DHS urges continued investment as city council probes staffing, licensing and juvenile diversion

Commissioner Kimberly Ali told Philadelphia City Council's Committee of the Whole that the Department of Human Services's proposed FY2027 general fund allocation is $235 million, including roughly $4.44 million in new funding, and framed the request around reducing child welfare placements and strengthening prevention and diversion.

"My name is Kimberly Ali. I'm commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Human Services," Ali said, opening her testimony and describing DHS as the county's child welfare and juvenile justice agency with about 1,500 employees. She highlighted achievements since 2020, including a drop in children in placement from 5,111 to 2,258 and a reported 56% reduction in the number of children in care compared with the 2020 high point.

The testimony emphasized diversion and in-home services. Ali said DHS provided prevention services to more than 1,700 families in FY2025 and currently has 1,464 children receiving services at home. She noted that 40% of children in placement are in kinship care, above the national average, and that only 7.4% of youth in placement are…