The Barnstable County Department of Human Services provides the following services and support:
Information and Referral. In collaboration with the Cape and Islands United Way and Community Health Network Alliance (CHNA 27), the Department has taken the lead in bringing 2-1-1 to Barnstable County. 2-1-1 is a state wide information and referral database and 24.7 call in center. With the help of our Americorp VISTA volunteer and with part time staff support paid for with a grant from the CHNA, the Department has been working on the 2-1-1 project since the fall of 2009and has entered and updated information on hundreds of health and human service resources in the region.
E-Newsletter. The Department acts as the “clearinghouse” for human services in the County. One of our services is to disseminate a periodic e-newsletter which contains timely information and is sent to hundreds of human service organizations, elected officials and County residents about trainings, funding opportunities and important community events.
Data Collection. The Department employs a full time data analyst who conducts needs assessments and is available to address requests for data from the community, providers, towns and elected officials.
Community Based Research and Needs Assessement. Since 2001 the Department has conducted community based surveys to gather up-to-date information on the health and human service needs of Cape Cod residents for local, county, state and federal leaders, as well as to the health and human services delivery network in the region to help identify new or changing needs and identify barriers to access to services.
Barnstable County Health and Human Services Advisory Council. The County established the Advisory Council in 2003 to organize a broad range of coalitions, collaboratives, and task forces to provide advice on the health and human service needs of County residents, establish priorities for human services, and to assist in coordination of human service delivery systems in the County. The Director of the Department is the Chair of the Advisory Council.
Barnstable County Human Rights Commission. In 2005 the County established the Human Rights Commission to promote equal opportunity and to protect the basic human rights of residents. The HRC is structured within the Department for administrative and organizational purposes.
The Department supports collaborative efforts that address health and human service needs such as the Cape and Islands Suicide Prevention Coalition, the Community Health Area Network (CHNA 27), Post Traumatic Stress Response Team, Hunger Network, the Regional Network to End Homelessness and others.
