BELLEFONTE — Amid the usual business during this week’s Centre County Commissioners’ meeting, two items stood out, both showing the commitment of the county’s human services departments.
2026-27 Human Services Block Grant Plan
Each year, the state Dept. of Human Services allocates funds to county governments to support locally identified service needs. The Human Services Block Grant is composed of the following funds:
- 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
Multiple Centre County human services departments receive funds from the HSBG to support their day-to-day operations, which amount to serving about 17,000 per year.
Cathy Arbogast, Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities/Early Intervention/Drug and Alcohol Administrator for Centre County, joined the Commissioners to present the HSBG Plan for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
Arbogast shared the breakdown of the $6.33 million budget allocation, including about $328,000 from the federal government, $5.74 million from the state government, and roughly $268,000 from the county.
Priorities for the upcoming year include addressing needs for employment, housing, and transportation for residents of Centre County. Internally, however, the county aims to address staffing shortages — an obstacle not unique to our area — fostering more collaborations and finding ways to make connecting to resources quicker and easier.
Notably, the County’s human services departments will address the identified needs while continuing to provide existing services, despite the HSBG allocation exhibiting little consistent increase over the past few years. Arbogast shared, “It’s tough. Another
year of flat funding at a time when costs of services are increasing and so are the demands for services.”
Despite the challenges, the HSBG Plan is riddled with wins that Centre County human services have seen in the last fiscal year. For example, more people than ever are seeking and receiving resources, signaling some reduction in stigma related to seeking assistance. Another major success was the reduction of delegate actions and upheld commitments by about 33% each. This means more people experiencing mental health events were diverted from correctional or other facilities to treatment facilities.
Arbogast’s remarks ended on a high note, noting the success for the departments and issuing a statement of commitment and resolve: “We will continue to manage the best that we can, as we have, to provide these crucial resources to Centre County residents.”
Resiliency Hub Letter of Support
Commissioners also approved a letter of support from the Office of Aging, endorsing a grant application to fund a feasibility study about resiliency hubs.
According to the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, resilience hubs are facilities that provide day-to-day services to communities and can be augmented to provide support and service when a community experiences some disruption.
Dr. Erica Husser, Assistant Research Professor in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing at Penn State, approached Quentin Burchfield, Director of Centre County Office of Aging, about studying the feasibility of treating senior centers as resiliency hubs for the broader Centre County community.
The letter of support recognizes the importance of identifying strengths and opportunities of the senior centers to respond to the changing needs of older adults, caregivers, and the community at large.
