SANTA FE – The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) is recognizing August 2022 as Child Support Awareness Month, and is encouraging non-custodial parents to participate in the agency’s STEPUp! Program. 

The Supporting, Training and Employing Parents Upwards (“STEPUp!”) Program launched in 2019 by the Gov. Lujan Grisham administration, partners HSD with the Department of Workforce Solutions to assist non-custodial parents with job development and job opportunities, and has since expanded statewide. 

The program today focuses on identifying  employers who are looking for qualified employees. It provides job training and works with parents to find jobs to help support their children and avoid further enforcement actions.

“We hope more parents who need help will connect to the STEPUp! Program and take advantage of the tools offered to support their children,” said David R. Scrase, MD, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Human Services Department. “This program helps non-custodial parents find jobs who are behind in paying their child support instead of taking them to court.”

“The Department of Workforce Solutions is committed to the continuation and expansion of this partnership,” said Marcos Martinez, acting secretary for the Department of Workforce Solutions. “We know the important role that employment plays in the family dynamic and our career consultants are ready and prepared to assist parents in career exploration, resume building, interview skills, and job placement.”

Individuals with questions about any of the Child Support Enforcement Month activities may contact the HSD Consolidated Customer Service Center at 1-800-283-4465.

A copy of the Governor’s August Child Support Awareness Month Proclamation can be found here.

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The department wants to ensure our clients of uninterrupted access to the benefits available to them. The easiest way to do this is to make sure contact information is up-to-date on the YesNM website: www.yes.state.nm.us. Users can simply and easily update their address using the chat functionality there. Step-by-step directions on how to update your address are available here. Individuals seeking to apply for or check their SNAP benefits may apply online through www.yes.state.nm.us or by phone at 1-800-283-4465

We talk, interpret and smile in all languages. We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled.

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 1,066,409 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.

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