December 2018
In this month's edition:

  • Federal funding allows City of Pittsburgh, DHS to reunite children in foster care with their families
  • Grant supporting diligent recruitment initiative comes to an end, but work continues
  • Kudos: Jean Severe
  • Kudos: Eva Bey
  • This month's Neighborland questions
  • Research and reports

News articles are uploaded to the DHS website as soon as they become available. For the most up-to-date news, visit  DHS News online .  
Federal funding allows City of Pittsburgh, DHS to reunite children in foster care with their families

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued the Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh (HACP) a $556,000 grant to help children in foster care reunite with their families or caregivers .
Grant supporting diligent recruitment initiative comes to an end, but work continues

September 30 marked the end of a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to reduce youth congregate care .
Kudos: Jean Severe

On December 13, Jean Severe, desktop support staff in the Office of Analytics, Technology and Planning (ATP), received the Desktop Support Technician of the Year award from the local chapter of Help Desk International (HDI) .
Kudos: Eva Bey

Eva Bey, Strength Based Family Workers program manager in Integrated Program Services (IPS), was honored by Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc (PCSI) at their annual board of director’s awards and celebration on November 30 . 
This month's Neighborland questions

DHS has recently launched a website, built on a software platform called Neighborland, to gather community input in order to improve programs and services. This month we would like to know:

  • As a landlord, what would it take for you to rent your property to a person or family in an Allegheny County housing program?

  • What could we do to make it easier for you to become a foster parent to a child who needs you?
Research and reports

A new report is featured on the DHS Research and Reports website.


In Allegheny County in 2017, there were 12 child fatalities or near-fatalities that were the result of suspected abuse or neglect. The County is required by state law to review each of these fatal or near-fatal events and use the information to improve practice and systems. This data brief describes the incidents that occurred in 2017, including victim and perpetrator demographics, families’ prior involvement with human services, cause of incidents and key recommendations.

We welcome your story ideas, employee news and comments. If you’ve got news you’d like to see in DHS News, please contact Mark Bertolet at mark.bertolet@alleghenycounty.us or 412-350-3439.