Innovation and Reform
Free Tax Prep Coalition Completes 300 Tax Returns in 2019: Data Brief
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) offers free tax preparation services at its downtown location for income-eligible County residents. This data brief provides a summary of DHS’s 2019 […]
Developing Predictive Risk Models to Support Child Maltreatment Hotline Screening Decisions
The Allegheny Family Screening Tool (AFST) is a predictive risk model designed to improve decision-making in Allegheny County’s child welfare system. The tool utilizes hundreds of data elements to predict […]
Progress Towards Building an Affirming and Supportive Child Welfare System: Findings from an Institutional Analysis
In July 2013, the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP) and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) launched a partnership to better support child welfare-involved youth […]
Ride-Hailing for Medical Transportation Clients Improves Experience and Efficiency
Allegheny County Medicaid recipients are entitled to free transportation assistance to their non-emergency medical appointments. Traditionally, this transportation has been provided by paratransit vehicles for those not able to utilize […]
Collaboration Helps Hundreds of Allegheny County Students in Foster Care Remain in Their Home Schools
When a child is placed in a foster home, the resulting move can also mean living in a new school district. Research has shown that unplanned school changes can lead […]
Pilot Program Uses Technology to Collect Quick, Actionable Feedback from Human Services Clients
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) continuously strives to better understand our clients’ experiences and incorporate that feedback into service planning. We recently tested satisfaction kiosks as a […]
Moving a Child Welfare System to Be More Affirming of the LGBTQ Community: Strategies, Challenges and Lessons Learned
In an effort to provide affirming services to LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer/questioning) communities involved with Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services (DHS), the first Department-wide LGBTQ work group […]
Free Tax Preparation Services at the Allegheny County Department of Human Services
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), in partnership with the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania, has been offering free tax preparation in several locations throughout the County since […]
Linking Data to Improve Human Services Delivery: Podcast
How is the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) able to link data across programs and with providers, given privacy law restrictions? Erin Dalton, Director of DHS, and Brian […]
Joint Position Statement on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in Allegheny County
Allegheny County, like much of Western Pennsylvania, is in the midst of an opioid overdose epidemic and it is vitally important that County residents have access to the best and […]
The Director’s Action Line at Twenty Years: Trends, Client Satisfaction and Recommendations
Receiving more than 3,000 calls annually, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) Director’s Action Line (DAL) is an effective mechanism through which clients and other community members can […]
Of and For the Community: How Community Engagement and Communication Helped to Shape the Allegheny County Department of Human Services
Creating an integrated Department of Human Services in 1997 was a herculean task. It involved combining four formerly-separate departments, geographically dispersed and structured in very different ways. Administratively, technologically, fiscally […]
Managing with Less: Implementation of the Allegheny County Human Services Block Grant
Fiscal Year 2012/2013 saw the implementation of the Human Services Block Grant in Allegheny County, which combined a 10 percent decrease in funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare […]
Human Services: Sustained and Coordinated Efforts Could Facilitate Data-Sharing While Protecting Privacy
U.S. Government Accountability Office The U.S. Government Accountability Office examined four innovative data sharing practices (including DHS’s) to determine (1) how selected states or localities have shared data across programs […]
Your Culture is Valued Here: Lessons from the DHS Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council
In 2007, DHS established an Immigrant and International Advisory Council, seeking to ensure that its services were culturally competent and accessible. Since that time, the Council is credited by many […]