THE HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CITIZEN SERVICES

In 1975 the Bureau of Citizen Services was established as the human service focus of Howard County Government, consisting of the Division of Human Relations, Human Relations Commission, Community Development Committee and the Division of Human Services, Office of Consumer Affairs and the Commission on Aging. The Bureau of Citizen Services focused on services for the elderly, employment, housing and human rights.

In 1980, Citizen Services was elevated to a department, expanding its focus to include program development, implementation and coordination of human services. The new Department of Citizen Services included Child and Youth Services and the Divisions of Aging, Consumer Affairs, Community Development, Housing and Employment and Training. Disabilities Services was added in 1984.

Today, Citizen Services' staff use local, state, federal and private resources to meet the growing human service needs of the Howard County residents. To better serve our residents, ten senior centers, the Children’s Resource Center, and the Child Advocacy Center called The Listening Place are located throughout the county.

During the past 25 years, Howard County has seen phenomenal growth in businesses, population, diversity and the need for all types of services. The Department of Citizen Services' vision and focus has been to improve the quality of life for our residents. To accomplish this goal, many community partnerships with other government agencies, community groups and the non-profit community were built.

Through these partnerships, a broader spectrum of services was developed that filled unmet human service needs. Citizen Services is very proud of its role in the development of the human service program in Howard County and of what has been accomplished through these partnerships. Collaboration has been the key to the success in the delivery of the finest human service programs in the State of Maryland.

The Department of Citizen Services has met the challenge of the changing demographics by staying on the cutting edge to ensure that services are meeting the needs of Howard County residents. The dedicated Citizen Services staff will continue to provide the highest quality services and programs in the twenty-first century.