ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP — Local social service providers say compliance issues and a lack of money have hindered their efforts to improve quality of life in Ashtabula County.
Now they are looking to first lady Frances Strickland to help them cut through the red tape.
Strickland visited Ashtabula County Monday and met with members of the local Family and Children First Council to learn of the successes and challenges faced in helping area children who are at risk for disruption of their home environment. The Community Counseling Center at the Donahoe Center hosted the meeting, which also included members of the school systems, service agencies and families.
Strickland, who chairs the Ohio Family and Children First Cabinet Council, said she has heard similar concerns about increasing paperwork and growing bureaucracy during meetings with other family councils.
“Those are recurring themes that we have heard,” she said. “Everyone wants flexibility in funding.”
The first lady is traveling throughout the state in an effort to learn more about the challenges those organizations face and what the state council can do to help. She plans to visit all 88 counties in Ohio by the third week in the July, she said.
Strickland said her visit was not a public relations event, but rather, she came to Ashtabula Township to build relationships with the people working in the trenches.
About 40 people attended the meeting.
Some of the topics covered in Strickland’s two-hour visit, included Ashtabula County Juvenile Court Judge Charles Hague talking about the county’s problems with alcohol and drug addiction, and social worker Cheri Jones explaining Ashtabula County Children Services Board’s Help Me Grow program, which helps prevent child abuse and neglect.
Strickland listened attentively to each and everyone, commenting on how lower wages and higher living expenses create more stress than ever for families. She is getting a committee together to help. She also has proposed a creating a centralized database that would make it easier for social agencies to gather and review applicants’ personal information.
“I’m here because (Gov.) Ted (Strickland) is working hard with economics, education, getting more people trained and to create new jobs,” she said. “Ted can’t do it all ... when I’m here, it’s the same as him. He cares.”
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First lady will assist social service providers
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