CLEARFIELD – At Tuesday’s Clearfield County Commissioners meeting, Stacy LoCastro, deputy director of Central PA Community Action Inc., reported that the Human Services Development Fund (HSDF) was slashed by 10 percent this upcoming year. She is anticipating the county will receive around $77,568 for its programs in 2012-13.
According to a July 27, 2011 GantDaily.com report, the HSDF was slashed by more than 50 percent to Clearfield County in the state’s final budget in 2011-12. In that report, LoCastro said the county received around $209,000 in 2005-06.
But she said it declined to approximately $156,000 in 2009-10. The following year, the county was allocated $143,416 to be shared by programs, such as adult services, children and youth services, drug and alcohol services and mental health services, etc.
LoCastro said Clearfield County received $86,188 in 2011-12.
Commissioner Mark B. McCracken said that the county began absorbing the funding that was once allocated to Children, Youth and Family Services last year. He said last year, the Clearfield County Area Agency on Aging began allowing its funding to be reallocated to other programs.
McCracken said the county proceeded in this manner a year ago so that programs, such as Drug & Alcohol and Adult Services could continue being offered through the CPCA. He noted this upcoming year, the Drug & Alcohol program will be allocated $11,252.
In addition, he said the Adult Services include home-delivered meals to Clearfield County residents who are developmentally disabled and not eligible for the Meals on Wheels program. He said this particular program will be allocated $10,179 in 2012-13.
According to McCracken, the CPCA offers other Adult Services, such as housing assistance, which will receive $10,194; Service Planning/Case Management, which will receive $9,097; and Life Skills Education, which will receive $8,639.
“It is human services funding to help the people who fall in between the cracks,” said McCracken.
The final state budget restored half of Gov. Tom Corbett’s initially proposed 20 percent cut of $168 million to the HSDF. The legislature, however, restored $84 million and reduced the impact to 10 percent.
