The Traverse County Commissioners and Western Prairie Human Services Commissioners are pleased to announce that they are working together towards Traverse County Social Services being a part of Western Prairie Human Services beginning January 1, 2026.  Western Prairie Human Services (WPHS) is a Joint Powers entity that currently serves as Grant and Pope County’s human services agency.  WPHS was formed on January 1, 2022.   We also signed a contract with Traverse County at the same time, extending the relationship Traverse has had with Grant County.

 

Grant County, and now WPHS, has worked with Traverse County for over a decade in areas like Child and adult protection and disabilities. Currently the Western Prairie Human Services Board and Traverse County Board are working towards and potentially formalizing an arrangement to continue that partnership indefinitely.

 

We want the citizens of our counties to know that if we reach that agreement, all three offices will remain fully staffed and open. The Western Prairie Human Services Board would be the governing body making day-to-day decisions for human services across all three counties, while all three county boards retain the sole authority to levy funds for their county.

 

We believe this venture as an agency will increase service options and program availability without exponentially increasing costs, increase staffing capacity and specialization, and slow the growth in the overall agency footprint by sharing expertise and administration.

 

Western Prairie Human Services follows the path of other county partnerships in this process, taking from their successes to provide person-centered care to the communities we serve, while also providing an environment of growth for our staff. As we work toward one agency in 2025, we continue to critically assess access to programs and service levels and look toward improvements we believe we can achieve together.

 

Additional information will be forthcoming to all that we gratefully serve. Please join us in our excitement to serve our community to the best of our ability.  If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to your County Commissioner or attend any of our public board meetings.

 

Sincerely

 

Traverse County Commissioners & Western Prairie Human Services Commissioners

 

 

 

 

 

 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider www.wphs.mn.gov

“It is our mission to be a person centered agency that partners with and empowers individuals and families, and promotes safe, healthy communities.”