The Office of Public Guardian serves as the guardian of last resort for more than 350 people in Nebraska. In its latest annual report, the office provided data to help stakeholders and the public understand its work.
Between November 1, 2024, and October 31, 2025, the office served 369 individuals. Of these, 86 percent had at least one mental health diagnosis. On average, each person faced four complex medical conditions. Nearly 40 percent had a substance abuse diagnosis.
These statistics reflect significant physical and mental challenges among those served by the office. Many have high needs, limited income, and reduced independence. Associate Public Guardians aim to provide dignity and access to basic resources while helping individuals build capacity and independence.
The office highlighted some perspectives through quotations:
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
“What man wants is simply independent choice, whatever that independence may cost and wherever it may lead.” Fyodor Dostoevsky
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
“I don’t want to live in the kind of world where we don’t look out for each other. Not just the people that are close to us, but anybody who needs a helping hand.” Fred Rogers
The full Office of Public Guardian’s 2025 Annual Report is available online.
