The mission of the District of Columbia Department of Human Services (DHS) is to empower every District resident to reach their full potential by providing meaningful connections to work opportunities, economic assistance, and supportive services.

Summary of Services

The mission of DHS is achieved via the following agency programs:

Management/Office of the Director: provides executive management, policy direction, strategic and financial planning, human capital management, information technology, capital programs, legislative and community relations, and performance management. The Office of Program Review, Monitoring, and Investigation includes agency risk management, fraud investigation, homeless shelter monitoring, and a quality control division.

Economic Security Administration (ESA): determines and maintains eligibility for cash, food, childcare, and medical benefits. ESA also, through a Two Generational approach, administers the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training programs, which provide employment and training-related activities designed to improve long-term employability and achieve sustaining income.

Family Services Administration (FSA): helps individuals and families experiencing homelessness, low-income people, adults at-risk for abuse or neglect, teenage parents, youth, troubled families, and refugees to become gradually stable and fully self-sufficient through an array of social services, assessments, and case-management and crisis-intervention services.