All Work
Allegheny County Opioid Settlement Projects
New information added. This post includes information on current Allegheny County Opioid Settlement Projects.
Violence in Allegheny County: Interactive Dashboard
Allegheny County Department of Human Services developed these dashboards to provide information to the community about violence trends in Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.
Predictive Risk Models in Child Welfare
This report reviews the research evidence on algorithms in child welfare, specifically focusing on the causal impacts of the AFST and comparable predictive risk models (PRMs).
Community Need Index
Updated with 2022 data. The Allegheny County Need Index was developed to identify areas of the County that have greater relative need. This report and related materials explore census tracts in need and recent trends.
Supports for Parents with Students Who Have an IEP
Recently, DHS announced it was eliminating some Education Specialists Position. Read a summary of that decision and click here to find some resources if you need assistance.
Allegheny County Discounted Fares Pilot Program
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) partnered with Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) to launch a new transportation assistance program in November 2022 called the Discounted Fares Pilot. This […]
Point-in-Time Count of People Experiencing Homelessness: Annual Reports
Each year, Allegheny County participates in a national census of the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night. The Point-in-Time count enumerates people experiencing homelessness in the County who are sheltered, unsheltered or participating in a short-term, supportive housing program.
DHS Goals and Key Initiatives: 2024
DHS can reach our goals more quickly if we devote time and attention to several big, bold initiatives that will make our systems and our organization work better for everyone we serve. This document outlines our key initiatives in 2024—which are in addition to our core work of running effective systems of care for people.
DHS 2023 Accomplishments
This report highlights the 2023 DHS accomplishments that stood out. There are many, many other achievements. We chose the ones that made the biggest difference.
Allegheny County DHS Text Messaging Outreach: Interactive Dashboard
DHS sends text messages to county residents to increase awareness of services, provide reminders, and to gather feedback This dashboard displays information about these efforts. Updated daily.
Families using emergency shelters in Allegheny County
This data brief focuses on families using emergency shelter in Allegheny County from April 2022-March 2023
People using adult-only emergency shelters in Allegheny County
A data brief on people using adult-only emergency shelters in Allegheny County from April 2022-March 2023
Information for DHS contracted providers
Information for DHS providers on tools to improve care coordination, quality improvement, and strategic planning and on how to share information safely and securely with DHS.
Allegheny County Data Warehouse
Updated information added. View information about the Allegheny County Data Warehouse, which brings together and integrates client and service data from a wide variety of sources both internal and external to the County.
Annual Human Services Case Competition for Local Graduate Students
Updated 2023 information. Reports about DHS’s yearly case competition, which invites local graduate students on interdisciplinary teams to solve a problem in local government.
DHS Annual Plans and Budgets
In its responsibility for administering publicly-funded human services, Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) plans for the allocation of more than $1B in areas that span behavioral health, children […]
Intimate Partner Violence Reform Initiative: Report on progress
The Intimate Partner Violence Reform Initiative was created in May 2022 to coordinate policy and system-level work across agencies in Allegheny County to improve a complex and fragmented system for […]
Allegheny County’s Involuntary Hospitalization (302) Program
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted a study of the involuntary hospitalization program in the county. Involuntary hospitalizations occur when an individual undergoing a psychiatric episode is […]
Improving Prioritization of Housing Services: Implementation of the Allegheny Housing Assessment (AHA) and the Mental Health Allegheny Housing Assessment (MH-AHA)
Making good, informed decisions about how to allocate limited resources is an ever-evolving process. The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) strives to make the most equitable decisions when […]
Intimate partner homicides: 2017-2022
In May 2022, Allegheny County assembled a taskforce of leaders to reduce intimate partner violence (IPV) through improved coordination, information sharing, training, and implementation of interventions that target both those […]
Hello Baby Prevention Model and Program Supports Parents of New Babies
New information added September 2023. Hello Baby is designed for parents of new babies in Allegheny County to strengthen families and improve children’s outcomes. The approach is supported by a predictive risk model that uses integrated data to identify the highest need families.
Generating a Fully Synthetic Human Services Dataset
In 2022, staff at the Urban Institute partnered with the Allegheny County DHS and the Western Pennsylvania Regional Data Center (WPRDC) to pilot synthetic data generation at the local level, […]
Using SMS text messaging to inform, engage and communicate with residents
The Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) engages clients and others who interact with DHS programs in a variety of ways: regular roundtables/cabinets (e.g., Children’s Cabinet); town halls and […]
Measuring effectiveness: How and why DHS uses randomized pilots
At the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS), we work with more than 400 community organizations to keep children and older adults safe from abuse and neglect, connect them […]