Oakland Family Services will be able to expand capacity within programs that improve the lives of children and families thanks to a 3-year, $1.2 million grant from Ballmer Group.

The funding will innovate services, increase scale and create even greater outcomes for those in need of assistance.

“We are so thankful for this partnership and excited about the opportunities it brings,” said Oakland Family Services President & CEO Jaimie Clayton. “This funding allows us to do the creative planning work necessary to increase the scale of our work to reach even more people, while leveraging successful programs and critical funding already in place.”

This grant will create great impact for Oakland Family Services in all areas of its service, through three key initiatives:

1. Day One: This grant gives Oakland Family Services the ability to negotiate alternative payment methods aligned with value-based care in its Day One treatment program. This program currently takes an operational loss as it assists people struggling with mental health and substance use disorders, because existing fee-for-service modes of reimbursement are not profitable or sustainable. Scaling and improving funding structure for Day One will ensure people get help that is even more necessary as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

2. Early Childhood Services: This grant supports creation of a long-term sustainability plan for the prevention and education services inherent in this department, which works to help identify and improve developmental delays, teaches parents important skills and provides key early education for children to prepare them for kindergarten. The plan would leverage longtime support and funding already in place, while creating a more robust continuum of early childhood services.

3. Oakland Family Service administration: Partnership with Ballmer Group will enable the agency to add administrative infrastructure to support its operations and planning processes.

“Kids and families should be able to access support services for their health, education, and safety, right in their own community,” said Kylee Mitchell Wells, Executive Director, Ballmer Group – Southeast Michigan. “Oakland Family Services is one of many organizations helping to stabilize families in Oakland County during this crisis, and we are honored to support their work.”

Ballmer Group works to improve economic mobility for children and families in the United States who are disproportionately likely to remain in poverty.