Quality of Life Services Coming to Coachella Area

COACHELLA —Residents in the Coachella area will soon have closer access to multiple quality-of-life services. On Thursday, June 20, a ribbon cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. will mark the celebration of a new Riverside County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) full-service office in Coachella.

Individuals and families in need the Coachella area can obtain temporary cash assistance, medical insurance, food assistance, and job placement and job skills training.

Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez said he sees two substantial benefits to the new facility.

“One, residents in the city will have access to vital county services that help improve and make a difference in their lives,” Hernandez told Uken Report.  “Second, with over 150 county employees in downtown Coachella, there is an economic impact back into our community-an infusion of salaried employees that has not been seen in a long time.”

Coachella City Councilmember Josephine Gonzales told Uken Report that government offices and institutions can be intimidating or evoke fear in some.

“However when such an office is in your community, a familiar place where trust is established, it can be a true jewel for your city which is what I foresee the DPSS facility will be for our beautiful city of Coachella,” Gonzalez said. “I work for the county of Riverside DPSS as a supervisor with child protective services so I understand the fear our department evokes.  What is clear to me is that having a government office accessible and connecting with families daily creates/forms relationships on a human level and that is where families are served, people are helped and a healthier community grows.”

DPSS programs serve and support individuals and families to achieve and sustain their health, well-being, and economic independence, Sayori Baldwin, Managing Director at DPSS, said.

“By opening this facility, we will make access to essential services and benefits much easier for our communities to obtain in the Coachella Valley,” Baldwin said in a prepared statement.

DPSS expects the new office to serve more than 50,000 people every year from the Coachella area in these nearby Coachella Valley communities: Desert Center, Eagle Mountain, Hayfield, Salton Sea, Desert Shores, Thermal, Mecca, Desert Beach, North Shore, Mortmar and Desert Camp.

“This beautiful new office brings closer access to services, back-to-work programs and training for residents of disadvantaged communities in the eastern Coachella Valley,” Supervisor V. Manuel Perez said in a prepared statement. “It is not only a place where families can get help with temporary assistance programs to be self-sufficient, but also the front lines where county employees each day work to address poverty, inequity, and social justice in the Coachella Valley.”

The Coachella office, 1283 Sixth St., Coachella, will open to the public by early July and will handle programs such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh, General Assistance, CalWORKs, Child Care and Welfare to Work.