Department of Human Services, faith community to host Albany public hearing

ALBANY — A public hearing is slated to take place Thursday at the Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services office in downtown Albany to help the faith community and the public learn how the needs of vulnerable children and families can be met.

DHS Commissioner Keith Horton and DFCS Director Bobby Cagle are among those expected to make an appearance at the hearing, which is set for 10 a.m.-noon on Thursday at the Dougherty County DFCS office at 200 W. Oglethorpe Blvd.

The Rev. Willie Myles, coordinator for the Ministerial and Faith Community Alliance, said it is part of the statewide effort to get ministers on board with how Georgia’s most vulnerable children can be helped.

“The government can’t do it by itself,” he said. “It takes help of the faith-based community to help our children. It is our belief that the faith community wants to get involved … We are inviting ministers (and others in the community) to tell them what we offer.

“Our goal is for ministers to leave seeing how they can get involved.”

The hearing will be in Room 1021 B/C on the first floor. Some of the presentations are expected to include how the faith community can help vulnerable children and families, grandparents raising grandchildren, child welfare and foster care, the impact of absentee fathers on children and families and services for the elderly.

It’s important to get the faith community involved, Myles said, because of the thousands who seek help through DHS compared to the millions in the faith community.

“The faith community far outweighs the problems we have,” he said.

While the goal is to reach the faith-based community, the hearing is open to anyone who has an ear, Myles said. The meeting is expected to be opened by Myles. There will then be an introduction by Horton followed by the presentations.

If other such hearings and the interest ahead of Thursday is any indication, the response from the Albany hearing is expected to be significant.

“We have gotten an enormous response. Pastors want to be engaged,” Myles said. “Ministers are saying: ‘I had no idea you do all of this.’ We are Georgia’s best kept secret.

“We have gotten an enormous amount of phone calls (about the Albany event). There is a very diverse group that is coming.”

There is also expected to be mention of the Aug. 28 DHS ministerial luncheon meeting in Atlanta, plans next month for a statewide prayer breakfast and week of prayer for families and children as well as the DHS host church program.

People can walk in, but RSVPs are being taken at [email protected].