A new study recommends that Westmoreland County hire a human services director, and county commissioners are seeking funding to help cover the costs of the position.

The study, “Improving Human Services in Westmoreland County,” also identified technology improvements, lack of services in rural areas and insufficient countywide transportation as areas that need attention to better connect those in need with resources that can help them.

Commissioners on Thursday agreed to apply to the R.K. Mellon Foundation for a $250,000 grant. If approved, it would cover the salary of a human services director for multiple years.

“We previously submitted a very small pre-proposal, and the foundation requested that we submit a full proposal, so we are enthusiastic about our submission,” Commissioner Doug Chew said.

The study suggested that the new director should work with service providers to increase community outreach, conduct periodic community needs assessments and help spread awareness about services.

Dirk Matson, a member of the study’s steering committee, has retired as the county’s human services coordinator, a post that included oversight of an annual human services block grant from the state. Currently, oversight of the block grant is shared among human services fiscal officer Dante DeCario and the behavioral health/developmental services department.

Adding to the challenge of filling local needs, the study indicated, county spending on human services has decreased from $173 million in 2010 to just under $127 million in 2019.

The study noted the county has a strong network of 160 human service providers that have engaged in collaborative efforts, but it recommended a more formal process for coordinating their various services.

Some counties have developed software that allows multiple agencies to share information concerning a common client, according to Alyssa Cholodofsky, United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania’s Westmoreland Region Director and a study steering committee member.

“If somebody is receiving services from more than one agency, it’s just easier, so people don’t have to explain their story multiple times,” she said.

The human services study was conducted by The Hill Group and was jointly funded by the county, the United Way and The Community Foundation of Westmoreland County. It was appropriately timed, as the covid-19 pandemic has driven home the critical need for human services.

“The last 12 months really demonstrated the human service need, so we’re happy to have these results,” Chew said.

“This study is a critical step to understanding the current system and offer ways to better reach people who need assistance,” said Cholodofsky.

In 2020, the 2-1-1 phone number that residents can dial for information on any type of human service addressed about 150,000 requests in Southwestern Pennsylvania. That doubled the call volume from the previous year. Most callers were in search of housing support or utility assistance, Cholodofsky said.

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of having a strong safety net of human service providers,” she said. “Many of the people reaching out during the pandemic never had to seek help before.”

A survey of human service providers, conducted as part of the study, ranked areas where services are most inadequate in the county, with services for those formerly incarcerated topping the list.

Other inadequacies, according to survey respondents: housing and shelter; LGBTQIAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual) services; immigrant services; financial training and placement; and mental health.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)