Human Services

The Childcare Supply Network supports local leaders in addressing childcare challenges. Participating counties are working with national experts to co-create sustainable solutions and financing strategies to strengthen local childcare systems in response to workforce needs.

(2023-2024) Counties increasingly handle direct mental health service. NACo’s Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing developed reports and united county leaders to address the mental health crisis through key policy priorities.

County human services provide critical supports that serve as a foundation for moving individuals, children and families out of poverty and improving their immediate and long-term health outcomes.

Counties play a crucial role in fostering communities that support positive outcomes for young children. Resources and peer learning opportunities are available to help counties advance programs and policies for children from birth to age three. 

Counties for Economic Mobility (C4EM) advances equitable upward economic mobility to move individuals and families out of poverty. C4EM supports a range of activities to drive data-driven and community-informed policymaking in county government. 

The Familiar Faces Initiative aimed to reduce incarceration and hospitalization rates for individuals frequently cycling through jails, shelters, and emergency services. The program encouraged communities to share data and integrate care between health and justice systems for earlier intervention, improving outcomes for these "familiar faces."

NACo's Opioid Solutions Center empowers local leaders to invest resources in effective treatment, recovery, prevention and harm reduction practices that save lives and address the underlying causes of substance use disorder.

The Stepping Up Initiative is a data-driven framework that aims to reduce the overincarceration of people with mental illnesses in jails through training, resources, and support that are tailored to local needs.