PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

The Department of Human Services just announced the relaunch of a hub that aims to make it easier for Allegheny County residents to find information on issues that most affect them. 

Allegheny County Analytics, maintained by the department’s Office of Analytics, Technology and Planning, is a searchable database designed to provide data, analysis and research products to policymakers, community leaders and the public. It includes research reports, infographics, interactive visual displays and other tools that provide insight into topics such as housing, substance use and mental health, criminal justice and the child welfare system.

“Data is critical to good decision making. We recognize that it’s part of our duty to give back the information collected through our various programs and services in a way that can help craft good policies or better inform people as to how their public dollars are making an impact,” said department director Erin Dalton in a statement. 

The platform is user friendly and works well on both computers and mobile phones; folks interested in using it can simply enter a phrase or keyword like gun violence, homelessness or foster care to see relevant results. You can filter by content type or topic, too; for example, if you run a search for “homelessness,” you can select from three visual displays called dashboards, two infographics and 28 reports on topics including children, youth and families; education and early childhood; housing and basic needs; and innovation and reform.

The hub also offers information on things like the impact of home-delivered meal systems on older adults and a community need index, which identifies specific areas within Allegheny County that are in greater need and face larger socioeconomic barriers relative to other parts.

You can also set a time frame within which the information was published, allowing users to access the most recent information or information from a specific period.