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 began in 2009. At that time, sexual orientation and gender identity were not frequently discussed as part of DHS practice. By 2016, DHS had made great strides in affirming LGBTQ communities. Work within DHS and with community partners led to written practice guidance related to gender and sexuality, improved understanding of bias in the workplace, the creation of an LGBTQ advisory council, and improved data collection related to gender and sexuality.

This report shares DHS’s experiences from 2009 through 2016 as it worked to better understand and serve the LGBTQ communities of Allegheny County. We share our strategies, challenges and lessons learned with the hope that others can learn from them.

Click here to read the report. 

The Allegheny County Consumer Action Response Team (CART) gathers feedback from consumers of publicly-funded behavioral health services, which include mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment for adults, children and families. CART conducts face-to-face or telephone interviews with service recipients and their families and summarizes the feedback so that it can be used for quality improvement by the Department of Human Services and its treatment providers. The annual reports below highlight significant trends and findings as collected by CART during its interviews.

• 2022 Annual Report
• 2021 Annual Report
• 2020 Annual Report
• 2019 Annual Report
• 2018 Annual Report
• 2017 Annual Report
• 2016 Annual Report
• 2015 Annual Report
• 2014 Annual Report
• 2013 Annual Report
• 2012 Annual Report

This infographic depicts the flow of homeless youth in and out of Allegheny County’s homeless service system in 2017. Analyzing the housing services that youth used — in addition to the places they were residing before and after receiving these services — helps inform outreach efforts and service planning. This is part of an effort to prevent and divert youth from homelessness and improve the housing outcomes of youth who do experience homelessness.

Using data from the County’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), 318 youth ages 18-24 who used a homeless service between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 were identified. Residence before and after service utilization were self-reported by youth. Some youth entered the homeless system multiple times during this period for a total of 446 service involvement entries during the period of study. Not all youth who entered a homeless service in 2017 exited within the same year; as a result, total entries into service do not equal exits.

The left side of the chart shows where youth were residing prior to their use of homeless services. The most frequent location was in an emergency shelter or on the street (i.e., in a place not meant for habitation). The middle of the chart displays the homeless services used by youth; emergency shelters were accessed most frequently followed by transitional housing services. The right side of the chart displays where youth went after leaving a homeless service. Most youth went to permanent living situations, though many also went to non-permanent locations and data was not available for about a quarter of service exits.

Click here to view the infographic for 2017. 

An infographic about services used by homeless youth in 2016 is available here.

In Allegheny County in 2016, 73 children in child welfare out-of-home placements ran away. This represents three percent of all children and nine percent of children ages 12 through 18 who were in placement that year. In this data brief, we analyze the factors that may contribute to runaway episodes in Allegheny County’s child welfare system such as demographics of the children and their placement types prior to running away.

Click here to read the data brief.

Approximately 40 percent of the families headed by single mothers in Allegheny County are living below the poverty line, while only four percent of two-parent families are living in poverty. This data brief takes a closer look at families in the region led by single mothers, describes how they fare in comparison to other types of families, and maps where they live in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.

Click here to read the data brief.

From 2012 through 2015, 1,255 youth ages 14 through 17 entered into out-of-home placements in Allegheny County. Out-of-home placement settings include foster care, group homes, residential facilities, living with a relative or friend, and supervised independent living. We surveyed 200 of these youth to gain a better understanding of their experiences in the child welfare system. This report includes our key findings and an exploration of respondents’ ideas about how their experiences with the child welfare system could be improved. We will use the results to guide future planning and program development.

Click here to read the report. 

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 2011. Thirteen trained volunteers helped 343 clients in need prepare returns last year. Collectively, these clients received a total federal refund of $519,645, at no cost to them. This brief includes demographic information about the taxpayers who received DHS tax assistance services and the overall results of the 2017 program.

Click here to read the brief. 

This data brief includes information on involuntary termination of parental rights cases and adoptions handled through CYF. TPR petitions and completed adoption data from 2014-2021 were examined in two separate briefs (linked below).

 

Click here to read the Adoption and Termination of Parental Rights Brief – 2018-2021

Click here to read the Adoptions and Involuntary Termination Brief – 2014-2017.

 

The Allegheny County Jail Collaborative is a group of government agencies, nonprofit organizations, volunteers and community members who are committed to improving the transition of people returning to the community after leaving the Allegheny County Jail. This report describes the Jail Collaborative’s 2016-2019 strategic plan, progress that has been made in the past year and advancements expected in the coming years.

Click here to read the report. 

A total of 20,190 children were referred to the child welfare system in Allegheny County due to abuse or neglect in 2015. The data in this brief analyzes the number and rate of children of different races at four critical stages within the child welfare system: referral, investigation, accept for service and home removal. While this analysis does not identify the reason for the disproportionality that exists, it is clear there is unequal representation of black and bi/multiracial children within the child welfare system as compared to the representation of these groups in Allegheny County.

Click here to read the brief.

The Allegheny County YOUth Count survey was initiated in 2015 to gain a more accurate count of youth experiencing housing instability. Data gathered was meant to enhance yearly HUD-required Point-in-Time (PIT) homelessness counts to determine how best to connect this population with the services they need. This data brief outlines key findings of the 2016 survey and explains the County’s ultimate decision to conduct two PIT counts next year and enlist the help of youth-serving providers to collect data rather than designing a separate survey.

Click here to read the full data brief. 

Eleven Allegheny County foster care provider agencies formed a training cooperative in order to improve the number and quality of training opportunities for foster parents. After increasing the number and variety of trainings, the cooperative requested feedback to inform quality and access improvements.  DHS staff conducted telephone surveys with foster parents and identified a number of recommendations for improvement.  This brief provides an overview of the survey process and findings.

Click to read the data brief

Conferencing and Teaming is the Allegheny County Department of Human Services’ practice model designed to engage child welfare participants, and their natural supports, in a process of family strengthening through client-driven goal setting and achievement.  An analysis of participant experiences with Conferencing and Teaming was conducted in order to assess their satisfaction with the process and ways in which participation might be improved. The analysis was based on telephone surveys with more than 200 participants.  Findings from the analysis and resulting recommendations are described in this brief.

Click here to read the full data brief.

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 most effective treatment to support their recovery from opioid use disorders. Medication-assisted treatment, or MAT, combines medication and counseling/behavioral therapy and, when clinically appropriate, is a standard of care in the treatment of opioid use disorders. Research has proven MAT to be highly effective in improving recovery outcomes and reducing criminal behavior and risk of infectious disease.

The Allegheny County Departments of Health and Human Services, together with Allegheny HealthChoices, Inc. and Community Care Behavioral Health, issued a Joint Position Statement on Medication-Assisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorders in Allegheny County, describing their expectations for contracted treatment providers and others who encounter or serve individuals with opioid use disorders. It states that every person entering substance use treatment for opioid use is entitled to the opportunity to learn about and consider MAT as a treatment option. It is intended to dispel ambiguity and should be understood as a clear statement in support of an effective treatment continuum that includes MAT.

Click here to view the full joint position statement.

Implemented at the end of 2013 and designed to provide service coordination and supports for families accessing Allegheny County’s four emergency homeless shelters, the Homeless Services and Supports Coordination program (HSSC) served about 300 families with children in its first year.  This evaluation was designed to elicit information about participants’ experiences with HSSC services as well as their overall shelter experience.  Among other findings, it found that staff personality and style of interaction were essential elements of what made the program successful. The report discusses the implications of this and other findings as well as opportunities for consideration going forward.

Click here to view the full report.