Basic Needs
How Youth Flow In and Out of Allegheny County Homeless Services
This infographic depicts the flow of homeless youth in and out of the County’s homeless service system. 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 ...
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Allegheny County YOUth Count 2016
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 ...
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Homeless Services and Supports Coordination: A Qualitative Program Evaluation
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 ...
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Allegheny County Point-in-Time Homelessness Data
Once a year, during the last 10 days of January, a Point-in-Time (PIT) count is conducted to identify individuals and families who are unhoused or living in housing programs operated through Allegheny County’s Continuum of Care for people experiencing homelessness. The following data briefs and related visualization provide information about these individuals and families and ...
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2015 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition
Fifty-three students representing 14 programs from five universities participated in the ninth annual Local Government Case Competition, focusing on transportation challenges for Allegheny County residents. Supported through the Human Services Integration Fund, the annual competition engages students to find creative solutions to real-life social problems The first-place team proposed a mobile app to help coordinate ...
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Allegheny County YOUth Count 2015
This data brief summarizes the results of the YOUth Count survey, Allegheny County’s first point-in-time count focused specifically on the number and needs of homeless and/or unstably-housed youth ages 18 through 24 years. Click here to read the full report. Data analysis/writers: Hilary Scherer and Abigail Horn...
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Community Need Index: Reports and Datasets
Suburban Poverty: Assessing Community Need Outside the Central City – 2014 Update The Community Need Index, a matrix for analyzing and illustrating relative need in Allegheny County communities outside the City of Pittsburgh, was developed by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services and introduced in 2014 in Suburban Poverty: Assessing Community Need Outside the ...
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Families Involved in the Allegheny County Homelessness System
In 2014, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted a review of its homelessness services system as a first step in planning for and promoting effective strategies for reducing homelessness. This report provides information about the population of families experiencing a housing crisis in Allegheny County from 2009 through 2013, with a particular ...
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Individuals Involved in the Allegheny County Homelessness System
This report describes individuals who experienced a housing crisis in Allegheny County from 2009 through 2013, with a particular focus on the 2009 entry cohort. Click here to read the full report. Click here to read a related report about families involved in Allegheny County’s homelessness system. Analysis and content: Ryan Burger, Abigail Horn, Brian Bell ...
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Sharing Data to Support Homeless Students in Allegheny County
Schools districts and human service systems define homelessness differently (as mandated by their respective regulatory and funding entities), resulting in many youth who are known to only one system. While being homeless is a disruptive experience that often hurts educational achievement, homeless youth are afforded additional supports to counteract these impacts. This report examines the ...
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2014 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition
The 2014 Local Government Case Competition engaged graduate students from local universities in identifying solutions to housing instability for individuals/families involved in the human services system. This report provides information about the competition, its history, and the key ideas generated by the participants. Click here to read the full report. Prepared by: Marina Duane and ...
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Homeless in Allegheny County: The Client Experience
DHS conducted a review of Allegheny County’s services for homeless individuals and families, as part of a strategic plan to improve the quality, accessibility and comprehensiveness of the system; this report focuses on the client perspective of the system and includes a description of current system change activities as well as recommendations for further action. ...
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Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste: Building a Better Home-Delivered Meals System
When its largest provider of Home -Delivered Meals (HDM) suddenly decided to discontinue its service, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) had just weeks to ensure that 800 frail and disabled adults would continue to get the meals they depended upon. Partnering with six providers, AAA seized the opportunity to reshape the HDM program. By ...
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I’ll Never Get Used to It: Young People Living on the Street
Designed to inform local leaders, this report places the issue of homeless youth within a national context and provides information about local need, services and strategies to prevent and address homelessness among Allegheny County’s young adults. Click here to read the full report....
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Immigrants and Refugees in Allegheny County: Scan and Needs Assessment
This assessment provides information on local immigrant and refugee populations in order to identify current and emerging service needs, gaps and barriers. It includes a set of recommendations for improving their access to services. Click here to read the full report....
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2012 Allegheny County DHS Local Government Case Competition: Addressing Suburban Poverty and Those Affected by It
The sixth annual Local Government Case Competition focused on the issue of suburban poverty. This report summarizes the winning presentations as well as the key ideas generated during the competition. Click to read the full report. ...
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Prevention Programs Across the Department of Human Services
DHS is committed to meeting the human services needs of county residents, particularly the county’s most vulnerable populations, through an extensive range of prevention, early intervention, crises management and after–care services. While system involvement is sometimes inevitable, necessary and highly beneficial to consumers, DHS believes that preventing the need for such system interventions can ultimately ...
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Homewood: A Community Profile
This profile of the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Homewood (and subsequent Addendum) was compiled by DHS to assess demographic changes and examine quality of life issues-poverty, education, health care-in Homewood and in the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County to accurately assess the community’s assets and needs. Click here to view the full report. Click here ...
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Serving Consumers with Limited English Proficiency
DHS surveyed providers and DHS staff on behalf of the Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council to identify the need for limited English proficiency services in the community and assess DHS’s ability to meet those needs. Results of the survey are included in this report. Click here to read the full report....
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Understanding the Allegheny County Homeless Population
DHS examined a cohort of homeless individuals to describe the demographic composition and service utilization of the county’s homeless population, as well as to quantify the costs associated with their care. Homeless individuals in Allegheny County frequently consume public resources and contribute to a measurable and sizable public expense; the consumption of mental health services ...
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Home Foreclosures in Allegheny County
In this analysis, DHS examined the issue of home foreclosures in Allegheny County. Click to read the full report....
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Immigration and Public Benefit Eligibility: An Overview
This document, created in response to needs identified by the diverse groups participating in the DHS Immigrants and Internationals Advisory Council, serves as a resource guide for those seeking information about immigrants’ eligibility for public benefits. Click here to read the full resource guide....