Social Services Advisory Board

The Department of Human Services and County Board have established a new advisory group for the purpose of providing input to the Director of the Arlington County Department of Human Services on policy issues related to public assistance and social services programs and to serve as a resource for the County Board on behalf of residents of Arlington County in identifying and addressing social services needs throughout the community.

The SSAB will:

• Serve in an advisory capacity to the Director of the Department of Human Services
• Take an active interest in all matters affecting the social services and public assistance benefits needed by the people served by Arlington County Government
• Monitor the formulation and implementation of public assistance benefits and social services programs
• Meet with the Director, or their designee (a member of the DHS Senior Leadership Team) at least six times a year for the purpose of making recommendations on policy matters
• Collaborate with the Director to promote stakeholder engagement and input to promote equity-informed planning and service delivery
• Submit an annual report to the County Board, prior to the budget presentation of the Department of Human Services, concerning the administration of the public assistance and social services programs
• Submit to the County Board, from time to time, other reports the SSAB deems appropriate.

The ideas, decisions, and actions of the SSAB will impact the lives of children, families, and vulnerable members of the Arlington community. Therefore, the business of the SSAB will be handled with the utmost respect, seriousness, and commitment.

The SSAB shall meet at least six times per year and may meet additional times when convened by the Chairperson. Meetings shall be held at a time agreed to by a majority of the SSAB’s members, and at a place arranged by the County support staff.

Meeting Schedule

Meetings are held the last Tuesday of every other month. In-person meetings are held at the Department of Human Services, 2100 Washington Blvd., Arlington VA 22204. Meetings take place from 6-7:30 p.m. and members of the public are welcome.

August 27, 2024

• Agenda(PDF, 180KB)
• Minutes

June 25, 2024

• Agenda(PDF, 183KB)
• Minutes(PDF, 198KB)

• Arlington Social Services Advisory Board Charter(PDF, 168KB)

Composition

The membership of the SSAB is constituted in accordance with the Code of Virginia (§ 63.2‐305). The membership of the SSAB shall consist of five voting members who are appointed by the County Board. The Director of the Department of Human Services, or their designee, is an ex‐officio member without voting privileges. The voting members shall be residents of Arlington County. The membership shall be broadly representative of the diverse backgrounds of County residents and all geographical areas of the County based upon the following core recruitment principles:

• Diversity. To ensure that decisions and outcomes benefit from a range of insights, there shall be proactive recruitment of a diverse membership representative of different races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, ages, socio‐economic statuses, educational backgrounds, and disability statuses. Additionally, recruitment efforts shall strive to ensure that the membership reflects the demographic profile of those served by VDSS programs, with intentional focus on underrepresented and underserved groups, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
• Lived experience. A person with lived experience is someone who has lived, or is currently living, with the issues their community is focusing on, and who can offer their perspective about the system as it is experienced by those who have received social services. The insights of persons with lived experience are invaluable inasmuch as they will inform program planning, education, and policy decision‐making, thereby contributing to improved outcomes and enhanced well‐being of social services clients. Persons with lived experience possess expertise that comes not from formal education or training, but instead from direct experience with the system, process, or issue being addressed.

Term of Office

As required by Virginia Code § 63.2‐305, members shall be appointed initially for terms of one to four years, so as to provide for the balanced overlapping of the terms of the membership thereon. Subsequent appointments shall be for a term of four years, except for appointments to fill vacancies that occur during terms shall be for the remainder of the unexpired terms. Appointments to fill unexpired terms shall not be considered full terms, and such persons shall be eligible to be appointed to two consecutive full terms. No person shall serve more than two consecutive full terms.