A DCHS CONNECT HIGHLIGHT

May 11, 2023: With the long-awaited opening of the new Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) location, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on April 27 at the forecourt of the building. The building is located on the West End of the City at 4850 Mark Center Drive.

Since the merger of the City’s social services, women’s services, and behavioral health services into one department in 2010, there has been a call for moving to a single location. Before the move to Mark Center, DCHS programs were in eight locations across the city, with clients having to travel to different locations to participate in services. A single location allows clients to more easily access the range of DCHS services, in addition to improving employee collaboration to deliver these services.

Also moving to Mark Center Drive are the City Permit Center, City Finance Department, Clerk of Court, Alexandria Health Department and Neighborhood Health. This unified setting aims to ensure increased access, equity, collaboration, privacy, and safety for all residents who use the facility. It is expected that the facility will serve as a community hub, offering opportunities to access resources, convene meetings and events, and to promote the health and wellbeing of residents.

The City Council unanimously voted to name the facility after Councilwoman Redella S. "Del" Pepper who retired after serving on City Council since 1985. She served on the Alexandria City Council from 1985 through 2021 and served as vice mayor for seven of those years. In 2021, the Virginia House of Delegates, with the Senate of Virginia concurring, passed a resolution commending Pepper for her remarkable career.

Councilwoman Pepper was a long-time advocate for the West End of the City, as well as for older adults and youth. Following a community survey, the building was officially named the Redella S. "Del" Pepper Community Resource Center. Attending the ceremony was Councilwoman Pepper, her family, and special guests including current and past members of City Council, current and past City managers and mayors, and City department heads.

“The Redella S. Dell Pepper Community Resource Center is an exquisite representation of this City’s values,” said Kate Garvey, Director of DCHS, at the ceremony. “It is a place of joy, of comfort, of safety that will tell generations to come that they belong, that they are valued, and that working together, anything is possible.”