For many, Silicon Valley is the very picture of prosperity. That image, though, can sometimes mask the reality that many of our neighbors struggle to make ends meet. And right now, we’re compounding their struggle by making it harder than it needs to be to access the support services that could help them get by.
One of the major duties of our Santa Clara County government is providing “safety net” services for our most vulnerable residents. The county Social Services Agency administers important programs like the food benefits of CalFresh, the welfare-to-work assistance of CalWorks, and health care coverage through Medi-Cal.
We don’t weave that safety net alone, of course. We’ve built strong partnerships with nonprofits that provide services like emergency financial assistance, housing help, and training and education. These services go hand-in-hand with our county programs.
Unfortunately, even though we know these complementary nonprofit and public programs serve many of the same people, we don’t always make it easy to take advantage of these services all in one place. Every day, our nonprofit partners (like the Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos, for example) see clients at their offices, then have to tell those clients they need to make another trip to another location to get help with county programs.
We’re requiring those with the least resources to take time away from work (or from seeking work), juggle childcare, and pay for gas or bus fare to travel to a county office to receive vital support services. We can and should be making it easier, not harder, for people to access these programs.
That’s why I’ve asked the Santa Clara County Social Services Agency to “take our show on the road.”
I’m proposing that our county Social Services Agency set up a trial program to send county staff to the facilities of our nonprofit partners a few days each week. By creating satellite offices for the county, throughout the North County district I represent, we can serve clients where they already are, instead of asking them to come to us.
This approach, more formally called “co-location,” is one that helps similar agencies in other places — and we’ve seen it work here, too.
During the past year, I worked with our Social Services Agency to find a new North County office in Mountain View when the lease on the old office couldn’t be renewed. Our efforts were successful, and we’ve retained an important service center for North County residents. But there was another benefit as well.
During that transition, county staff took up temporary residence in the offices of local nonprofits. While there, they were able to serve clients who normally would have had to travel to our county offices. It saved the clients time and money, made it easier to coordinate service with our nonprofit partners, and helped the county reach more people.
I’m gratified that the new North County office is now up and running, but I know that it’s still a lot to ask those without reliable, affordable transportation to travel there or to San Jose during work hours, particularly clients coming from the seven other communities I represent in addition to Mountain View.
Increasing access to county-run programs by co-locating with community nonprofits can make a big difference. California has the nation’s lowest participation rate for federally funded SNAP benefits (formerly “food stamps,” known here as CalFresh). Only half of those eligible for the program are signed up. The hurdle of transportation is one reason why.
Here in Silicon Valley, we talk a lot about the need to “think outside the box.” In this instance, “getting out of the box” translates to “getting out of the office.” By pushing our social services out into the community, we can help the county serve more people, more easily, and more effectively.
We’ve got willing partners in our community nonprofits. Now we just need to take our show on the road.
Joe Simitian is a member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. He represents the Fifth District, which includes Mountain View.
