DHS: Making an Impact
A series of DHS publications that focus on the impact our services are having on real people rather than on budget figures or service data.
Newest DHS: Making an Impact
Human Services Development Fund
Published April 2012.
Services offered by DHS and our more than 300 provider agencies comes from funding that is often restricted to a specific program or population. But when individuals do not meet the requirements for traditional funding streams, the Human Services Development Fund allows for wider discretionary spending. Meet two people whose lives are made a little more manageable because of HSDF support.
All DHS: Making an Impact
Youth Support Partners (YSP)
Published January 2012.
In the on-going commitment to finding innovative solutions for helping the hardest-to-reach youth, DHS established a Youth Support Partners Unit (YSP). YSP is a peer-to-peer mentor program, allowing troubled youth to make connections with others who have been helped by DHS services. Read one youth’s story of the positive outcomes his support partner helped him achieve.
Director's Action Line
Published November 2011.
Every year, the DAL receives thousands of contacts from the public. These calls, emails and face-to face meetings include concerns, requests for information, referrals to resources and clarification of policies and practices. Although this number of contacts shows the magnitude of the DAL’s work, the actual consumers are the ones who can testify to the positive impact the DAL has on individuals and families as well as the larger human services system.
Drug & Alcohol Services
Published September 2011.
Although the road to recovery from substance use disorder is unique for each individual, there is one common thread — recovery is a life-long commitment requiring perseverance, support and access to adequate services and resources. The stories of Mary and Rita serve as a testament that substance abuse treatment services are effective and people can and do recover from substance use.
Drug Court
Published August 2011.
The Allegheny County Drug Court places drug users involved in the criminal justice system into an intensive drug treatment program as an alternative to incarceration to help them become drug-free and return to a productive lifestyle. For Jerome Maynor, the Allegheny County Drug Court opened the door to a new life, a life without handcuffs and prison bars, where he has become, in his own words, “a productive citizen instead of a menace to society.”
Jail Collaborative
Published June 2011.
Read how two former inmates benefitted from the work of the Jail Collaborative and reshaped their futures by taking advantage of family reunification, treatment and services in the jail and intensive supports upon their return home.
Family Support Centers
Published May 2011.
No family is immune from struggle. Some face challenges that are best met by teaming up with others who have similar goals. Here we share three personal stories as told by parents who look back with gratitude for the opportunities family support centers have afforded them to grow.
AmeriCorps/KEYS Service Corps
Published March 2011.
Kimmy Miller is one of the many KEYS members who has had a positive influence on youth in our communities. Her story about working with Steve, a youth at the Braddock Youth Project (BYP), is especially inspiring and serves as a solid example of the lives KEYS members are transforming.
Dom Care
Published March 2011.
Rose and Linda have shared a Dom Care home for nearly four years. Read how their stories illustrate the advantages of living in a private home as a “family.”
Homelessness
Published December 2009.
Read how a couple of DHS consumers overcame homelessness with the help of DHS and its providers.
Senior Training and Employment Program (STEP)
Published November 2009.
Read how the STEP program offers training and job placement assistance to unemployed county residents over 55 years of age.
Mental Health Court
Published April 2009.
Read personal testimonies from Mental Health Court alumni.
One Vision One Life
Published February 2009.
Read how OVOL, an Allegheny County violence prevention program, was founded and how it has changed the lives of two people.
RESPOND
Published February 2009.
Meet two young men whose lives have been changed by the personal attention their lives received from the Interagency Review Team, the DHS Rapid Response Team, and the RESPOND program.
Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Published August 2008.
Read how committed advocates called “ombudsmen” are helping Allegheny County's most vulnerable citizens.
Family Group Decision Making
Published August 2008.
Read how FGDM helped get one family that was involved with the child welfare system back on track.
Allegheny County / Pittsburgh Early Childhood Education Programs (ECEP)
Published May 2008.
Discover how ECEP provides children with the 'head-start' they need.