MDHS will implement measurable goals that enhance, streamline eligibility services to help Mississippians move decisively towards self-sufficiency.
On Monday, the Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) released a new strategic plan that has been in development since early 2022. This plan will guide the work of the agency over the next five years beginning in July 2023.
“The eight goals included in the plan, describe the path needed to connect with Mississippians who reach out to MDHS for assistance and help them become more economically secure, better skilled to enter the workforce, and more likely to live in safe and healthy home environments that promote and enhance their self-sufficiency,” MDHS said.
The eight strategic plan goals are:
- Connect agency program participants with opportunities to work
- Expand access to quality early childhood care to enable parents to join and stay in the workforce
- Improve the financial security of children involved in child support cases
- Train and support the Early Child Care provider workforce
- Support agency program participants in furthering their education and job skills
- Reduce food insecurity
- Provide support to promote safe and stable homes
- Make MDHS services more accessible and easier to navigate
“While the Strategic Plan provides a roadmap, it is also intended to be a document that will be adjusted to reflect evolving conditions and needs focused on client outcomes,” MDHS said. “Data related to each of the measures will be collected and reviewed regularly, with a commitment to identifying opportunities for ongoing improvement.”
Bob Anderson, Executive Director of MDHS, said in all their work, MDHS are about the business of helping families move from a state of need to a state of self-sufficiency.
“We want our services to result in real and measurable improvements in the lives of Mississippi families,” Anderson said. “We help families with workforce training and education opportunities, food assistance, direct support, child care subsidies, child support paternity and enforcement assistance, parenting training, after-school care, community-based resources like utility assistance, and a wide range of supportive services for senior adults.”
Anderson added that the implementation of MDHS’ strategic plan will be informed by the lived experience of the families they serve and directed by the agency’s core values of integrity, compliance, excellence, and empathy.
“This focused and dynamic approach will allow us to continue our mission to provide tangible help today to create a lasting hope for tomorrow,” Anderson continued.
You can view the full MDHS strategic plan by clicking here.
Anne Summerhays
