The Human Services Advisory Council (HSAC) enables representatives of local government, volunteer agencies, providers, consumers, consumer advocates, and municipalities to coordinate efforts to improve the quality of human services in Somerset County.

The Human Services Advisory Council serves the community in the following ways:

• Monitors the coordination of comprehensive social services in the county.
• Assists the county in identifying, collecting, and analyzing data on the human services delivery system in Somerset County.
• Makes recommendations to the Board of  County Commissioners and State Department of Human Services about the allocation of funds for new services.
• Identifies human services needs and advocates for resolution.
• Conducts county-wide needs assessments and updates planning documents.
• Holds an open forum to foster communication, education, and information sharing.
• Assists agencies in pursuing state and federal sources of funding.
• Monitors contracted programs to assure that target populations are being adequately served and that county plan priorities are being addressed.

Human Services Plan 

Developing Comprehensive Human Services plans is one of the main purposes of the Human Services Advisory Council. Input for planning is solicited from local human services consumers and providers. The plan identifies:

• Community human service needs based on needs assessment.
• Service priorities for vulnerable target populations.
• Recommendations for improving service delivery and/or coordination of efforts.
• Recommendations for the allocation of resources.

The council continues to update the human services plans to keep abreast of changing service needs and priorities.

Committees

Following are designated standing committees to the Human Services Advisory Council:

• Executive/Advocacy/Legislative Committee
• By-Laws Committee
• Planning Committee
• Proposal Review Committee
• Program Monitoring Committee
• Nominating Committee

Ad-hoc committees are appointed when necessary to help implement the goals of the council.

Meetings 

The Somerset County Human Services Advisory Council meets virtually at 1:30 p.m. on the 4th Wednesday of the month, except December and August. Meetings are open to the public. For more information, please reach out to HumanServices@co.somerset.nj.us. 

 Minutes

To view current and past Somerset County Human Services Advisory Council Meeting Minutes, select the appropriate year below.