The YSU Board of Trustees established the Center for Human Services Development in 1985. The Center was established to act as a community resource for health and human service organizations, and community leaders. The CHSD works with a community-wide spectrum of people to identify community problems and needs, develop solutions, and evaluate outcomes in the health and human services field.

The mission of the YSU Center for Human Services Development is to work with health, social and human service agencies in providing needs assessment, evaluation, grant writing, strategic planning, and community leadership.

The Center also offers a variety of services, including: establishing and maintaining networks or linkages among service providers and consumers; offering technical assistance for social service program planning evaluation; working with organizations to identify and obtain grants; providing training for agency managers, boards and staff members; sharing information and acting as a clearinghouse; and helping organizations develop marketing strategies and programs.

The Center through its efforts manages programs that benefit the public. Two examples include: The Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the Northeast Ohio Leadership Task Force.