Minnesota DHS to cut spending, impose layoffs to close looming budget shortfall

Facing a major budget shortfall, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is preparing to lay off staff and slash millions of dollars in spending on state-run programs that serve vulnerable populations as well as sex offenders.

The budget cuts, disclosed in a memo to state employees Wednesday, include shifting the operation of some group homes for people with disabilities to private operators and the termination of a satellite program for treating sex offenders at the state prison in Moose Lake.

The agency also plans to leave dozens of positions unfilled at the state's main psychiatric hospital in St. Peter and lay off 15 employees at the Minnesota Sex Offender Program, which houses about 740 sex offenders at state-operated treatment centers.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-dhs-to-cut-spending-impose-layoffs-to-close-shortfall/572243942/