Arlington DHS presents $203 million FY26 budget with focus on racial equity, crisis response and school mental health

Arlington County Department of Human Services Director Anita Friedman presented the department's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget — roughly $203 million — on March 13 during a county board work session and described program growth, service demand and a slate of proposed budget additions and reductions.

Friedman said DHS serves about 50,000 residents annually across about 100 programs and would have roughly 820 staff in FY26 under the current proposal. She told the board that Medicaid is the single largest program with nearly 30,000 participants, SNAP serves almost 10,000 people and the department handles nearly 90,000 calls a year at its main customer service center.

DHS framed the budget and program decisions within a declared commitment to racial equity and a new department-level strategic plan. Friedman said DHS completed a SWOT analysis in 2023 and has four strategic priorities for the next five years: optimal health, housing stability, well-being and prevention, and economic security. She identified the department's REAP (Racial Equity Advancement Partners) work and a mandatory, three‑part training delivered in 58 sessions in 2024 as a concrete step to embed that focus in the organization.

Department staff described program areas seeking growth in FY26. Deborah Warren and other DHS presenters highlighted school-based mental health services, aging and disability supports, and addiction recovery work. The school mental health program — funded by board action last year for four clinicians — now serves students in seven schools and has 80 active clients, Warren said. The Aging and Disability Resource Center saw a 60% increase in client contacts since 2021 and reported a rising number of older adults referred for shelter; staff noted a new state-funded dementia-in‑home program serving 72 clients in its first year.

On behavioral health crisis response, DHS reported expansion plans for its mobile outreach support team (MOST). The program began with federal grant funding and staff said they applied for a state Marcus Alert grant to sustain and expand hours and add a second team and another outreach van. The MOST expanded hours are scheduled to be Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m., and officials said they expect a co‑response pilot this spring with police. DHS also reported that the county’s crisis receiving center has implemented 24/7 nursing coverage and recently began transferring custody under emergency custody orders to certified special conservators of the peace — a change officials said saved roughly 155 hours of police time in recent weeks.

DHS described jail‑diversion programming that includes a recovery court (post‑disposition) and a behavioral health docket (pre‑plea). The department said the recovery court served 33 people last year, and the behavioral health docket cap was expanded from 10 to 15 participants; further expansion, staff said, depends on provider capacity and client acuity.

Friedman and staff told the board the department is closely tracking federal funding exposure: roughly $42 million in federal pass‑through and grant funding flows into DHS annually, and Arlington’s Housing Choice Voucher program accounts for about $27 million of that. Staff urged vigilance in the event of federal reductions and discussed the county’s stabilization reserve as a possible temporary backstop for critical services.

Budget specifics: DHS said the proposed FY26 budget totals $203,844,430 (presented as about $203 million elsewhere in the session) — an increase of about 5.3% over FY25 — and a proposed FTE count of about 819.7. Staff identified a number of requested additions and one‑time asks: an AFAC food budget increase of $279,000, $350,000 one‑time for Culpeper Garden assisted living support, $105,000 for Meals on Wheels, a DD (developmental disabilities) support coordinator offset by Medicaid revenue, and $358,000 for a new childcare licensing system. Childcare initiatives included $5 million of local funds to support affordability and quality improvements and 36 new affordable slots supported by last year’s awards.

Staff also outlined proposed reductions and structural changes to reallocate resources. The department proposed eliminating or freezing several positions it called duplicative or lower‑priority, including a public health communications epidemiologist and an employment development specialist in the Arlington Employment Center, among other reductions intended to produce savings. The department said some positions created by grants will not be hired unless grant funding is confirmed.

Why it matters: DHS officials told the board that demand for services — from food assistance and eviction prevention to behavioral health crisis response and services for older adults — has increased sharply since 2021, and that program growth is driving the department’s budget trajectory. Officials asked the board to consider the county’s exposure to federal funding cuts and to weigh one‑time and ongoing investments relative to service need.

Staffing, performance measurement and next steps: DHS reiterated that 90% of its programs have performance management plans and that 90% of those disaggregate data by race and ethnicity. Staff said PMPs (performance measurement plans) guide service decisions and outcomes reporting and are available in the budget narrative. Friedman told the board DHS intends to finalize its department strategic plan for release later this year and to continue aligning staffing and finances to service demand.

The board asked detailed questions during the session about MOST hours, jail diversion approaches, the childcare licensing system, and how DHS would adjust if federal funding declines. DHS staff said they would return with additional detail as the budget process continues.

Ending: The department’s presentation concluded with commissioners and advisory boards offering public remarks supporting investments in aging services, gender‑equity work, and social services staffing. Board members requested follow‑up materials, including staff demographic breakdowns for affected positions, and signaled that they expect more detailed budget conversations in the coming weeks.