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

In contrast, progressive Democrats described Neely’s death as emerging from systemic issues related to race, poor funding for mental health care and lack of social services for the homeless. —Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024

Listeners generally resided in remote outposts, facing high unemployment rates and virtually no access to social services. —Kang-Chun Cheng, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec. 2024

Veal alleged in the video that social services refused to help him. —Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024

Though women in many countries might report violence from their partners, they are often dismissed by police or referred to social services. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1761, in the meaning defined above