Department of Human Services

The Hawaii Coalition for Dads and the State Commission on Fatherhood invite all Hawaii fathers, father figures, and their families to the 17th Annual Celebrate Father’s Day celebration. The June 20, 2015 event at Windward Mall Center Stage runs from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm and highlights the important roles that fathers and father figures play in children’s lives.

HONOLULU -- The Department of Human Services (DHS) is pleased to announce that Judy Mohr Peterson, Ph.D., will join the department as the new Med-QUEST Division (MQD) Administrator. Dr. Mohr Peterson is a nationally-recognized leader in Medicaid, health care transformation and Affordable Care Act implementation.

State officials are crafting a strategy to reduce Hawaii's homeless populations. State Homelessness Coordinator, Colin Kippen, and director of the Utah Homeless Task Force, Lloyd Pendelton, discuss Utah's approach, and how Hawaii hopes to emulate that success.

The 2015 Point in Time Count for the City and County of Honolulu has been completed. The Department of Human Services (DHS) Homeless Programs Office (HPO), City and County of Honolulu, and Partners in Care (PIC) collaborated to refine the methodology used for the count and worked with homeless service providers to assemble the necessary tools to capture the information. Neighbor island homeless population data is still being processed and will be available in May.

Elliot Kano, Administrator of the Department of Human Services (DHS) Social Services Division (SSD) Adult Protective & Community Services Branch (APCSB) was interviewed March 14, 2015 on Generations Radio, AM 690 KHNR. The topic was caring for Hawaii's senior citizens and preventing their abuse and/or exploitation.

Former foster child, Francesca Weems, visited an Oahu/Big Island BESSD SNAP training class on April 4, 2015.

National research shows that a large percentage of Hawaii residents who are eligible for SNAP are not receiving benefits. More aggressive outreach could be worth $50 million to $150 million annual spending in the state, if all those eligible folks signed up, according to the research. The task rightly lies mainly with the Department of Human Services, which administers SNAP at the state level. DHS supports the intent of HB 1347, but understandably prefers that lawmakers support its budget request as the avenue to boost SNAP, including through staffing and technological improvements.

Department of Human Services Director Rachael Wong said in written testimony last week her department supports the "intent" of House Bill 1347 to expand SNAP outreach, but asked lawmakers instead to support a DHS request for "staffing and modernization" efforts to continue to make other improvements in the SNAP program.

"Our top priority is moving forward with our plan to streamline what we're doing with IT, building on the technology that we've already put in place with our platforms, investing in our people here, moving quickly with what we're doing with Med-QUEST and our social services division, BESSD (Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division) and our public assistance."

To begin with, DHS is paying for the audit, so there's agency buy-in. Second, the director acknowledged the public-perception problem that hangs over KOLEA — but rather than dismiss the importance of this factor, she said, "It made me recognize there was a need for facts. We need a third party to come in to be able to assess the process, to assess our product and to assess where we are."