Former Secretaries of the Department of Public Welfare Support Effort to
Change Department Name to the Department of Human Services
Six former Department of Public Welfare Secretaries, Walter Cohen, Karen F. Snider,
John F. White Jr., Feather Houstoun, Estelle B. Richman and Harriet Dichter have
pledged their support for legislation to change the name of the Department of Public
Welfare to the Department of Human Services as proposed by Representative Thomas
Murt, and Senators Jay Costa and Bob Mensch.
“As former Secretaries of the Department of Public Welfare, we know firsthand that the
vast majority of services that the Department provides, including helping Pennsylvania’s
seniors, people struggling with addiction, and neighbors with intellectual disabilities, is
not welfare,” said Karen F. Snider, DPW Secretary, 1991-1995. “With 95% of the
Department’s budget being spent on health and human services, the Department needs
a name that aligns with its mission to ‘promote, improve and sustain the quality of
family life, break the cycle of dependency, and protect and serve Pennsylvania's most
vulnerable citizens.’ It’s time for Pennsylvania to get in sync with the rest of the country
and change the name."
According to the American Public Human Services Association, Pennsylvania is the only
State that still refers to its department that delivers human services as the Department
of Public Welfare.
"When I became Secretary of Public Welfare, my definitional point of reference was the
general welfare clause in many constitutions, which speak to the intent to promote the
general welfare of citizens, often expressed as the public welfare,” said Feather
Houstoun, DPW Secretary 1995 - 2012. “In that vein, the broad scope of the Department
- serving families, elders, persons with disabilities, in their communities and across many
needs - seemed fitting. Yet, on reflection, I began to share the concern of my
colleagues, that the use of the term "welfare" created unwanted stigma for the
Department and for the Pennsylvania citizens who rely on its service to live
independent, healthy lives," she added.
Cohen, Snider, White, Houstoun, Richman and Dichter join a growing statewide coalition
of individuals and organizations advocating for the name change including Achieva,
Amachi of Pittsburgh, The Arc of Pennsylvania, Consumer Health Coalition, Disability
Rights Network, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit
Partnership, Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania, the PA Waiting List Campaign,
PAR – Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources, Pennsylvania Community Providers
Association, Pennsylvania Association of Area Agencies on Aging, The Pittsburgh
Foundation, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging, United Cerebral Palsy
of Central Pennsylvania, United Cerebral Palsy of Pennsylvania, United Methodist
Advocacy in Pennsylvania, United Way of Erie County, United Way of Greater
Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey, United Way of Pennsylvania, the United Way of
the Capital Region, United Way of Allegheny County, and Vision for Equality.
Both pieces of legislation are scheduled to be introduced in March.
An online petition supporting the change can be found at
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/561/687/696/change-the-dept-of-public-welfaresname-to-the-dept-of-human-services/.