Founded in 1968, CHS is URC’s non-profit affiliate, a 501(c)(3). CHS’s mission is to help clients meet today’s challenges and take advantage of tomorrow’s opportunities by providing a comprehensive array of education, training, advocacy and health-related programs and services.  Since its founding, CHS has been in the forefront of innovation in improving the quality of life, access to social and health services, and the educational and vocational achievements of under-served populations throughout the United States and abroad. 

In the early years, CHS worked to combat juvenile delinquency, violence in America’s schools, dead-end jobs in the health care industry, hopeless futures for unskilled minorities, discrimination against women and minorities in the work place, and drug abuse among the elderly and the young.

CHS Domestic (U.S.-based) Programs

With offices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, CHS works nation-wide, providing services to various under-served groups, including racial and ethnic populations, Spanish-speaking migrant and seasonal farmworkers, and immigrant communities. Our goal is to bridge language and cultural gaps by serving as a central resource and service center for populations who face obstacles to accessing services. Programs targeted to these disadvantaged communities include preparation for high school equivalency, courses in English as a second language and civics education, stipends for Mexican-born students and educators, support for vocational rehabilitation, services to prevent diabetes and HIV/AIDS and a referral network to improve the quality and continuum of health care for women living with HIV. At the national level, CHS offers the Migrant Education Training and Support project, which provides technical assistance, training, evaluation, and identification and recruitment support for state migrant education programs. In addition, CHS supports the professional growth of Arabic and Chinese language instructors through its Summer STARTALK Institute.

CHS International

Internationally, CHS provides many of the same services as URC, drawing on URC staff expertise and experience. 

• In Uganda, URC is conducting the Integrated Infectious Disease Capacity Building Evaluation project, which is investigating cost-effective ways to build capacity to prevent and treat infectious diseases among midlevel practitioners with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 
• CHS conducted a large study for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation about the potential demand for rapid diagnostic tests related to acute lower respiratory infection, HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and sexually transmitted infections, which the Foundation is using to identify new health technologies than can reduce the burden of key infectious diseases.
• In Ecuador, CHS is working on the Essential Obstetric and Neonatal Care project with the Ministry of Health with support from the US Agency for International Development to meet the goals of the National Plan for Reduction of Maternal Newborn Mortality.

The Center for Human Services (CHS) works with federal, state, local, or nongovernmental clients on international and domestic projects.