Pulaski County Human Services, Inc. (PCHS), is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to low-income, disabled, and elderly households, as well as general public-transportation and referral services in Pulaski County.

PCHS is the Area 1 Agency on Aging designee for Northwest Indiana Community Action Agency and the community action agency for North Central Community Action Agency. Demand-response public transportation in Pulaski County for the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission‘s Public Transit Service and the rural public transit of Indiana Department of Transportation is provided by PCHS . All of these entities help to provide funding for many of the services that PCHservices to families in order to maintain independence and self-sufficiency to improve the quality of life in Pulaski County Indiana.

Mission Statement

Pulaski County Human Services, Inc. is people coming together to plan, to act, to create new opportunities, and to inspire a renewed vision for all assisting the low income, elderly, disabled and or otherwise socially or economically disadvantaged to attain economic self sufficiency and or appropriate living.

Services

PCHS is a non-profit agency established in 1974 to provide services to the low-income and elderly residents of our county. PCHS partners with NWICA, NCCAA, KIRPC, the Pulaski County Commissioners, and the Towns of Medaryville and Francesville, and is supported by local contributions.

Key Services Offered:

PCHS Board

The backbone of PCHS, Inc. is the board members who give of their time and talents to set policy, approve budgets, review documents, establish goals and objectives and do so unselfishly. PCHS, Inc. is incorporated as a not for profit and as such is governed by both professional and financial regulations. The Board has responsibility to insure these regulations and guidelines are followed. The Board consists of 11 Pulaski County residents representing elected officials, community organizations and businesses, and customers of our services. 51 % of the membership is 60 years or older. Members are elected to three year terms. Meetings are held monthly.

The Board has the following committees: Executive, Finance, Planning, Nominating and ByLaws

Persons interested in serving on the board must pay a small membership fee and be elected at the annual meeting held in April of each year.

For a list of current board members, contact our office.

As grantees of our organizations, residents of our county also have the opportunity to represent Pulaski County on Regional Boards such as the Northwest Indiana Community Action Agency which funds our senior citizen services and North Central Community Action Agency which funds are community services. Contact our office for more information on these opportunities.

PCHS Advisory Councils

Advising the board are several groups composed of residents who represent program and services stakeholders. These groups meet quarterly and share information pertaining to the council’s focus, analyze data, conduct needs assessments, and make recommendations to the board.

Chaired by board members, the councils bring other agencies, government representatives, and consumers in to the PCHS decision-making process. No specific membership or background is required to serve on an advisory councils, but board approval is needed.

Standing Councils

• Transportation
• Elderly Services
• Community and Services/Emergency Funds Services Program

PCHS History

Pulaski County Human Services, Inc. (PCHS), began as the Pulaski County Council on Aging in November 1974. The State of Indiana partnered with the Area Agency on Aging designee, LCEOC, and held a community meeting of local leaders to establish a Pulaski County aging-service provider. The first Senior Citizen Nutrition Site was opened in Medaryville and provided a hot nutritious lunch to about 30 persons daily.

In March 1975, the local group formed a board and incorporated as a 501(c)3 not-profit organization focusing on providing services to the elderly. In coordination with the then Pulaski County CETA (Comprehensive Education and Training Act) Services, the organization obtained employees to work in the center, to staff the office located in Winamac, to drive the one minivan, to clean homes, to deliver hot lunches, and to link the elderly with other services to assist in the provision of appropriate living. Additionally, community assessments were conducted to identify the needs of the elderly and/or low-income residents of Pulaski County. Outreach services were a main focus in seeking out the isolated and hard to reach elderly. The offices for PCHS were located on the bottom floor of the Post Office in Winamac after being housed in several churches.

In 1979, a center was added in Winamac, and from 1981 to 1994 another operated in Monterey. During these years, community services expanded to include programs for all ages including Head Start; public transportation; writing grants for projects like the Pulaski County YMCA facility; special-purpose projects to distribute food, toy,s and clothing;, operating the food pantry; childcare resource and referral; childcare-subsidy program; and other community-development initiatives focused on minimizing the needs of the elderly and or low-income.

PCHS has brought more than $15 million in services and employment compensation to Pulaski County. Training and job opportunities have been provided to our facilitated for approximately 150 individuals.

The retention and renovation of an historic downtown building allowed PCHS to have its own multi-purpose headquarters, which houses management, case-management, and public-transportation offices; information, referral, and outreach services; the food pantry; the Von Tobel Senior Center, and K-IRPC’s Winamac Head Start program. In 2005, a new facility was established in Medaryville to ensure service availability to the west side of our county.

PCHS offers preventive health education, nutrition education, health screenings and programs on a variety of topics at each center. Arrowhead Country Public Transit is available daily; learn more about it here.