Human services will be in the spotlight on Thursday when Westmoreland County hosts an open house to promote more than 70 agencies and private vendors as officials ready a plan to consolidate government programs into one unified department.
The three-hour event at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood is slated to begin at 11 a.m., after the conclusion of the commissioners’ July public meeting that will be held in the amphitheater at the school’s Student Achievement Center.
“We want to show the public what resources are available,” said Commissioner Sean Kertes. “Nearly half of our budget has become human services, so why not explain to the public what we are and where we are heading. We want to show the public where the money goes.”
The county’s 2022 budget includes more than $367 million in spending. About at third of budget, $122 million, is allocated to pay for human services such as mental health, aging and children’s programs.
Thursday’s fair is the latest effort by commissioners to revamp the county’s human services operations, which for decades have functioned as separate departments. They have sought to consolidate the programs for the past two years, an effort that is expected to be finalized in the coming days.
The county last year received a $250,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to redesign how the county administers human service programs and to hire a director for the redefined department.
Commissioners last week conducted interviews with three finalists for the job, Kertes said.
Meanwhile, on Thursday they are expected to announced a long-awaited plan to spend a portion of the county’s $105 million in American Rescue Program funds, with human services expected to receive substantial allocations.
In addition to the county departments, officials said dozens of private nonprofits and other agencies that provide services throughout the region will be represented at Thursday’s fair.
Tim Philips, director of the county’s Drug Overdose Task Force, said multiple drug and alcohol addiction rehabilitation programs will be among the vendors.
“We’ll be able to do assessments and offer referrals right there,” Philips said.
The county transit authority will operate bus service from the agency’s Greensburg headquarters to the college for the fair.
Chief Clerk Vera Spina said box lunches will be handed out to the first 300 attendees.
Officials are hopeful for a large turnout.
“If you have questions and don’t know who to turn to, this is the place to go,” Kertes said.
