Amherst County Department of Social Services

Amherst County Department of Social Services Welcome to the official page of the Amherst County, VA Department of Social Services

The Amherst County Department of Social Services provides social work services, financial services, and volunteer opportunities administered according to state and federal regulations. The mission of the department is to offer timely, appropriate, quality services to individuals and families in order to promote self-sufficiency and to protect children and adults. The Department offers the following programs: Adoption, Adult Protective Services, Adult Services, Auxiliary Grant Program, Child Protective Services, Day Care Services to Children, Emergency Assistance, Emergency Shelter Operations, Employment Services, Energy Assistance, Family Access to Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS), Family Partnership Meetings, Foster Care, Home Based Care (Companion Services), Intake Services, Medicaid, Prevention and Support Services for Families, SNAP (food assistance), State/Local Hospitalization, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), and Volunteer Services

In accordance with Federal Law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, s*x, age, religion, political beliefs, or disability. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TTY). The Amherst County Department of Social Services and USDA are an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Amherst County Dept. of Social Services is accepting applications for the Karis Christmas for Seniors program, coordinat...
09/10/2026

Amherst County Dept. of Social Services is accepting applications for the Karis Christmas for Seniors program, coordinated by Karis Care Services, now through Wednesday, October 14th. This program is designed to brighten the holidays for seniors in our community.

Amherst DSS will close at noon on Friday, September 4th, and will remain closed through Labor Day.  We will return to re...
09/04/2026

Amherst DSS will close at noon on Friday, September 4th, and will remain closed through Labor Day. We will return to regular business hours on Tuesday, September 8th.

County Offices will close at noon on Friday, September 4th, and will remain closed through Labor Day. We will return to regular business hours on Tuesday, September 8th.

07/20/2026
06/30/2026

๐…๐Ž๐‘ ๐ˆ๐Œ๐Œ๐„๐ƒ๐ˆ๐€๐“๐„ ๐‘๐„๐‹๐„๐€๐’๐„: ๐€๐ฆ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐€๐ง๐ง๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐Ž๐ฉ๐ข๐จ๐ข๐ ๐€๐›๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐„๐๐ฎ๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐†๐ซ๐š๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ ๐ซ๐š๐ฆ

Amherst County is pleased to announce the opening of the Amherst County Opioid Abatement Youth Education Grant Program, with applications being accepted from July 1, 2026, through August 1, 2026.
The Amherst County Opioid Abatement Education Grant Program has been developed through the Opioid Abatement Taskforce of Amherst County to aid in the education of both youths and their guardians regarding the impact of the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Research has consistently shown that youths who participate in extracurricular activities are less likely to experiment with drug use. Through this initiative, the Opioid Abatement Taskforce seeks to support Amherst County nonprofit organizations that provide extracurricular opportunities to local youth while incorporating opioid education and prevention programming.
Eligible nonprofit organizations will be required to participate in educational opioid abatement sessions over the course of a 10-week program. Programming will be administered through the Amherst County Extension Office. Grant funding will be awarded based on participation levels within each organization, helping to expand youth engagement while increasing awareness of the dangers associated with opioid misuse.
Funding will be awarded on a per-capita basis at a rate of $50.00 per youth participant, with a maximum award of $5,000.00 per organization. Grant funds will be distributed upon successful completion of the required programming.
The Opioid Abatement Taskforce encourages eligible nonprofit organizations serving Amherst County youth to apply and partner in this important effort to educate families, strengthen prevention initiatives, and support healthy activities for young people throughout the community.
For complete program details, eligibility requirements, and application information, please contact:
Leslie Sprouse
Grants Administrator
Amherst County
Phone: (434) 946-9412
Email: [email protected]
Application Period
July 1, 2026 โ€“ August 1, 2026

Amherst DSS will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, for Independence Day.
06/29/2026

Amherst DSS will be closed on Friday, July 3rd, for Independence Day.

Please see the steps below to make sure your new card reaches you!
06/29/2026

Please see the steps below to make sure your new card reaches you!

Big news! Virginia is transitioning to more secure SNAP EBT chip cards to better protect your benefits from theft and skimming. ๐Ÿ”’

To make sure your new card reaches you, verify your mailing address on CommonHelp.virginia.gov or at your local department of social services by September 9.

Your balance will transfer automatically once you activate the new card. Current cards expire 60 days after your new card is mailed.

Learn more about your new EBT card at VirginiaChipCard.com.

Need help finding your local department? Navigate to dss.virginia.gov/localagency.

Amherst DSS will be closed on Friday, June 19th.
06/16/2026

Amherst DSS will be closed on Friday, June 19th.

County Administration Offices will be closed on Friday, June 19th, in observation of Juneteenth.

The landfill and convenience centers will operate on their normal schedules.

Did you know Amherst has a Little Free Library? ๐Ÿ“šLocated just outside the Amherst Health Department (right next door to ...
06/03/2026

Did you know Amherst has a Little Free Library? ๐Ÿ“š

Located just outside the Amherst Health Department (right next door to us!).

Little Free Libraries are a Take a Book, Share a Book exchangeโ€”free to anyone. No library card, no sign-out sheet, no catch!

If you have books at home collecting dust, now is a great time to pass them along and pick up something new in return.

With summer just around the corner, itโ€™s the perfect time for kids to stock up on some new reads. Swing by and see whatโ€™s on the shelf!

Central Virginia Health District (CVHD) Little Free Library

Address

224 Second Street
Amherst, VA
24521

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+14349469330

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