Social Services director outlines large budget, family-keys pilot and costly out‑of‑home placements

Marathon County staff briefed the Health & Human Services Committee on the Social Services Department’s structure, budget and recent program work. The department, which the administrator described as the committee’s second-largest, comprises child welfare (including child protective services and youth justice), children’s long-term support, economic support and child-support functions.

Administrator Leonard and staff explained that the department’s 2026 total revenue budget is over $22 million, with varying mixes of tax levy and intergovernmental reimbursement depending on the program. Some programs that serve eligible populations, such as children’s long-term support, operate primarily on reimbursement and may require the county to float expenses until state reimbursement arrives.

The Family Keys pilot — a state-linked program Marathon County helped implement with two other counties — was highlighted as a successful approach to address housing instability by focusing on root causes (credit access, landlord engagement and supportive services) rather than purely placing families in housing. Staff said the pilot was substantively improved after board feedback and that the program has produced positive outcomes in stabilizing families.

Committee members were also reminded that out-of-home placements for youth and children can be expensive: staff cited high-cost placements that can approach $600,000 a year for children with intensive behavioral-health needs and noted that juvenile out-of-home placement days are a recurring budget pressure.

Staff signaled that forthcoming requests may include position changes or unit reorganizations (for example, adding supervisory roles or scaling children’s long-term support staffing) in response to caseload pressures and program needs. No formal policy actions were taken during the presentation, but staff said any new grants or changes not already in the budget will be brought to committee review.