Budget Information
DHS Executive Budget
The Department of Human Services (DHS) budget is a mixture of state and federal funding. Each year, the department is involved in the state budget process where annual funding for the department's programs and services are determined by June 30. To learn more about the budget process in Pennsylvania, visit the
Office of the Budget.
View the 2024-2025 DHS Executive Budget(File size: 21MB; may take some time to load)
Human Services Block Grant
Act 80 of 2012 established a Human Services Block Grant Program for the purpose of allocating funds to select county governments to provide locally identified county-based human services to meet the service needs of county residents. This act originally allowed for 20 counties to participate, but as Act 153 of 2016 (Act) amended the Human Services Code removing the cap on the number of counties that may participate, the total now stands at 38 counties. The Act also removed the Child Welfare Special Grants funding beginning in the fiscal year 2017-2018.
The line items within the Block Grant contain a small but significant portion of the total funds allocated to counties for the delivery of human services. The funds within the Block Grant include:
- Mental Health Community Base Funded Services
- Behavioral Health Services Initiative
- Intellectual Disabilities Community Base Funded Services
- Act 152 Drug and Alcohol Services
- Homeless Assistance Program Funding
- Human Services Development Funds
Other significant sources of funding for county human services programs are not included in the Block Grant. Examples of funding not included in the Block Grant are: intellectual disabilities waiver programs, the Behavioral Health HealthChoices Program, early intervention services, and county child welfare needs-based funded services.
County Human Services Plans
Annually, counties submit County Human Services Plans to DHS for approval. Funds included in this plan are a small but significant portion of the total funds allocated to counties for the delivery of human services. Funds within the plan include:
- Mental Health Community Base Funded Services
- Behavioral Health Services Initiative
- Intellectual Disabilities Community Base Funded Services
- Act 152 Drug and Alcohol Services
- Homeless Assistance Program Funding
- Human Services Development Funds
Other significant sources of funding for county human services programs are not included in this plan. Examples of funding not included in the plan are: Intellectual Disabilities Waiver programs, Behavioral Health HealthChoices Program, Early Intervention Services, and County Child Welfare Needs-Based funded services.
Some counties have opted into the Human Services Block Grant, which allows counties to move funds between allocations to meet the needs of their county.