Looking Deeper into Statements of Saint Francis Ministries and DHHS Under Oath

Thousands of Nebraska children have been placed in the care of Saint Francis Ministries (SFM) since 2019 since the Kansas based child welfare agency was awarded the contract for case management in the Omaha area. SFM grossly underbid the contract based upon the previous cost of providing services in this area. Trying to operate on an inadequate budget, SFM saddled caseworkers with more cases than is legally allowed in the state of Nebraska, and as a result caseworkers have been leaving in droves.

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SFMGuest User Comment
COVID-19 Complicates Custody Battles in Family Court

November is family court awareness month, raising awareness, hoping to spur change in the family court system and to honor the 758 children who have been murdered by separating or divorcing parents in the U.S. since 2008. Acknowledging this upcoming month as well as October as domestic violence awareness month, NOISE is proud to publish this story featuring a snapshot of one mother’s experience co-parenting throughout the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic with her ex-husband and former abuser.

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Anuska DharComment
Volunteer Lawyers Help Tenants Avoid Eviction After Moratorium Ends

Director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Laurie Heer Dale said that the TAP has made a huge difference since it was finally brought to Douglas County in August of 2021. August 2021 is when the CDC eviction moratorium expired just weeks after the Tennant Assistance Program got started in Douglas County. Eviction filings don’t always mean an eviction judgment. Heer Dale said that before the TAP, around 90% of cases ended with a judgment for an immediate eviction. Now, she said that rate is as low as 2%.

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Nebraskans with Medicaid Receive Dental and Vision Coverage Starting in October

Beginning this month (October 2021) Anyone currently on Medicaid will receive full benefits — including dental and vision and over-the-counter medications. “Previously, you had to be medically frail or pregnant to receive prime benefits,” explained Cherylle Leffall, the eligibility and enrollment supervisor at Charles Drew Health Centers. Heritage Health, as it is called in Nebraska, works just like any other insurance, so it can be used to visit a primary care physician, urgent care clinic or emergency department.

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Redistricting Debates in the Community and the Unicameral

Hundreds of Nebraskans came out to public hearings on proposed redistricting plans last week, with most of the conversation centered around State Senator Lou Ann Linehan’s congressional map—known as Legislative Bill 1— in which Douglas County is halved along West Dodge Road and Interstate 80. In Omaha, those who spoke were almost entirely in opposition to LB 1. Rough estimates from senators indicate that at least 56 people testified in opposition to LB 1, while around 9 spoke in support.

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OTOC Works with Community to Improve Traffic Safety 

Omaha Together One Community (OTOC) are working with local community members to improve pedestrian and motor vehicle safety in the N. 30th and Kansas Ave. intersection. The OTOC leadership team met with members of the Church of Resurrection on Feb. 23 to discuss the concerns over the intersection near the southwest corner of Miller Park.

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Guest UserComment
Nebraska Legislature Reveals Proposed Redistricting Maps and Plan for Public Comment

Newly released redistricting proposals could mean big changes for the Omaha Metro area, including a new seat in the state legislature and potential changes to the second congressional district boundaries. Four maps, two proposed by Democratic State Sen. Justin Wayne and two by Republican State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, were released last Thursday (September 9th), detailing plans for Congressional and legislative districts. Members of the redistricting committee will have to vote on a single plan to submit to the full legislature, but for now, they are preparing to host public hearings (beginning Thursday Sept.16) to get feedback from constituents on the two very different proposals.

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Ernie Chambers Files Complaint Against Judge for Denying Married Same-Sex Couple the Right to Adopt

Ernie Chambers, former representative of North Omaha’s District 11 in the Nebraska State Legislature and “Defender of the Downtrodden”, filed an official complaint to Chief Justice Michael Heavican regarding a recent decision from Dixon County Judge Luebe. Chambers called out Judge Douglas Luebe’s “discriminatory dismissal of the adoption petition of a married same-sex couple” who were “qualified by law to adopt a minor child.” A similar scenario in Kentucky led to the judge in question eventually removing himself from his post, but it remains unknown how the situation in Nebraska will unfold.

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Nebraska Doctors Despondent as Preventable COVID Wave Slams State

Mark Rupp has grown numb to people telling him he’s wrong, yelling that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, when he encourages them to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “I have certainly experienced plenty of that,” he says dryly. This is Dr. Mark Rupp, Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the medical director for infection control at Nebraska Medicine.

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Guest UserCOVID-19Comment
Increased Eligibility for Low Income Home Energy Assistance

LIHEAP was created under the Reagan Administration to replace an existing program that addressed concerns over growing energy prices. The Human Services Reauthorization Act of 1984 granted funds to LIHEAP to assist low income families with their heating and cooling. The federal DHHS allocates funds to all state, territorial and tribal governments to use how they see fit.

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Coalition of Activists Band Together Opposing Omaha’s 2022 Budget, Continuing Their Focus on Community Organizing

On August 3, members of the Omaha community came together in opposition to city’s proposed 2022 general fund budget. While dozens gave testimony at the public hearing inside city council, a group of approximately 40 remained outside listening to speeches from community organizers. The rally was organized by a coalition of community activist groups, including Strongly Worded Letters, Revolutionary Action Party, Omaha Autonomous Action, and Omaha Abolition Research.

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UNO Black Studies Department Celebrating 50th Anniversary, Pays Tribute to the Omaha 54

The University of Nebraska at Omaha Black Studies Department celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Part of this year’s celebration was a tribute to the Omaha 54, a group of 54 Black students who were arrested in 1969 for staging a sit-in. Chief among the protesting students demands was greater student input in future Black studies curricula. The sit-in, led by Black Liberators for Action on Campus (B.L.A.C.), was staged at the office of UNO’s then-Chancellor Kirk Naylor. Two years later in 1971, UNO’s Black Studies program was born. Image credit: UNO “Student Unrest Archive”.

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Still out of Compliance, Saint Francis Ministries Holds Restricted Child Placing License

In July of 2019, a contract between Saint Francis Ministries (SFM) and the state of Nebraska was finalized tasking Saint Francis with managing the care of roughly 2,000 abused and neglected children in and around Omaha. Since then, Saint Francis, which originally claimed they could do the job for roughly 40% less than their competitor, has repeatedly fallen short of compliance with various child welfare regulations, and recently their “Child Placing Agency License” has been put on probation. This probation is far from the first red flag for SFM, but never before has their ability to care for children across the whole state hung in the balance as it does now.

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SFMGuest User
As the Juvenile Justice Center Construction Continues, Local Group Continues to Fight

On July 14th, five members of the group Our Omaha, a community advocacy organization, attended the city’s topping-off ceremony of the new Juvenile Justice Center. The Juvenile Justice Center will include juvenile justice services along with County Attorney and Public Defender's offices and detention facilities. The advocacy group opposes the inclusion of detention facilities at the new center. As the final beam was lifted to the top and installed in front of the assembled crowd, the group turned their backs.

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