[{"_1":2,"_98":-5,"_99":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6147889,"mediaKeyId","5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e","parentId",5518686,"title","Cumberland-Perry IDD program reports 1,150 registered clients; staff cite employment successes and staffing, housing shortfalls","audioSeconds",221,"startMs",349000,"endMs",570000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e&start=349&end=570","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e/thumbnail_349000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6147889/Cumberland-County/Pennsylvania/Cumberland-Perry-IDD-program-reports-1150-registered-clients-staff-cite-employment-successes-and-staffing-housing-shortfalls","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6147889-c4bd4415ab97019fd3f6db267bd9e4d0/orig.mp4?Expires=1775391900&Signature=Ctr~7fv4L7qL3KETeF3DGdnYyVM2RWdrSk-Sj2JL863dUnnSW2F9INN7CBpQdzHxK48dbxadsHko9o4HjRX--wYFXiJBpdpD8HYQasv~6586xTxIAYjNuPPMJfXdlcgk4Co6OCq9Q1y6usaeqWGNECz2vgcD2jf1~k3TRc1u-lKhLgid33EghZi04OTRb0Uhw3at4mA5d8LQZPC5wB8Xm5omMbqzaxk0rR4IwsQhCyPX95zYsau-dZYfDFF~9Wc75hDELH-w1lQEiQoSCP-ab9uedFP6c7XJpx5CJHr~sXqYbgKPM8Fm7UN9NdU~FAeny-zNEh2YcEYM~PFGhNzM3Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-07-31T06:47:48Z","article","County staff presented an overview of intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) and autism services shared by Cumberland and Perry counties and described strengths and ongoing needs.

Brian (staff member) said the IDD program serves about 1,150 registered individuals, with an estimated 80% living in Cumberland County and 20% in Perry County. \"Right now, our ID services provide services to about 1,150 individuals with intellectual disabilities or autism, and they're registered with our office. The split between our counties is about 80% Cumberland, 20% Perry,\" Brian said.

Staff listed services that include supports coordination, residential supports, supported employment, job-training services, adult-development programs, family support (including respite), transportation, recreation, and socialization. Brian highlighted Project SEARCH, which began locally in 2017. \"Project Search started in our counties in 2017...35 people have gone through the program thus far. 25 have gotten competitive jobs upon completion of the program. So that's a 71 percent success rate,\" Brian said. He also said, \"As of 03/31/2025, 205 out of the 1,150 people have of working age, so 25% are working competitively,\" a formulation read into the record.

The county also described independent-living supports. Pathways Academy, launched in 2014, offers a 12-to-18-month curriculum that helps participants practice daily living skills prior to moving into supported apartments. Brian said 22 people have graduated from Pathways and a new class will start in September 2025.

Staff identified several needs: ongoing staffing shortages that prevent residential programs from accepting referrals; some day programs remain closed or merged with others; difficulty locating residential placements for individuals with challenging behaviors, sometimes requiring relocation to other counties; rapid growth in the population served that strains support-coordination organizations; and a lack of affordable housing for individuals wishing to live independently.

Ending: staff characterized the IDD program as a cross-system effort with partnerships across mental health, children and youth services, aging, and local school districts, and they emphasized pressures from staffing and housing shortages as priorities for county planning.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Finance Meeting July 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","County staff described intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) services covering supports coordination, residential services, employment programs and independent-living training, and identified staffing shortages and a lack of affordable housing as key needs.","taxTitle","Cumberland County, Pennsylvania","taxId",18153,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6147894,"Residents, providers say Cumberland County mental health funding cuts have closed services and left people vulnerable",1530,1998000,3528000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e&start=1998&end=3528","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e/thumbnail_1998000.jpg","/articles/6147894/Cumberland-County/Pennsylvania/Residents-providers-say-Cumberland-County-mental-health-funding-cuts-have-closed-services-and-left-people-vulnerable","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6147894-9e29870f6bd6e3e80b83fc9d4093ad57/orig.mp4?Expires=1775391900&Signature=Dlfn5wKiRcvvmn7ho~QmGNG38HV1ivHL9R2fZsCRAS~fOCQJRzh0fxV18FQ5OycsDY2zwO5Gg3SlaPTbWhx~laKH1vW-bI9fYC9EVYEH5FSO57o798X4sHx6apsglKsxquPzTTzZ10~RNXe-GKplscuudq46WQ4seHA~9RH8241NzWKi8ypfowl75CUVMk3Hg3XtmxYmfib4PKtR4CRhPLfkbfNM5HS5Z2sZBVEDABd2lZ-x3o9yTYsvhFFPa3aGU2YUaqBT9yqtyXcxhsacim9HhOxS1skoyXI6F68D9b~swBgmTY8geIlwfYi-OKBNWo-MplTswhCXeFPKMp9TLg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of Cumberland County residents, providers and school officials told commissioners July 30 that recent county mental health funding cuts have removed services many called \"lifelines.\"

Deb Helwig read a statement from Jessica M. Paul, executive director of Consumer Satisfaction Services Inc., who wrote that county-funded recovery supports have helped people avoid inpatient care and remain connected to their communities. \"Today, 27 individuals have lost access to peer support,\" Jessica Paul wrote, \"47 have lost access to psychiatric rehabilitation, and 70 have lost access to supported employment services.\" Deb Helwig explicitly identified Jessica Paul as the source when presenting the statement.

Multiple consumers addressed the commission directly. James Baldick said, \"If I couldn't get these services, I probably wouldn't have committed suicide,\" and credited peer and case-management supports with keeping him housed and out of hospitals. Karen Hafner, a STAR Center member, read a letter describing the loss of county-funded psych rehab groups and the warm line; she told the commissioners she had lost a job at Merakey when funds were cut.

School officials also described impacts. Bill Longest, superintendent of Schuylkill (Schuette Harvard in transcript) School District, said county-supported mental health professionals historically served on school student-assistance teams and conducted expert screenings with parental consent. \"Cutting mental health services now in the midst of a youth mental health crisis is like sending firefighters home while the entire department is battling a 4-alarm fire,\" Longest said, urging restoration of funding or other support for schools.

The nut graf: testimony tied the service reductions to county budget shortfalls and to larger state-level delays in payments; speakers warned the cuts increase risk of crises, emergency-room visits, homelessness, and hospitalizations and asked for state and county action to restore or replace lost supports.

Speakers repeatedly cited state-level budget uncertainty. A county official read aloud a July 29 letter from the governor's Office of Budget outlining delayed payments across multiple programs if the state budget is not passed, including quarterly advances for behavioral health and other human-services payments. Commissioners acknowledged the state budget situation and said the county is monitoring cash flow and can sustain services for a limited period but stressed that prolonged state funding delays would force further reductions.

Ending: commissioners heard public testimony, discussed the state budget letter, and approved the Human Services Block Grant plan for submission; no immediate reversal of cuts was announced at the hearing.","At a public hearing on the Human Services Block Grant, multiple consumers, providers and a school superintendent testified that recent county funding cuts have reduced or eliminated psychiatric rehabilitation, peer support and supported employment services, and they urged restoration or alternative funding.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6147897,"Cumberland County approves 2025–26 Human Services Block Grant plan; second public hearing set in Perry County",3936,42000,3978000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e&start=42&end=3978","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5518686-55b60880269edfffe4d8c9b21b0d358e/thumbnail_42000.jpg","/articles/6147897/Cumberland-County/Pennsylvania/Cumberland-County-approves-202526-Human-Services-Block-Grant-plan-second-public-hearing-set-in-Perry-County","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6147897-f2c1ca9407ac56e48c8756c197856455/orig.mp4?Expires=1775391900&Signature=nk0obLF7zhAnIUUC6RuvfvJuR4zeHlmbUA~Rrqc2xRWQjL6OgtyWfnvQbgaXiLgGdtvwg4K3J1kVQR12Z19ZU2locNlHt~TGJgfFthqAo1QUSLkbVenByemjOj8EGHnF1KXh4c6Wzsbs2q45XSHEYSVZFUnkOjApqZE9gv7SntyOgIsvwdQS2WCRJI3XORsoq1UsjOFP9NoQpqgqA1CR87r~pqxrW4sCxDWKe~QsH9I-4UyGaf9UwnHc2xehuIyCgy~C6LXZfYXmNNrRpbskU64nEyP5JAOtfyO-mD~OkZJMHweZUHJPGJLo1OUqGHhJCds~u2DDfjNNJLN8W042-A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cumberland County commissioners opened a public hearing July 30 on the county's 2025'1,026 Human Services Block Grant plan and voted to approve the county's submission to the Commonwealth.

Brian (staff member), who helped lead development of the plan, told the commission the block grant framework traces to state law and gives counties more flexibility. \"Act 80 established the human services block grant. Act 55 of 2013 expanded it by 10, so it went from 20 to 30. And then Act 153 of 2016 allowed any county that wanted to participate effective 2017, 2018,\" Brian said. He also described Cumberland as a joiner with Perry County and noted Perry's plan is shorter because it references Cumberland's more comprehensive submission.

The nut graf: the plan bundles services across behavioral health, intellectual and developmental disability services, and substance-use programming and must be submitted to the state on a tight timeline. Brian told commissioners the plan was technically effective July 1, the county received required materials Jun. 11, and the state submission deadline is Aug. 11.

County staff described the plan as comprehensive and population-focused. It covers strengths and needs for adolescents, transition-age youth, adults, older adults, LGBTQ communities, persons with racial/ethnic/linguistic barriers, people with substance-use disorders, and people involved in the criminal-justice system. The mental health section lists the county's top priority as maintaining current services within the available allocation and outlines a progression toward alignment with SAMHSA best-practice guidance for crisis and mobile response, including a walk-in center.

Staff said two public hearings are required; Cumberland held the first and Perry County will hold the second on Aug. 4 at 10 a.m. Brian said he plans to provide the county testimony at both locations for people who cannot attend; Perry County's hearing is in person only.

County staff also reminded the commission of procedural requirements for the plan: written testimony must be provided if not already submitted, because the state submission requires it, and the final budget will be included in the county's final version of the plan.

Commissioners moved and seconded approval of the human services block grant plan and voted in favor. The plan will be submitted to the state in advance of the Aug. 11 deadline.

Ending note: county staff emphasized the compressed schedule and the need for any additional written public comment to be submitted promptly so it can be attached to the plan sent to the state.","Cumberland County commissioners opened a public hearing on the Human Services Block Grant plan, heard presentations on program priorities and timelines, and voted to approve submission of the plan to the state; Perry County will hold a second required hearing on Aug. 4.","actionData","errors"]

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Cumberland-Perry IDD program reports 1,150 registered clients; staff cite employment successes and staffing, housing shortfalls

Residents, providers say Cumberland County mental health funding cuts have closed services and left people vulnerable

Cumberland County approves 2025–26 Human Services Block Grant plan; second public hearing set in Perry County