— how Philadelphia politics, government, unions & institutions work

Health, Human Services and Culture

From the Philadelphia Civic Wiki, the free guide to how the city works

Public health, social services, homelessness, immigrant and disability affairs, arts and workforce.

Articles (14)

  • Department of Public Health — Philadelphia's city-county health agency: disease control, health centers, environmental health, air quality and the Medical Examiner, led by Health Commissioner Dr. Palak Raval-Nelson.
  • Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services — DBHIDS, the city department that oversees mental health, addiction and intellectual disability services in Philadelphia and funds Medicaid behavioral health through Community Behavioral Health.
  • Department of Human Services — Philadelphia's child welfare and juvenile justice services agency, led by Commissioner Kimberly Ali, working through contracted Community Umbrella Agencies.
  • Office of Homeless Services — The city office that runs Philadelphia's homeless crisis response, shelters, prevention and HUD Continuum of Care, led by Executive Director Cheryl Hill.
  • Office of Children and Families — The Parker-era city office that aligns policy and services for children and families, overseeing the Department of Human Services, out-of-school time, PHLpreK and Career Connected Learning.
  • Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity — Philadelphia's designated Community Action Agency since 1964, running BenePhilly, Financial Empowerment Centers and anti-poverty programs; led by Executive Director Orlando Rendon.
  • Office of Immigrant Affairs — The mayoral office that promotes immigrant integration, language access and two immigrant commissions in Philadelphia; led by Director Charlie Elison.
  • Commission on Human Relations — Philadelphia's civil rights enforcement agency, which handles discrimination complaints under the Fair Practices Ordinance and Fair Chance Hiring law.
  • Office for People with Disabilities — The Charter-created city office, housed in the Chief Administrative Officer's portfolio, that houses ADA compliance and the Mayor's Commission on People with Disabilities.
  • Office of LGBT Affairs — The city office, now styled the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, created by executive order in 2008 and written into the Charter in 2015; led by Executive Director Tyrell Brown.
  • Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy — The former name of Creative Philadelphia, the city department for public art, cultural funding and the city's first Cultural Plan, led by Chief Cultural Officer Valerie Gay.
  • Mural Arts Philadelphia — The nonprofit public art program that grew from the 1984 Anti-Graffiti Network and operates in partnership with the City; Emily Mello succeeded founder Jane Golden in September 2026.
  • Office of Workforce Development — The city office created in 2018 to coordinate workforce programs, later folded into the Commerce Department's Office of Business Development and Workforce Solutions; works with PhiladelphiaWorks.
  • Philadelphia Corporation for Aging — The private nonprofit that serves as Philadelphia's state-designated Area Agency on Aging, running the PCA Helpline, home care, protective services and senior centers.

See also the Department Directory, the full index and the Main Page.