Working with non-profit organizations, other branches of government, other governmental agencies and citizens' committees, the agency plans and carries out programs for low income residents. These programs emphasize self-help.

Every year this department serves about 2,000 homeless persons, helps 1,650 households cool their homes in summer and another 13,000 households keep warm in the winter. The county commodities and weatherization programs for low-income persons are services of this department. It quickly became a model for the nation for its efficiency in annually distributing $2.5 million worth of federal commodities, such as butter, cheese, corn meal, flour and rice, to 95,000 households each month. Weatherization provides free minor home repairs, such as fixing broken windowpanes and rotted windowsills, which lower energy costs.