Social Programs
Racial equity office, food systems, guaranteed income, street outreach
Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice
ORESJ was created unanimously in November 2019 under Bill 27-19 and has grown from $375,860 to $1.6 million in FY2026. It requires racial equity impact assessments on all legislation, supplemental appropriations, and budget decisions. Every county department must develop a racial equity action plan. All 8,000+ county employees must complete mandatory racial equity training. Fairfax's comparable "One Fairfax" has a Chief Equity Officer but no legislatively mandated standalone office with binding requirements across all departments.
Office of Food Systems Resilience
OFSR was created by Bill 20-22 in July 2022. Its budget surged from approximately $1.1 million in FY2024 to $13.8 million in FY2026 — 8–9 times larger than the racial equity office. With just six full-time staff, the office administers $3.7M in community food assistance grants, $3.0M in nonprofit contracts, $1.6M for MC Groceries ($100/month per eligible child for online groceries), and more. MC Groceries is a county-created benefit with no federal equivalent. No peer county operates a comparable standalone food systems office at this scale.
MoCo BOOST guaranteed income
MoCo BOOST provided $800/month for 24 months to 300 households beginning summer 2022 — Maryland's first guaranteed income pilot. Total cost was approximately $6.3 million. The FY2025 budget maintained a $1.2 million Guaranteed Income NDA, suggesting continued investment.
Street Outreach Network
SON, part of DHHS's Positive Youth Development Initiative, received a $5.5 million expansion in FY2023 for mental health, case management, and violence intervention across all high schools. No standalone published effectiveness evaluation was identified — the program's crime reduction metrics are not publicly detailed.