NJ Commissioner of Human Services Visits with ‘Grandparents Raising Grandchildren’

COURT HOUSE – Commissioner Carole Johnson, New Jersey Department of Human Services, was the guest speaker at the Sept. 19 meeting of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Family and Community Health Sciences’ Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cape May County.
The commissioner, formerly from Cape May County, specifically selected the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group  to visit while in the county, according to a release.
Johnson, along with Louise Rush, acting director, N.J. Division of Aging Services and Dennis McGowan, manager, area agencies on Aging Administration, provided an overview of the services and programs available through the Department of Human Services that help older residents maintain independence with help from their caregivers.
Marilou Rochford, Family and Community Health Sciences educator, stated, “We were pleased to host Commissioner Johnson and her staff. One of the goals of our program is to assist our grandparents in obtaining information about services and programs available to them and their grandchildren.” Rochford added, “Our grandparents are tasked with caring for their grandchildren as well as taking care of themselves as they age. Sometimes this is a difficult undertaking and it is important that they know the services and programs that are available to them through the State of New Jersey and the County of Cape May.”
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is the largest state agency in the state. It serves about 2.1 million New Jerseyans or about one in every five state residents.
DHS and its divisions provide programs and services designed to give eligible individuals and families the help they need to find permanent solutions to a myriad of life challenges.
For information about the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group, call 609-465-5115, ext. 3609.