In many cases, the primary persons served are defined by statute. Those same statutes also often define the services to be provided. Community standards of safety and human dignity also significantly shape the focus of the Adult Services Department. In fact, most persons served by the department are not as single dimensional as many of the categorical mandates would imply. Persons served often have multiple challenges in their lives.
Some challenges are episodic while others can be long-term or in some cases lifelong.
While the persons served have a variety of complex issues to be addressed to reach their individual potential, the following descriptions provide a framework to understand who the Adult Services Department serves. Despite the name, ASD serves a large group of children and their families. For example, by January 1999, the Developmental Disabilities Division provided case management services to 875 developmentally disabled children and their families. Much of the focus of the work with these families has been to help them access community-based services so that the children can continue to live within the family setting. Likewise, Pilot City Mental Health Center serves children with serious emotional disturbances and Chemical Health serves substance-abusing youth.