GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – It was announced on Tuesday that a unique child support program will be expanded in the proposed 2019 Brown County budget.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach announced the expansion of the ELEVATE program, which stands for “Empowering Lives thru Education, Vocational Assessment, Training and Employment.”
It attempts to improve child support by boosting the economic stability of noncustodial parents, which he says is an innovative approach compared to traditional methods.
“It was more of the hammer of government, versus looking at the more holistic approach they are taking now,” says Streckenbach.
Instead of simply focusing on the child in need, agencies have attempted to attack the root of the problem by working to increase the ability of noncustodial parents to support their children.
Brown County Executive Streckenbach says numbers reflect the approaches success.
“Sixty-six percent of the noncustodial parents who were not making payments to their children, through this process are actually being successful,” he says.
Maria Lasecki, Director of the Brown County Child Support Agency, is also high in her praise of the initiative.
“We’ve seen noncustodial parents re-engage with their children after eight years of non-involvement and non-visitation,” she says.
She says the difference is an overhaul in approach to the problem, which begins with attempting to address the individual obstacles that prevent parents from being able to properly support their children.
“Now we’re asking the questions why and offering the services of this program,” she explains. “So that we can take a look at wrapping around services that they might not even know that they need.”
The provision of employment services will be added to Brown County Child Support, in an effort to connect noncustodial parents with high-demand industries in the area.
Those services will be rendered through one representative of the agency who can consider the scope of services needed and then direct that individual to the appropriate resource within the community.
“We’re helping them remove barriers that historically kept them from being custodial parents,” says Streckenbach.
An annual budget hearing will be held by the entire Brown County Board of Supervisors on October 31.
