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Human Services Commission
Priorities

HSC staff has worked with the Community Action Advisory Committee to develop six priority categories/goals for HSC services. The categories/goals that follow were designed to better focus the work plan for the upcoming FY 2005-2007 biennium. These priorities are validated by the results of the United Way 2004 Community Needs and Assets Study and the Commission on Children and Families SB 555 June 2004 update.

1. Ensure basic health essentials of nutritious food, safe shelter, and a warm home.
2. Keep people well and physically and mentally fit through providing access to health care including preventive and primary care, behavioral, preventive and emergency dental care and medications.
3. Support safety from all forms of abuse and prevent violence including: family and domestic violence, sexual assault, senior, disabled, and child abuse.
4. Stabilize at-risk people through outreach and education to move them to a safer and healthier lifestyle and environment.
5. Improve the stability and self-reliance of peopleand protect seniors and the disabled from premature institutionalization through coordinated care, case management, transitional and permanent supportive housing, and access to childcare, employment and training, early intervention and youth development programs other supportive services.
6. Assist people to access services to become healthier and more secure through access to health, disability, housing, energy conservation and financial counseling programs. This includes access to State and federal health programs such as the Oregon Health Plan (OHP), The Family Health Insurance Assistance Program (FHIAP), Senior Health Insurance Benefits Assistance (SHIBA), Medicare and pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, Veterans benefits, SSI, food stamps and other public benefits. This goal includes access to legal assistance for those persons having difficulty in obtaining and/or maintaining public benefits or housing.

Staff has identified the following issues as challenges in developing a budget and business plan for FY 2005-2006:

1. Personnel and contractual agency payment costs will continue to increase due to rising benefit costs and negotiated wage increases.
2. Implementation of new required Management Information Systems will increase overhead.
3. Cash flow financing options for the Community Health Centers needs to be addressed so as not to constrain other HSC activities. Cash on hand needs to be increased in the Human Services Fund to cover outstanding accounts receivables.
4. Oregon Health Plan changes will affect the budget and operations including changes in Medicaid support for health, veterans and senior and disabled services.
5. Two years of across-the-board cuts have disproportionately reduced rural services and food and shelter programs.