Hennepin County Profiles

Paul Lussenhop

Social Work Unit Supervisor
Case Management and Adult Protection, HSPHD
East Calhoun Neighborhood Resident
Celebrating 30 years at Hennepin County

Describe your work.

I am a unit supervisor for case management and adult protection in HSPHD. We manage cases in behavioral health areas, long-term care, and waiver assessment as support for people living in the community. 

I am one of three supervisors for adult protection. We investigate and do protective planning for vulnerable adults who are being neglected, abused, or exploited due to their disability or advanced age-any infirmity that prevents clients from being independent or protecting themselves. Often this means self-neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, or financial exploitation.

I also supervise a group of behavioral health case managers in forensic case management. We manage a case load of adults that are under civil commitment as mentally ill and dangerous- people who have committed a violent act and a mental illness plays a factor in the act.

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Why is your work important?

Adult protection is a significant responsibility. We have an aging population, and there are more and more people that need a lot of support. Some of our neighbors are vulnerable and are being exploited or abused by someone around them, or simply not able to care for themselves adequately. We work closely with the police departments in the community and the county attorney’s office to prosecute financial exploitation cases in order to ensure that  clients are being properly cared for and that finances are going toward their needs.  Our involvement ensures the well-being of our clients, but also keeps neighborhoods safe.

Many clients need support to live independently. Emphasis on independence and the ability to live without interference means our most vulnerable clients often struggle in really terrible situations- some life-threatening- before there is an opportunity to intervene. We do not have the same legal structure to take custody and place vulnerable adults as the County does vulnerable children, so intervention depends completely on the skill and ability of the social workers to put plans together to keep people safe.  We take that responsibility very seriously.

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What part of your job do you find most challenging?

The limits of what we can do.  We have a number of situations where people are at risk, but Hennepin County doesn’t have the authority or ability to act without that person’s involvement. Sometimes we have to walk away from a situation knowing that someone is at high risk, and something will happen with that person that we can’t stop.  It is a real challenge to put together a protective plan that is going to keep someone safe in those situations, and sometimes we can’t.

Mental health for adults is troublesome.  People are more and more on their own, and the largest institution for people who are mentally ill is often prisons and jails. The mental health system that we have does not serve peoples’ needs well enough.  It is also very hard to find safe, stable, long-term housing for people with serious mental health problems.  I believe that the public social services to those with mental illness is an essential function for a very vulnerable population.

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What do you like about working at Hennepin County?

I have been at Hennepin County for 30 years, and I love working with a committed team that enjoys their work. The people in behavioral health and adult protective services are passionate, intelligent, resourceful people who are great to work with. We value the opportunity to provide interventions that saves and lengthens lives, or improves the quality of people’s lives. Our services offer a safety net essential to the community- and without it being present or run effectively, there would be many more tragic situations. We do some tremendous good.

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What I want you to know:

Residents of Hennepin County might be aware of their neighbors who are living alone and having trouble taking care of themselves, but they aren’t aware of the public social services meant to support those neighbors.  We’re an invisible service to many, but without our work there would be a tangible negative impact. Our work touches all communities, and is one of the many ways Hennepin County supports residents in every neighborhood in the county.

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Paul Lussenhop works in case management and adult protection in the human services and public health department at Hennepin County. Adult protection receives about 12,000 calls annually through their common entry point intake function alleging abuse, neglect (including self-neglect) or financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult.  To learn more about adult protection, click here.  To learn more about adult mental health services, click here.