Potomac News Online | Health & Social Services: Social Services available for adults, children
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The Prince William County Department of Social Services, a public agency, offers services that include children and adult services, foster care, benefits, employment and child care.
The county operates two social services offices: one at 7987 Ashton Ave., Suite 200, Manassas, (703) 792-7500; and another at the Dr. A.J. Ferlazzo Building, 15941 Donald Curtis Drive, Woodbridge, (703) 792-7500.
Visit www.co.princewilliam.va.us/dss for more information and directions to each office. Both offices maintain hours Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Services
Food Stamps: Assistance to purchase food for low-income families and individuals.
Medicaid Assistance: Medical coverage for income-eligible persons. This includes programs for the elderly, disabled, and families with children.
Family Access Medical Insurance Security Plan: Health insurance for low-income children over the poverty level who are ineligible for Medicaid.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families: Provides financial assistance to families or persons caring for related children who need support because of death, disability or absence of a parent.
Employment Services: Helps public assistance applicants and recipients to become self-supporting. A full service employment resource center in each office is open to anyone from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Child Care: Payments for childcare for income-eligible families who are employed.
Fuel Assistance: Payments to defray heating costs of income-eligible persons.
Homeless Intervention Program: Provides short-term rental and mortgage assistance to eligible individuals facing eviction or foreclosure.
For more information or to be screened for eligibility for programs, contact the Call Center at (703)792-7500 or visit the self-screening tool at www.dss.virginia.gov.
Family Services
Protective Services and Family Assessment: Investigates reports of child abuse or neglect. Helps families provide better care for children through counseling, childcare, teaching parenting, budgeting and homemaking skills.
To report child neglect or abuse, call (703) 792-4200. After 5 p.m. and on weekends, call the Prince William County Police directly at (703) 792-6500 or the state Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at (800) 552-7096.
Foster Care: Provision of full-time substitute care for children committed by the court or entrusted by the parents to the Department.
Adoption: Foster children who become legally free are placed for adoption with approved adoptive parents.
Adult Protective Services: Investigates reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation of adults, and helps arrange for adequate care for those who cannot fully care for themselves.
The Community Services Board: Mental health and substance abuse hotline: Help is available 24 hours a day. In Manassas, call (703) 792-7800. In eastern Prince William, call (703) 792-4900; western Prince William, call (703) 792-7800.
City Services
The cities of Manassas and Manassas Park provide similar services to residents.
Programs include food stamps, housing, adoption services and child health insurance, Medicaid, funding assistance, investigation of child abuse/neglect of children under 18, investigation of adult abuse neglect/exploitation, including seniors over 60 and the disabled over age 18, daycare assistance, employment services, career center services for Manassas are residents, foster care. The agency also approves people to be adoptive parents or families, as well as, foster parents or families and approval to be a daycare provider.
They also provide referral services for high-risk youngsters.
Both departments are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for holidays.
The Manassas office is at 8955 Center St. Call (703) 361-8277.
The Manassas Park office is at 1 Park Center Court. The phone number is (703) 335-8880.
Manassas Park social workers can be reached after hours for crisis counseling by calling the Manassas Park police, (703) 361-1136, and asking for social services.
Programs for Homeless
The Hilda Barg Homeless Prevention Center is at 14945 Jefferson Davis Highway, Woodbridge.
Call (703) 680-5403. A 24-hour, 30-bed facility for singles and families is funded by Prince William County and operated by Volunteers of America, which has a Web site at www.aftershare.org.
The organization offers free clothing at the same address beginning at 11:30 a.m. every Sunday and continuing while supplies last.
During the week, the group holds an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, a Narcotics Anonymous meeting and a Cocaine Anonymous meeting. Call program director Gayle Sanders for more information at (703) 680-5403.
The Volunteers of America also funds and operates the Men’s Transitional Program, a private town house for four men in recovery from substance abuse. Eligibility depends on successful completion of a 51-day program at Homeless Prevention Center. Call (703) 680-5403.
ACTS
Action in the Community Through Service offers a variety of community services for those in need. The main office is at 3900 Acts Lane in Dumfries and can be reached at (703) 441-8606.
ACTS-sponsored programs include:
Emergency food and financial assistance for families unable to meet bills because of a short-term crisis,
Periodic food drives, round-the-clock telephone crisis hotline (Helpline) that is certified for suicide intervention and prevention and that can be reached at (703) 3e68-4141. A Spanish-language hotline (Ayuda Con Ternura) at (703) 368-6544 operates from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday.
TELETEEN and Phone-A-Friend hot lines manned by teenagers from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday at (703) 368-8069.
A 15-bed homeless shelter for families at 17866 Main St. in Dumfries that can be reached at (703) 221-3188
Turning Points, a domestic violence intervention program offering individual and group support for men, women and children. Other programs include parenting, couples, court advocacy, safe house and community education (safe house is a shelter for victims of domestic violence). For more information on any Turning Points program or to ask questions about abusive relationships, call (703) 221-4951. The line is staffed 24 hours a day and all calls are confidential,
Childcare center in Woodbridge for children between the ages of 3 and 12 years with tuition assistance on a sliding scale available. Call (703) 670-8808. Hours: 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Two ACTS thrift stores offer low-cost furniture, clothing, household goods, and other treasures. The Woodbridge store can be reached at (703) 490-9697, while the Dumfries store can be reached at (703) 221-3298. Both stores are open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Donations are accepted at both stores from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Pickups of large items, such as furniture, can be arranged by calling the Woodbridge store.
Operation Turkey provides free Thanksgiving dinners to needy families in Prince William County. Call (703) 221-3186.
SERVE
Securing Emergency Resources through Volunteer Efforts Inc., 10056 Dean Drive, Manassas, helps needy residents in Manassas, Manassas City, Manassas Park, Bristow, Catharpin, Gainesville, Haymarket and Nokesville. SERVE’s 56-bed Family Care Shelter, (703) 368-3612, is open 24 hours a day at the same address, while the Emergency Assistance Office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9:30 to 11:45 a.m. and 1 to 3:15 p.m. On Wednesdays, Emergency Assistance is open 5 to 7:45 p.m. for food and thrift store vouchers only.
SERVE programs include:
On-site Life Skills classes, computer classes, job search assistance and computer lab.
GED/ESOL tutoring is offered on Fridays at 10 a.m.
Transitional Housing program for families.
The Save & SERVE Thrift Shop, at 7234 Nathan Court in Manassas. Hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed on Sundays.
Also available: food closet, financial assistance for rent eviction notices, utility shutoff notices, emergency dental and prescriptions. Call 703-368-2979, Ext. 1121, for these needs.
For more information, call the SERVE office at 703-368-2979, send fax to 703-368-2004 or visit www.serveinc.org.
Red Cross
The American Red Cross Prince William Chapter is at 9317 West St., Manassas, (703) 368-4511.
Emergency services for disaster victims are available around the clock. The agency aids residents in disaster relief and preparedness, casework assistance for servicemen, veterans and their families, and teaches health and safety measures like cardiopulmonary resuscitation, HIV/AIDS education, water safety, lifeguarding, first aid. It also offers baby-sitting classes for teens.
The Red Cross also recruits blood donors and helps with other community services.
Other Red Cross Services include:
Walking programs: daily walking for health at Potomac Mills mall and Manassas Mall every day of the year except holidays. Daily registration at a table near the food courts at 8:30 a.m.
International tracing service through a center, allowing individuals to trace loved ones who have been lost.
Blood pressure screening is provided free of charge.
International or national disaster relief is provided when needed.
Visit www.pwarc.org.
SAVAS
Sexual Assault Victims Advocacy Service is a nonprofit organization organized to help sexual assault and rape victims in Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park. Call (703) 497-1192 for the Woodbridge office or (703) 361-2634 for the Manassas office. With SAVAS, a 24-hour crisis intervention, information and counseling service is available through Helpline, as well as a companion service where volunteers will accompany victims to legal and medical facilities. Call (703) 368-4141.
The organization also sponsors support groups for survivors of rape and adults molested as children and a partners support group for spouses. It operates a teen-age support group, ages 12 to 17, for survivors of sexual assault. It also has support groups for the parents of children who have been sexually assaulted. SAVAS also offers self-defense classes for women and children. Supported by donations and some state and federal funds, all SAVAS services are free.