On Thursday, Jan. 6, Greene County Commissioners announced the approval and receipt of a Greene County Children & Youth Agency Plan of Safe Care grant. According to two-year Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure, the plan for the $45,000 grant is to help Substance Affected Infants (SAI) and families.

With the receipt of the grant, Greene County Commissioners and the Human Services Department are developing a plan for the grants intended use. However, deadlines are approaching as the plan needs to be developed by March 2022. 

At that time, McClure said she hopes to have material forms developed by the Greene County Children and Youth Staff. According to McClure, after the material forms are developed, they will be able to continue making informational packets containing Plan of Safe Care forms, materials and resources. The packets will be distributed at commissioners meetings, to health care professionals and various other locations. 

“Our children and youth services covers the entire county,” McClure said.  “What we want to do is help families be in recovery, even if it’s as simple as providing diapers and formula. Anything we can do to help prevent substance abuse infants is important. But then again once you have a substance abuse infant, [it’s about] looking at how we can get parents educated to be working and helping their children overcome any obstacles they have.”

According to McClure, it can be difficult for commissioners to receive such large grants due to Greene County’s low population. However, McClure and her staff do not let that stop them. 

“In talking with Human Services as [a] whole, and CYS, we are continually looking for grants to stabilize and better our programs for families, children, [and] the community,” McClure said. “We work closely with our school districts and other community partners and we, as a new commissioner for two years, have deployed more grants than prior leaders. It is something we have looked into, to leverage our money.”

After this grant, McClure says that the commissioners and the Human Service Department plan to apply for more grants to provide the help these families need. She said she is going to help the residents of Greene County to the best of her ability, but it would not be possible without the staff.

“Our staff at Children and Youth Services work very hard. I often tell them that they have one of the most difficult jobs in the County, working with our most needy children,” McClure said. “I am proud that they work very hard, and they take their job very seriously and they’re very professional. I am very pleased with our staff. They’re hard workers and they are doing good things.”