A contract to administer the Eligibility and Assessment portion of the W-2 program has been awarded for Milwaukee County. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) has announced the Social Development Commission (SDC) has been selected for a $16.9-million grant to manage the W-2 application process and provide services to W-2 parents.
DCF Secretary Reggie Bicha announced the grant that will make SDC the agency who will assess family financial needs in Milwaukee County and help parents connect with the W-2 agency that best helps them obtain and keep a job that supports their family. SDC will also provide and manage the at-risk pregnancy benefit and emergency assistance.
Starting April 1, SDC will be located at five W-2 sites across the county to provide the assessment services. Maximus operates two of those sites, one at 29th and Capitol and a second one in West Allis. YWCA will have a site at Dr. Martin Luther King Drive near Reservoir, UMOS will coordinate a site at 2701 S. Chase Avenue and PSI will operate one site tentatively scheduled to be located on N. 76th Street near Mill Road,.
SDC CEO Deborah Blanks says the “Our mission is to help those in poverty create a better life and greater self-reliance. The W-2 is a perfect fit for our agency because it helps families achieve self-sufficiency.” She adds that families applying for W-2 at the five sites will be provided with the opportunity at the same time to access SDC programs and services.
As many as 70 positions will be filled by SDC in preparing to serve as the Eligibility and Assessment Agency for the county. Current W-2 staff will be considered for those jobs as will current SDC employees and new hires. The agency expects to serve up to 1,500 persons a month through the new service.
For more information on the W-2 Eligibility and Assessment grant to the Social Development Commission, contact Erika Monroe-Dane of the Wisconsin DCF at 608-266-9000.
