The Agency of Human Services exists to help every Vermonter who needs help, strives to protect our most vulnerable citizens, and hopes to assist every Vermonter develop to their fullest potential. We work in partnership with community providers – in the public, private, and non-profit sectors – who share accountability for accomplishing this complex work.

As a single Agency comprised of six Departments, we take shared responsibility for the social, economic, health, and welfare of all Vermonters, with a special responsibility for the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable citizens. The Agency is accountable for child welfare and protection, the protection of vulnerable populations, public safety for our communities through work with our offender population, public health, the administration of public benefits, support for wellness and mental health, healthy aging and administration of Vermont’s Medicaid public insurance system.

We know that healthy development and healthy behavior across the life span is supported by stable and safe environments – both physical and social. The Agency of Human Services strives to promote the health, well-being, and safety of Vermonters by integrating our approaches to housing, family stability, early childhood and adolescent development, substance abuse, and successful offender re-entry, among other efforts in all of our Departments.

“How is Vermont doing?” The whole-population indicators below help gauge whether progress is being made in Vermont in relation to the condition we want to create. One Agency cannot be accountable for “turning the curve” on whole-population changes, but we are one of many partners with a role to play in making a difference in these trend lines.