with more than 11000 persons the human services work Force is Allen County's second largest employment sector.

There are more than hundred and seventy human service agencies transforming the lives of countless individuals in our area and assisting this work is an organization supporting a number of those agencies who are committed to serving vulnerable populations here in L.A. County.

>> And we'll learn more about the Alliance for Human Services on this edition of PrimeTime.

>> And good evening.

I'm Bruce Haines.

Joining us today is Diane May.

She is CEO and president with cancer services of Northeast Indiana and with Diane Steve Huffman.

>> He is president and CEO at Bridgepoint and we invite you to join our conversation.

If you have any questions or comments, just call the number that you see on the screen as we widen out so you can say hi to everybody.

>> There's Diane, there's Steve.

Thank you both for being here.

I really appreciate it.

>> That frees Human Services seems at times like saying the word tree.

It could mean so many different kinds of things.

So let me start by asking you what does that phrase human services mean for you?

>> Well, for me it's a reference to the fact that I think we all know that our family someone in our family has been touched by a need whether that's a health crisis, a financial crisis, a child with special needs, loss of a job struggles in life and for most of us we need someone to help us through that.

And sometimes that's one of the agencies that we're here to talk about tonight.

So we create as a group a supportive network and structure to help people at a time when they need a little extra help on a specific need.

>> Steve, how about you?

>> I echo everything Diane said I'd say one maybe addition to that is the word nonprofit and I think that's an important aspect of our definition of human services is that we're just here for the community and to help people families, children, elderly in our community at no profit.

Our whole purpose is to help humans help citizens in our community and that's what we do every day.

>> Yeah.

You know, I remember hearing about the decades old reference to the idea of a social safety net but of late in some of the literature it's being replaced by the notion of access to employment, access to services, access to health care and now the phrase seems to be turning to building blocks as if well-being is something you can construct and when persons served are having their being constructed, you're building the community as well and I wonder how you think about that.

>> Well, I think one topic related to that is a phrase that we're also hearing more about called the social determinants of health.

What are those things that exist in an individual or family life or in the community that helps support healthy behaviors and set people up for success?

So when I think about building blocks it's early education for children it's access to good quality food and health care places to exercise all of those things I think are building blocks to to build a strong family system and a strong community.

And both of you from your experiences at cancer services in northeast India and the Bridgepoint as well, you're living that out and in addition to your own ambitions and visions and we will be circling back to talk about that.

I I do want to ask Steve though at the open of the show that to me was actually the high point of the program in the first minute to think about 11000 persons involved in the social arena in Allen County alone, 370 plus agencies.

>> How do those numbers strike you?

Well, that's those numbers come from a study that we held commissioned and I think one of the things we want to say is yes, we're we're a big part of the social fabric, the social well-being of our community but we're also a big part of the economic well-being of our community and we're a major, major employer that generates lots and lots of revenue for the community, lots and lots of business activity and we bring in a lot of revenue from outside our community to help the people that live here.

>> This is a different kind of family photo but it is a graphic representation of the math involved.

Let's look at that that particular and open it.

>> Yes, this is perfect.

Perfect.

Steve, walk us through this because I think this is where eyebrows go.

>> Oh, I didn't know that.

Yeah, well, the 11000 employees the four hundred thousand four hundred million dollars and wages that's the direct employment figures of our human service sector and then of course they go out and spend money and spend money at local businesses and that creates more economic activity throughout our community.

So once you you do all that math, the total effect is about seven hundred million dollars which is right up there with all of the sectors that we have in this community, the health care sectors and industry and so forth.

>> In fact, I believe when we say it's the second largest Stoneman's going to watch the first and I believe it's manufacturing but right after that comes Health and Human Services which is is stunning and then even across the top 100 of those agencies in the county, an additional graphic shows just how far this definition of human services goes and the different kinds of groups and companies walk us through the pie charts.

>> So you have the largest sector over there on the on the far right for example, Steve, you've got different folks breaking it down.

>> I think health and health care clearly is one.

Yeah.

So I mean our our largest employers and our community is part mbewe Lutheran health are certainly up there but we're the human service sector is number two and then you can see the different other areas there as well.

Yeah, there's what education and food and training and then family and individual services or certainly a significant part of that.

And Diane, I think this is where it comes back to perhaps the perception of persons believing that indeed.

Yes.

Human Services that is an important social need.

Mm hmm.

But there is an economic deliverable here that seems like it is no longer a buried headline.

>> That's right.

So I think to an important piece to understand that's part of our nature as non-profits is we have found very effective ways to utilize both professional skills and volunteers.

You know, our organizations exist because there's a volunteer support system whether it's a board of of directors who are overseen and ensuring that the organization is is reaching and achieving its mission or whether it's volunteers who do direct service with people who need help teaching adults to read who didn't successfully complete school doing child care or all sorts of things.

So the efficiency that comes with using volunteers and professional staff together is really a huge piece of this success too.

>> And with all that diversity seeking to unify the group together under the notion of an alliance, how did all of that come about?

>> That's an interesting question.

You know, Steve and I were talking earlier about the idea that as an organization we were originally many of us part of a group that was affiliated with the United Way and and that group was going to discontinue and not meet anymore and and we decided we wanted to continue to me but what is it we want to accomplish?

>> And so we started to ask ourselves those questions and we knew how important our partnership was.

>> We knew that we had good ideas to exchange with each other.

We knew that we wanted to continue to grow and serve more people and so we put together a structure for that to happen and I think it's been really wonderful.

We're about five years in to this process.

We have the opportunity to mentor new leaders, new organizations who are coming up and and helping people really achieve their missions.

>> Mm hmm.

And Steve, from your position as president of the of the agency would say how's it going?

>> I think well we're we're growing certainly in besides the things that Diane talked about, we want to increase you know, our voice are united voice.

We all have specific missions within the membership but we want but we also are just trying to make the community better and in general so I think banding together to influence public policy or speak about general human service needs or talk about how bad predatory lending is those kinds examples that we all agree on gives us a little more power together than separate and I think we're doing well with with helping increase each other's capacity and strength as well.

>> So I'm very happy with where we're tuck a little bit more.

>> Diane, if you will, about that that collaborative sense of the alliance.

You know, folks who perhaps have always heard of colleagues even across town or maybe just two blocks away but you never have a chance to necessarily have the kind of coffee conversation time to find out if there are other levels of opportunity or synergy.

>> So there are a number of organizations in our community who provide practical goods for people so that might be in the case of cancer services, health care items, bandages, ice creams, no red shampoos in the case of other organizations it could be adaptive equipment that they loan out a food bank, make then some what I want to say some other practical things are not edible things and they'll pass along and so we get together and we say I have this need and someone says I have this resource available.

Who is it useful to who can help us get these things to the people that need it?

That's in a really simple direct kind of way.

There's also the partnerships that exist when we say we have a family who's dealing with cancer and they have another issue and this is their concern and they need help in this situation and we'll find out who can provide those services and make those referrals information and referrals a huge piece of it and it's a constant need for us to keep our staff is up to speed and is sharp those questions as possible.

>> I would I would think it would also be helpful.

I have a problem as you're saying who can I call?

What if someone and being both members of the same alliance is already common ground and so as you're getting together, Steve, what are some of those meeting topics like when the groups get together in particular you're talking about finding a voice.

>> How is the throat clearing going?

Well, and I would say I mean we volunt we collaborate constantly every day and our staffs all work together every day.

I think, you know, in our member meetings those conversations certainly happen but we're also trying to have higher level discussions.

You know what what are you dealing with as the CEO of your organization like hiring for instance or or personnel which has been a huge issue for all of us since the pandemic started and we learn from each other if this organization's doing some cool things to retain employees, we're learning those things and helping each other.

We've talked about fundraising together and and just all the sort of higher level topics that I guess CIOs worry about and are constantly thinking about how to improve and just helping each other through that.

>> So and for those who are either involved in policy or philanthropy when they're then recognizing that there are several agencies that are all working in and around a common subject area that improves the leverage of those groups to get solutions that they're that they're seeking so certainly what we are hoping for to some degree.

>> Yeah.

Yeah.

Well and you of course mentioned the pandemic and I'm thinking came together around twenty seventeen or so and life is great and then covid shows and let me ask you first what it was like for each of you in in your own agencies for fulfilling your mission during a time of a pandemic.

>> Usually policy manuals don't have that tab.

Well we didn't have that policy manual.

I'm telling you that for us.

You know, we had the two pieces right.

How do we support and sustain our staff?

What do they need and what are they experiencing?

>> And then also how does this affect the people we're serving?

And so those things are always at the forefront when they're both in crisis at the same time it's a real challenge.

So you know, we are rewriting policy on the fly.

>> We're figuring out how to do things from home.

It's so important I think for today's human service organizations to be technologically savvy and to have the tools that they need to achieve their missions.

>> We were fortunate we did so a lot of that was good but it wasn't without challenges.

We had telecommunication challenges.

We had computers but we didn't have the phone access the way we wanted it to work.

But we also had to come up with simple things like a drop off station where our clients could have no contact with another person.

We would place things in a certain location for them to pick up.

So it it was challenging but satisfying every time we found a solution or one of the hurdles.

>> Absolutely.

And Steve, the very services within Breakpoint and probably as many yellow legal pads trying to say how do I get to this one?

Yeah it's been a couple of years unlike any I've been a part of and there are so many heroes from the pandemic health care workers at the top.

But I think we don't talk enough about the heroes human service organizations, social service organizations we've dealt with the pandemic among our staff as well.

So many of them have caught covid and trying to keep all of those guys safe but at the same time increase the services we provide because of the needs out there really exploded more people people that never needed help before now struggling to to maintain their rent, their utilities.

So as happens a lot during a crisis are sector needs to ramp up not sort of ramp down and and protect ourselves.

We have to ramp up so that we can help more people and we did that very significantly point as well as all across the human service sector.

>> It certainly than for for both of you and as members of the alliance I'm assuming the alliance community in addition to the full social service Human Services community calling on each other that much more to to find a way through what and what do you feel the alliance was able to provide during a time like that?

>> Well, I did speak to one part of it is and we we really launched early on because of relationships we had already built with some of our alliance partners and we were one of the first on the ground to be putting out financial assistance while the government was still reacting local you know, funders and so forth are still trying to figure out what to do.

US and Lutheran Social Services, Catholic Charities and Skene formed a quick collaboration to start assisting people with extra funds that we were able to scrape together.

I think that's just one example of many of that relationship being already built.

We're ready to roll right into action as soon as the need was there.

>> Yeah, I'm imagining an alliance is now the I am not alone.

I have a membership director.

>> That's right.

You know, one of the things that so many organizations and groups found and discovered zoom right and ways to do those meetings online.

>> Those were some of our greatest attended groups.

>> Right.

People kept coming.

We wanted that connection.

So we're all on screen.

>> We can't meet in person but we were encouraging supporting each other through the process right.

And now we want to believe that we have it under control.

It's not maybe being conquered but it has perhaps a little more it contained.

But now back to some of the original callings of getting the word out about human services now in county and for many the members throughout northeast Indiana who have services there.

Tell me about the video that we're going to see and what led up to that.

>> Absolutely.

So one of the things that I think it's important for people to know and understand about Human Services is the role of volunteers.

So the community leaders and people that come together in our board meetings and help us do the work we do through governance and fundraising and all those kinds of things.

So it's important for people to understand that.

And the second thing I think it's very important for people to understand is the impact these programs have on individuals lives.

>> And I think this video shows that.

Steve, how about for you know, this was a project long in the making?

Yeah.

It just goes back to sort of the United Voice that I was talking about and sharing sharing that common theme that we all have.

We need help to help others such as Diane said we need volunteer help.

We need philanthropy help.

We're all seeking seeking more so we can do more.

We need the help of the community to do that and the video sort of explains or shows that impact a little bit and let's not wait any longer.

>> Let's take a look.

What if there were no human service organization?

What would be Misick without the strong work of human service organizations?

What would our community be like without their help?

My family will face cancer without their help I would have never earned this patient without their help.

My son when I have had such good care and I never would have finished high school without their help I never would have made the team without their help I wouldn't have known where to turn.

But now I have a community a place to belong without their help I still be a slave but now I'm helping others overcome substance abuse and getting off the streets with a little help.

My special needs kids stayed in school and I earned my diploma too.

>> Don't we all need a little help?

Sometimes human service organizations do strong work in our community.

Human service organizations touch thousands of lives and generate millions of dollars in the local economy.

Human service organizations deserve a place in our charitable giving and they deserve a place at the table when decisions are made, human service organizations do strong work and make our communities stronger.

>> Human service organizations are an asset multiplier and you're watching the premiere of a video that you'll be seeing in the coming weeks across multiple channels and with the Alliance for Human Services were with in May and were with Steve Huffman.

>> And let me ask you both to tell a little bit maybe one minutes worth each about your specific agency's work in the county.

>> Diane, you so my organization is called Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana and we provide wraparound support of programs for individuals families dealing with cancer.

So we come alongside the medical community.

We work directly with people providing durable medical equipment, financial assistance.

WIG's counseling, wellness services, nutrition support a wide variety of things.

We have professional counselors and advocates on staff an amazing group of more than five hundred volunteers to make all of this happen.

We reach throughout 11 counties of northeast Indiana and last year we serve 4000 individuals well Mr. Huffman sir Breakpoint my organization is Bright Point and our mission is to help the community help our communities remove the causes and conditions of poverty among communities, families and individuals.

So I messed up my mission there which is not good but we provide a number of different services to families to help Mom one get stable first through different financial assistance programs like rent and utilities, child care to try to help them become self-sufficient or independent on through their lives.

We also do a lot of lending small business lending, housing development and we work with kids a lot.

We love kids and those kids are under five and youth and junior and senior high school all with the purpose of trying to help them become healthy adults so they can avoid poverty down the road as well for both of these agencies not only philanthropy being an asset multiplier but the human capital being also an asset multiplier.

We a question offline from Sarah how does one get involved here become a volunteer here and why don't we think of that at each agencies level and then within the alliance perhaps?

>> Sure.

Well, I would encourage people and I think one of the beautiful things about Human Services is it's it reaches a wide service area.

So if you have a passion for young children, if you have a passion for seniors, if you have skills to bring to help people find new jobs or learn new skills, there's a place for anyone to engage.

So I would encourage you you can find a list of our affiliated organizations on our website but also if you look at lists like United Way agencies, other nonprofits in the community identify what your passion is.

What do you have to bring to this because that's really where it starts called the organization use their website.

We use both but both vehicles and I think every organization would be welcoming of volunteers if I could I'd like to say something, Bruce , about the idea of philanthropy.

Sometimes when we we think of of that we think about big foundations in large very large gifts or maybe even government funding as a resource for agencies.

But gifts of every size and kind matter to organizations whether it's individual donors, private foundations, bequests, government funding, insurance reimbursements, all of those things our organizations are very adept at using to achieve the missions and I wish we had the gift of time so we could talk further.

But you get the last 30 seconds, Steve.

OK, on the volunteer question or wherever you want to go.

>> Well, just the volunteer question.

I mean I think or to wrap it up I guess we're looking for a support the human service sector is doing amazing things and I think we're a big chunk of of the success of our community but we're not strong without the people.

>> So any help you can give and fact we have some websites to share for the Alliance for Human Services.

We'll start there and there you see just go to your favorite Google machine and it will get you connected to it and as well cancer services dog you see the hyphen don't forget that and my bright point dog will get you to where Steve Huffman and Diane Maye are.

They are part of the leadership for the Alliance for Human Services.

Thank you both so much.

Thank you for being here and thank you for joining us as well.

For all of us with prime time I'm Saints.

Take care.

We'll see you soon.

Good night