Detroit Head Start Program Funding To Be Taken From City's Department Of Human Services

Another Blow For Department Of Human Services

Detroit's Department of Human Services, riddled with allegations of corruption, will no longer distribute the city's federal Head Start funding.

According to the Detroit Free Press, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will look for another agency to distribute the $50 million allotted the city under the national early education program, a decision Mayor Dave Bing's administration supports.

Detroit's DHS currently oversees seven contracted agencies that run the Head Start program's 135 local sites. The beleaguered agency is also set to lose its power over other federal funding. Michigan's Department of Human Services, with Bing's agreement, wants to decertify the city department and transfer Community Service Block Grant funds to a non-profit agency.

At a recent City Council meeting, MDHS Director Maura Corrigan cited DDHS's continued mismanagement of funds and urged the body to approve its disbandment. This week, a former DDHS employee was arrested for allegedly embezzling approximately $18,000 in CSBG funds.

In the case of Head Start, the goal of Health and Human Services is to keep Head Start running smoothly as they make the change, according to the Free Press.

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