child placing agencies, hospitals, health clinics, pharmacies, and mental health centers.  The domestic abuse program provides services to victims of domestic abuse and their families through grants to community-based groups to provide eight emergency services.  These services include, 24-hour access, transportation, medical and legal referral, crisis counseling, shelter, emergency financial aid, and assistance with protection orders.

Applicants can apply for different services either by coming into the office or by applying online.  The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm.