The Metropolitan Human Services Commission

The Metropolitan Human Services Commission (MHSC) is a nonprofit organization, under Section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. Traditionally, MHSC has been the county's premier agency in planning and reporting on human services; currently, the agency is beginning a transition to a changed mission that reflects urgent community needs.

- First, MHSC will expand the scope of its interests from human services to the broader field of community building. This expansion recognizes the inter-dependence of many different disciplines and areas of the community's overall health. This expansion will allow MHSC to look at a variety of disciplines (e.g., housing, health, public safety) in addition to its core human services fields. This expansion will include a focus on outcome measurement in these varied disciplines and development of indicators of the community's health.

- Second, MHSC will move away from broad-based, inter-system planning and move towards a role as an information services provider. In this information services provider role, MHSC will provide flexible and responsive services in the research, development, and presentation of relevant and timely information needed by policy makers.

- Third, MHSC will develop and market its expertise in identifying human services and community building trends, identifying national best practices, providing outcome measurement expertise at system and agency levels, and collaborating with other organizations to provide training which strengthens the human servies and community building providerk networks.

As MHSC develops this new mission and role, it will become increasingly entrepreneurial:

- MHSC will develop and/or use a variety of information technology systems and services to provide cost-effective access to timely and relevant data;

- MHSC will assess and develop markets for its information services; and

- MHSC will aggressively position itself for further contractual growth as an information services provider.

To develop its information technology and outcome measurements expertise, MHSC will benefit from core funding from the City of Columbus, Franklin County, and United Way of Franklin County. Maintenance and expansion of MHSC's budget will come from developing marketable products and working under contract and/or selling its information and other services to governmental units, systems, and agencies in Central Ohio.

MHSC Publications Available

Franklin County Office on Agency Levy Request Review: 1997

1977 - 1997: 20 Years of Community Planning

SCAN newsletter, December 1997

State of Human Services Report: 1995

Order your copy by emailing claudia@pie.mhsc.org.

For more information about MHSC, contact MHSC by email at admin@pie.mhsc.org, call (614) 224-1336, or write to us at 360 South Third Street, Columbus, OH, 43215.

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