The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) has released a new strategic plan for the department’s future goals that will go into effect in January 2023.
MDHS’ eight goals outlined in the plan describe the path necessary to connect with Mississippians who reach out to the department for assistance. The overall purpose is to help people become more economically secure, better skilled to enter the workforce, and more likely to live in safe and healthy home environments that enhance their self-sufficiency.
The eight goals of the strategic plan 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
“In all our work, we 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,” Robert Anderson, MDHS executive director 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.”
While the strategic is a roadmap for the department’s future, MDHS plans to adjust it to reflect evolving conditions and needs focused on client outcomes.
