State officials are asking Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials for answers regarding the “quiet shutdown” of their Benton Harbor office.
The building, located at 401 Eighth Street, has been closed for weeks without any public notice other than a printout on the front door. Employees have been forced to work remotely or at other state offices. People seeking services are told to go online or travel to the Cass or Van Buren County offices.
The “quiet closure” is not sitting well with the area’s state lawmakers.
Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt issued a statement Wednesday saying he’s troubled about what’s happening there. He says it’s completely unacceptable and that MDHHS has a duty to be fully transparent on the matter.
“I find it very troubling to learn from local media that the MDHHS office in Benton Harbor has been closed for the past two weeks — allegedly because of mold issues — and more than 170 state employees are working from home or other sites with minimal information shared with the community and nondescript notices posted at the location. Even more concerning is my office learned of this from local media, rather than the department itself. This is completely unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for MDHHS says Berrien County families can still access resources by phone and online at MIBridges. In addition, they say you can visit the Benton Harbor Michigan Works! office for help with some services.
State Representative Joey Andrews says traveling across counties for service is not ideal.
“We’re keeping up on it and our plan is to check in and see if we can get a timeline from them as soon as possible so that people aren’t having to go to Hartford and Cass and make that kind of a trek just to get served.”
Sen. Nesbitt added there’s a fundamental duty for government agencies to be up front about how services will be provided.
“Like any taxpayer-funded government agency, MDHHS has a duty to operate in the light of day and be fully transparent and open to the communities it is charged to serve. My office will work diligently to get answers for the people of Benton Harbor and Southwest Michigan who are most affected by this situation,” said Nesbitt.
There are 170 employees who work out of the facility. Inside that MDHHS office are a number of services including Children’s Protective Services and Labor and Economic Opportunity office. A reopening date for the building has not been determined.
