social service

noun

plural social services

: a program or effort designed to promote human or societal well-being

specifically : organized help for people who are in need of assistance with basic needs (such as food, housing, safety, or job training) or with medical needs (such as addiction or mental illness)

—usually plural

Most states are struggling with skimpy resources and a system of uncoordinated social services that is totally inadequate to serve a population of individuals whose needs are bottomless.

—Constance Holden

… attacked the idea of social services, claiming that the only entity entitled to provide care is the church, not the government.

—Tori Otten

—often used before another noun

social service agencies

Until the bridge's closure, the island hosted and supported social service programs including homeless shelters and an addiction recovery campus.

—Ellie Wolfe

Examples of social service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rare among cities of its size, Norwalk has its own social services department. —Liam Dillon, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024

However, the Black Panthers’ extensive social service networks were often overshadowed by the party’s militant behavior. —Karina Atkins, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2024

Among major fields of study at the bachelors’ level, the largest gains were in public administration and social service professions (5.9%), engineering (5.8%), business programs (4.1%), health professions (3.9%) and biological and biomedical sciences (3.8%). —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024

City Commissioner Lisa Deeley tells Axios that those few thousand voters registered at shelters and social services providers could play a pivotal role in Pennsylvania's close election. —Mike D'onofrio, Axios, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above