About OCS
The Office of Community Services (OCS) partners with states, tribes, territories, and non-profit and community-based organizations to reduce the causes and consequences of poverty, increase opportunity and economic mobility of individuals and families, and revitalize communities. Our social service and community development programs work in a variety of ways to improve the lives of many.
Programs for Families and Individuals
Diaper Distribution Demonstration & Research Pilot
The Diaper Distribution Demonstration and Research Pilot (DDDRP) both addresses diaper need and improves economic security for families with low incomes. DDDRP provides funding to expand existing diaper distribution services through a robust network of community partners that provide anti-poverty services. DDDRP is about more than just diapers — it lifts a barrier to health and well-being for families with low incomes and connects those families with wraparound support services that address the conditions and causes of poverty to help them take steps toward self-sufficiency.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a federal block grant program that provides funding to states, territories, and tribes to help households with low incomes meet their home energy needs. LIHEAP can reduce the costs associated with home energy bills, address energy crises, weatherize homes, or make minor energy-related home repairs. LIHEAP helps reduce the risk of health and safety problems that arise from unsafe heating and cooling situations and practices, particularly for vulnerable households with very young children, people with disabilities, and older adults.
Low Income Household Water Assistance Program
The Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) provided funds to assist households with low incomes with water and wastewater bills. LIHWAP grants were available to states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, U.S. territories, and federally and state-recognized Indian Tribes and tribal organizations that received Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) grants.
NOTICE: Funding is no longer available for LIHWAP. Households cannot receive LIHWAP benefits at this time.
Medical-Legal Partnerships Plus
The Medical-Legal Partnerships Plus (MLP+) program improves individual and family well-being by addressing the social determinants of health through wraparound legal and social services in health care settings. MLP+ provides federal funding to long-standing medical-legal partnerships to expand and strengthen the legal capacities of those partnerships by introducing social service navigators, increasing collaboration with other social service organizations, and contributing to knowledge around medical-legal partnership best practices.
Social Services Block Grant Program
The Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) is a flexible funding source that allows 57 grant recipients, including states and territories, to tailor social service programming to their populations’ needs. Through SSBG, grant recipients provide essential social services that help achieve a myriad of goals to reduce dependency and promote self-sufficiency; protect children and adults from neglect, abuse, and exploitation; and help individuals who are unable to take care of themselves stay in their homes or find the best institutional arrangements.
Programs for Communities
Affordable Housing and Supportive Services Demonstration
The Affordable Housing and Supportive Services Demonstration (AHSSD) strengthens, expands, and enhances wraparound supportive services available to residents of affordable housing units to increase stability, economic mobility, and well-being. These services may include educational opportunities, after-school programs, early child care, and Head Start; older adult care services; mental health, alcohol and addiction services; services for people with disabilities; self-sufficiency resources; health care resources; transportation; and more.
Community Economic Development Program
The Community Economic Development (CED) program is a discretionary grant program that improves the economic self-sufficiency of people with low incomes and revitalizes underserved communities by creating and expanding businesses and job opportunities in areas with high unemployment and poverty rates. Seventy-five percent of all CED-funded jobs must be filled by individuals with low incomes, and employers are required to provide critical wraparound support services to help remove barriers to long-term employment for individuals served.
Rural Community Development Program
The Rural Community Development (RCD) program is a discretionary grant program that works with regional and tribal organizations to manage safe water systems in rural communities. RCD funds provide training and technical assistance to help community members identify and address water and wastewater issues, including infrastructure and accessibility needs. They also improve access for families to affordable water and waste disposal services, train water operators to ensure water systems comply with federal regulations, and help communities establish financial stability to maintain water delivery and wastewater disposal systems.
Community Services Block Grant Program
The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) is a flexible funding source that provides funds to states, tribes, and territories to implement community-based services to reduce poverty, revitalize communities, and help people with low incomes become self-sufficient. Tribes and approximately 1,000 local eligible entities provide CSBG-funded services and activities including housing, nutrition, utility, and transportation assistance; crisis and emergency assistance; employment, education, and other wealth-building services; and community asset-building initiatives, among other community-based services aimed at creating pathways out of poverty and revitalizing underserved communities.