The mission of the Department and its divisions is to administer, develop, manage, coordinate and  deliver the Town's "Human Services" programs in an effort to meet the needs of area residents.

Through its various divisions, Human Services offers programs, information, support and advocacy for Senior Citizens, Veterans, Persons with Disabilities and Women.

The Department of Human Services is made up of the following divisions:  (Click on division title for more information about programs.)

Senior Citizens Division

See separate site - Human Services - Seniors

Handicap Services

See separate site - Human Services - Handicap Services

Minority Affairs

See separate site - Human Services - Minority Affairs

Women's Program

See separate site - Human Services - Women's Program

Veterans' Affairs

See separate site - Human Services - Veterans' Affairs

Some of the programs of the different divisions include but are not limited to:   (For more information about any program, click on the division indicated)   

• Nutrition, Day Care and Homebound Meals for Senior Citizens. (Senior Citizens)
• Snow Berm Removal for residents with disabilities. (Handicap Services)
• Black History, Hispanic Heritage and Haitian Heritage Programs. (Minority Affairs)
• St. John's Camp, Project Play and Summer Camp Scholarships Program.  (Minority Affairs)
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Programs.  (Minority Affairs)
• Women's Advisory Council and the annual Women's Networking Program (Women's Programs)
• Various Veterans' Committees that meet regularly (Veterans'  Services )
• Miscellaneous programs, such as blood drives. (Contact Human Services)

ADVISORY BOARDS

Anti-Bias Task Force - Purpose - preventing, monitoring and lessening the effects of bias crimes and hate-related harassment. The Task Force is committed to advocating fair and effective public policy.

Hispanic Task Force - to advise the Supervisor of plans to strengthen Latino participation in Huntington business and community affairs, to aid in the implementation of these plans, and to address the specific needs of our culturally diverse community.

Senior Citizen Beach House Committee - Meets approximately eight times a year. It consists of the Beach House Manager and senior volunteers who are especially interested in Beach House activities. The committee discusses and makes decisions on the ongoing and special programs that take place at the Beach House.

Huntington Nutrition Site Council and Huntington Nutrition Satellite Site Council : Meet once a month with senior volunteers and staff from the senior division. Together they make decisions on on-going programs, fundraisers, entertainment and other concerns pertinent to the center.

Huntington Senior Citizen Association: consists of representatives from each of the Town's sixteen units and senior division staff members who meet once a month to oversee and assist senior activities pertaining to the clubs and town senior programs and trips. Any senior concerns and information are filtered through this organization to all the clubs.

The Department of Human Services is also the umbrella organization that administers funds for contract agencies with the Town of Huntington such as:

Pedersen-Kreg Clinic:  To provide mental health and related services to the Town of Huntington.

Huntington Station Enrichment Center:  To provide a community job action program for the community.

Literacy Suffolk, Inc.

Create an advisory board from community residents for program oversight

Recruit and train tutors and volunteers

Train twenty new tutors and tutor a minimum of 50 new learners

Provide public awareness of the program through personal presentations and written material

Work Programs

Foster Grandparents Program (Federation of Organizations, Inc.)

To provide volunteer recruitment.

Maintain presence in the Town of Huntington.

To provide publicity and awareness of programs.

To provide services in as many areas of Huntington as possible.

Child Care Enhancement (Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc.)

·Contact each licensed child care center and group family provider and registered family provider in the Town of Huntington to determine interest.

·Visit a minimum of 10 programs to help them assess their needs to improve quality and get their input for training projects and topics.

·Plan, develop and deliver a series of 6 workshops built upon issues affecting quality of care, i.e. importance of relationships, use of language to enhance cognitive development, implementing curriculum based on development stages, etc.

·Offer a competency-based workshop giving basic information regarding proper hand washing, diaper changing, and universal health precautions.

·Offer scholarships to caregivers not eligible for EIP who wish to enroll in college early childhood courses.

·Offer on-site, in-depth technical assistance to a minimum of 5 programs using the Harms Clifford Scale.

·Award certificates of completion to those attending workshops or receiving on-site technical assistance.

Parent Leadership Initiative (Child Care Council of Suffolk, Inc.)

·Support the Parent Leadership Initiative.

·Teach parents to be advocates for their children.

·Generate program volunteers and participants.

·Impart the skills of community organizing to participants.

Work Plus Program (Family Service League)

·To assist Family Service League's priority programs, i.e. Work Plus.

·Work Plus assists families through transition from welfare to work.

·Provide assistance through a multi-service employment center to help lower income Huntington residents through vocational training, job readiness training, referrals and placements, onsite job fairs, ongoing job support, subsidized transportation, referrals for child care, social services, bilingual services and computer labs.

·Work Plus will be available five days a week at the Huntington Station Family Center, 5 Lowndes Ave, Huntington Station.  Also, limited services are provided at the HSFC at Manor Field.

Emergency Housing Relocation (Family Service League)

·Provide outreach and education

·Provide temporary placement including emergency payments for food and first month's rent

·Intake minimum - 25 families

Elderlink (Family Service League)

·Elderlink is a collaborative project of service organizations and religious institutions with Family Service League and St. Hugh of Lincoln Parish Outreach as lead agencies to provide the following:

·The Elderlink Program identifies, outreaches and assists frail, isolated elderly persons to secure the services and support they need to maintain their well-being and live in the community.

·Provide case management in the homes of elder clients to identify needs (health, household, daily living, social, emotional, etc.)

·Provide periodic follow-up and interventions as needed.

SeniorNet (Family Service League)

·SeniorNet is a volunteer based non-profit program through Family Service League that provides computer training for seniors.

·Provide funding for the purchase and upgrade of computers for the SeniorNet Program. The goal is to teach seniors the basic operation of a computer, a skill that may have eluded them during their work life.

·Connect seniors more closely with their children, and especially their grandchildren, by learning how to use the Internet and E-mail.

Violence Against Women (Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk, Inc.)

·Outreach and preventive education to community groups and school districts within the Town of Huntington.

·Group counseling to victims of domestic violence.

Huntington Freedom Center

·Provide a limited number of scholarships by the Huntington Freedom Center Child Day Care program.

·Provide family support services and education to working families within the community.

·Huntington Breast Cancer (Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Inc.)

·Support the Lend-A-Helping Hand Program.

·Provide outreach programs to distribute printed material.

·Provide one-on-one through referrals and offer information on appropriate services.

·Provide a resource guide and provide mailing and processing costs and distribution costs.

·Provide support services to breast cancer patients undergoing treatment, such as transportation to and from treatment, housecleaning, food cost assistance and emergency medical supplies.