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

Her post caused a predictable furore – and even prompted an anonymous report to social services, who have opened a file on her child, Oscar. —The Week Uk, theweek, 1 Sep. 2024

One of the benefits of being downtown is the proximity to companies like Adobe, institutions like San Jose State and nonprofit social service and arts organizations, many of whom the school has made connections with already. —Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024

The legislature has created a traditional social service program, free electricity to those who cannot afford it, and put the cost directly on consumers. —Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2024

With new authority to clear homeless camps, cities like San Francisco are doing so, while others are focusing on improving social services. —Francine Kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above