The Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) provides social services and public benefits assistance; mental health, developmental disability and substance abuse services; and supports initiatives for women through three direct care centers: the Center for Children & Families, the Center for Adult Services and the Center for Economic Support. Not sure what service you need? See our service chart, visit Call.Click.Connect or contact the DCHS Call Center at 703.746.5700.

DCHS offers free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for laypersons. MHFA is an eight-hour training and certification on skills to help persons who are developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis. The training demonstrates the initial help given to a person showing signs of mental illness or a mental health crisis. More information about the course is available. Visit the online registration for class dates. Re-certification is available online, or by repeating the full course.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. One in five people will be affected by mental health issues in their lifetime—but there is hope. Watch “This is Recovery,” a 14-minute video featuring men and women across Northern Virginia who share their stories of recovery to help others who are dealing with similar challenges. 

Do You Know Anyone Instrumental in supporting children, youth and families in the City of Alexandria? Nominate them for a 2019 Champion of Children Award Award! Learn more and nominate.

Help the Alexandria Commission for Women and Friends of the Alexandria Commission for Women “restock the shelves” of items needed for the Domestic Violence Safe House and gift baskets for women who visit the shelter. Learn more. 

The Department of Community and Human Services welcomes you to the online screening tool for mental health and substance use disorders. This free screening is made available to the general public and is taken anonymously. The screening is provided so that you may find out - in a few minutes - whether or not professional consultation would be helpful to you.

CommonHelp allows Virginia residents to apply online for public assistance benefits. Find out more.

Learn how the national heroin and opioid crisis is affecting our community and how City programs and services are responding. Know how to recognize and respond to an overdose and how to help save lives. 

Chronic stress can have negative side effects on everyone. Psycho-social factors, specifically, pervasive exposure to racism and discrimination, creates an additional daily stressor for people of color. Research shows this to be particularly true for African-Americans (APA, 2016).  Read more

Adults in Alexandria who work with middle or high school youth can now be trained in mental health ‘gatekeeper skills’ through online at-risk training simulations. This short interactive online training is designed for mentors, juvenile justice professionals, school staff, youth development staff, recreation professionals and human-service staff. The training is not recommended for licensed clinicians.  Learn more and take the hour-long web-based training today!