About the Community Services Board

The Arlington County Community Services Board (CSB) endorses the Arlington Department of Human Services (DHS) Equity Statement to address the issues of social justice and equity that impact our community. (Click for printable version(PDF, 222KB) .)

Values:

• Racial Equity
• Access
• Inclusion
• Authenticity
• Accountability

Vision:

A just and equitable community that is healthy, safe, and economically secure, and free of systemic racism.

Mission:

In solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), create equitable access to the resources and opportunities needed for every community member to be healthy, safe, and economically secure.

As the appointed citizen policy board responsible for providing mental health, developmental disability and substance use disorder services for Arlington citizens of all age groups,

We resolve to:

1. Understand how the whole community benefits when the CSB includes multiple voices.
2. Consider the impact of systemic racism on the mental health and wellbeing of our community.
3. Welcome dialogue on the experiences, ideas, issues, and desires of the BIPOC community and reach out to citizens that we are not hearing from.
4. Attend community group meetings and forums on a regular basis that have a diverse representation of historically marginalized people in order to build partnerships.
5. Invite speakers and visitors to CSB meetings to share community concerns in the disability areas the CSB oversees.
6. Actively and intentionally recruit representation from the BIPOC community on the CSB.
7. Create space within the CSB to be an inclusive and welcoming environment that respects all voices and the lived experiences of its members.
8. Employ targeted advocacy based on what we learn from the BIPOC community.
9. Study data on the racial and ethnic composition of the CSB client population by area of age and disability and take steps to improve outreach, accessibility, services and address barriers to services for underserved populations.

We value the dignity of each individual and shall proactively protect his or her human rights. All our programs and services, including those through other public, private or non-profit agencies, shall comply with the human rights mandates of the Code of Virginia.

The ACCSB will create an environment that allows for full participation by each individual in development of his or her treatment and service plan. Our goal is to achieve recovery and self-sufficiency to the maximum extent possible.

We shall provide opportunities for each individual to participate fully in our community, in the most integrated setting and with the maximum degree of independence possible. We consider opportunities to live and work in the community, and to benefit from the natural supports of family and friends, essential to the quality of life of each individual.

Our services shall be based on “best practice” and shall strive to meet the wants and needs of each individual served. We shall provide a continuum of services that will offer flexibility and take into account the different levels of functioning of each individual.

We shall serve the populations defined by the ACCSB policies and as defined by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

We believe that families are the most important and accessible resource and support for individuals. We shall take all necessary and appropriate actions to maximize the involvement and participation of consumers and family members of consumers in policy formulation and service planning, delivery and evaluation. Further, we shall develop linkages for consumers and families to community-based resources of work, recreation, education, training, and advocacy.

Services provided by the ACCSB shall be operated in a cost effective, efficient manner, where the quality/value of the service is high and where there is the highest return on investment. Services shall be accountable to the consumers and the taxpayers of Arlington.