About Us

The Human Service Center, often referred to as HSC, serves residents of the three counties with a combined population of approximately 69,000 and covers approximately 3,000 square miles. Our mission is to provide mental health, substance use disorder, and developmental disability services to our citizens. This is accomplished through a wide range of programming, but also through our staff who offer – HOPE. SUPPORT. CONNECTION.

How was HSC formed?

Human Service Legal Chart In the early 1970’s the legislature enacted the Chapter 51 statute to “assure the provision of a full range of treatment and rehabilitation services in the state for all mental disorders and developmental disabilities and mental illness, alcoholism and drug abuse.”
§ 51.001

Wisconsin Chapter 51.42/51.437 was introduced “to enable and encourage counties to develop a comprehensive range of services offering continuity of care, to utilize and expand existing governmental, voluntary, and private community resources for the provision of services to prevent or ameliorate mental disabilities, including but not limited to mental illness, developmental disabilities, alcoholism, and drug abuse, and to provide for the integration of administration of those services and facilities organized under this section through the establishment of a county department of community programs.”
§ 51.42(1) (a)

The Human Services Board of Forest, Oneida, and Vilas Counties was established under Chapter 51.42/51.437 in 1972 by resolution of the Forest County, Oneida County, and Vilas County Boards. Through these resolutions and in accordance with Chapter 51, Forest, Oneida, and Vilas County Boards have transferred their power and authority of county responsibility for the well-being, treatment, and care of persons with mental illness, substance use disorders, and developmental disabilities to The Human Services Board.

As such, The Human Services Board receives county allocations and state funding that aid in the operationalization of programming as the Department of Community Programs for Forest, Oneida, and Vilas Counties.

The basis for a unified service system is to accomplish a shared risk pool of funding and resources for services in our rural communities.