Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
HHS budget review spotlights shelters, naloxone distribution and Behrend Center capacity plan
Summary
The finance committee reviewed the Health and Human Services department budget. HHS leaders described shelter operations, outreach and housing outcomes, harm reduction work including naloxone distribution, reductions in some client expenses as hotel use ended, and plans to increase census at the Behrend Center skilled‑nursing facility.
Health and Human Services Director Maggie McLaughlin told the finance committee that HHS’s FY26 budget focuses on sustaining core services amid constrained outside funding and that the department proposed no general new FTEs except revenue-generating roles.
McLaughlin described services across public health, social services (including the city‑run shelters), the Office of Elder Affairs and the Behrend Center skilled‑nursing facility. "We are the only municipality in the state that operates shelters," McLaughlin said, noting the scale of the city’s work to shelter and house people.
Public health staff highlighted prevention and harm-reduction work: the city’s free clinic served about 156 patients last year, the public health division provided…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
