David E. Stewart, Director
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Vision Statement
We are one team, respected by the community for being a leader in supporting innovative, customer-driven services and the effective use of public funds.
Mission Statement
Working with communities to provide access to responsive services that respect an individual's culture, rights, and choices resulting in health, safety and quality of life.
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About Human Services
The Pierce County Human Services Department is responsible for the administration of the County's Aging and Long Term Care , Mental Health , Developmental Disabilities , and Chemical Dependency services. The department has responsibility for development of comprehensive plans, service provision, program administration, program monitoring, and provision of technical assistance to community agencies, as well as some direct services for clients and training of providers.
Direct services are provided by the Mental Health Unit at the Pierce County Detention and Corrections Center, as well as by staff in Aging and Long Term Care and Developmental Disabilities. The Mental Health Unit also provides enhanced crisis response services under contract with DSHS Region V Division of Developmental Disabilities.
Other client services are provided by contractors. Often, consumers are served by at least two programs or have needs that cross these categorical lines, e.g., mentally ill chemical abuser and developmentally disabled senior; etc.
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Plan to End Family Homelessness
The Washington Families Fund (administered by Building Changes), with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector funders, is expanding its work in targeted counties in Washington in order to test, in combination, emerging new concepts and strategies that have proven effective, individually, in reducing family homelessness in a number of communities across the United States.
To this end, the foundation and Building Changes have asked Pierce, King and Snohomish Counties to develop a Plan to End Homelessness (for Pierce County this is a partnership of the Human Services and Community Services Departments) with the ultimate goal for each county to identify a series of systems change interventions related to five strategies the foundation hypothesizes will have the greatest impact. These key concepts/strategies include prevention, coordinated entry, rapid re-housing, tailored programs and economic opportunities.
The first phase of the planning process developed a Landscape Assessment, and the second phase developed a Strategic Plan. These two phases are completed and the documents can be found below. The final phase of planning is the Implementation Plan, expected to be completed later this summer.
System Landscape Assessment
Appendices
Strategic Plan Draft
Implementation Plan
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Funding sources
Funding for the department is comprised of federal, state, county, and city monies. County funds include maintenance of effort for involuntary mental health; Liquor Profit and Taxes (LP&T), dedicated by statute to alcohol programs; county millage, dedicated by statute to mental health and developmental disabilities programs; and Pierce County and City of Tacoma match funds for the Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Task Force . The federal and state dollars are negotiated on a biennial basis through contracts with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and a grant from the Traffic Safety Commission . Additional funds are awarded by the state throughout the biennium as they become available, and by grant.
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Advisory boards
Aging and Long-Term Care, Chemical Dependency and Developmental Disabilities have advisory boards, which meet monthly. These boards provide advice and recommendations, assist in assessing the needs and concerns of county residents relative to the services, represent and advocate for client constituencies, participate in unit planning, assist staff on issues and/or problem areas, and hold public hearings.
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Public Records Act Requests
Each Pierce County Department has its own Public Records Officer. Please check the link immediately below, which provides a list of Pierce County Departments/Public Records Officers and their contact information, to help determine which Public Records Officer is most appropriate to directly handle your specific request:
Pierce County Public Records Officers:http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/pc/abtus/ourorg/exec/PublicRecordsOfficers.htm
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More information
Call us at 253-798-4500 or 1-800-642-5769, or e-mail Pierce County Human Services .
Write to us at 3580 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, Washington 98418
Office hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday
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