Palm Beach County Community Services Resources and Referal Portal

About the Program

Category: Human Services (Best in Category)

Year: 2023

The impact of the COVID 19 pandemic and the subsequent response, continued throughout 2021 and 2022. Since 2020, the demand for Palm Beach County Community Services Department (CSD) rental and utility assistance remained enormous. The expended funding levels were 7-8 times the typical annual amount in FY2021-2022. The OSCARSS Resource and Referral Portal (R&R) has been in development for several years. It consists of several applications including an online service application for multiple funding sources, agency location map, and client referrals. The R&R was developed to assist the low income residents of Palm Beach County find the services they need. There are many benefits to the R&R. The R&’s online system is widely accessible. It displays service utilization and referral history, is able to check for utilization and eligibility of services across many funding sources. This assists in avoiding duplication of service delivery, and assists clients in finding the most appropriate funding stream for their needs. Anticipating the imminent reduction of federal pandemic funding, CSD began to consider various strategies to enhance collaboration and coordination with the extensive Health and Human Service (HHS) sector located in Palm Beach County. If the demand for services remained high, we would need to be able to refer clients to services we were no longer able to provide. CSD envisioned a client referral application as a part of the R&R. The referral application would track the delivery, receipt and outcome of each referral to better ensure accountability. A system like this did not exist. CSD, along with the County’s Information Systems and Services (ISS) Department, developed, tested, and implemented the OSCARSS Resource and Referral Portal (R&R) client referral application. The R&R is now a network of highly qualified HHS providers working in collaboration for a more efficient and effective service delivery model. Building on the extensive relationships CSD has with the HHS network, more and more agencies have begun utilizing the R&R.