Marin Voice: Social services support and serve residents across county

When telling people that my job is overseeing social services in Marin County, they frequently ask why such a wealthy, well-resourced community like Marin would need social services.

People are generally quite surprised to learn that one out of every five residents of Marin utilize some type of public benefits program. Additionally, year after year, Marin is cited as one of the California counties with the highest health and wealth disparities, meaning that the gaps between the “haves” and the “have nots” remain vast.

Being part of the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Services division has a mission to promote and protect the health, well-being, self-sufficiency and safety of all people in Marin. With 391 employees, the division is composed of social workers, support services workers, eligibility workers, employment development counselors, analysts, support staff and others.

Our services range across the age spectrum and include the following:

• Public benefits: Our public benefits range from Medi-Cal for low-income health care, CalFresh (food stamps), CalWorks (temporary financial support for people with children) and the “general relief” program (providing financial loans for childless adults).

• Veteran’s services: We help with linkages for veterans, their spouses and children to access financial support, health care, education benefits and burial benefits.

• Public guardian: Conservatorship and representative payees receive support for adults who do not have the capacity to make their own medical or financial decisions due to dementia or mental illness.

• West Marin and Marin City: We operate a West Marin Services Center in Point Reyes Station and are in the process of establishing an HHS hub to serve Southern Marin, including Marin City.

• Mobile services: One of our philosophies in Social Services is “place-based services” meaning it is important to go to people where they are. The HHS mobile van is in Marin City every Monday and Thursday, and also travels to homeless encampments across the county to inform people and enroll eligible clients and families into benefits.

• Services and support for immigrants: California is the first state in the nation to have “Medi-Cal for All,” and people of all ages now qualify for health care regardless of their documentation status. We work very hard to serve the immigrant population in Marin; many do not seek benefits due to fear, confusion, language or other access barriers.

• Foster care: We are always looking for people who are willing to foster a child in need. We call these individuals “resource parents.” These are the everyday heroes who, by taking a child into their home, are fostering our future. Find out more about this life changing opportunity at foster.marinhhs.org.

• Older and disabled adults: We are constantly recruiting for “In-Home Support Services” caregivers, who are employed to provide support for older and disabled children and adults who wish to live independently at home and in their communities. Caregiving can be a gratifying profession, with opportunities for flexibility and career advancement as well as making a huge difference in someone’s life. Get more information at pamarin.org.

Due to the high cost of living in Marin, 60% of the county workforce resides outside of Marin, which creates issues with transportation, child care and overall employee retention. One staff retention strategy is to recruit a workforce already housed within the community — maybe that’s you.  If you would like more information about the jobs, salaries and benefits available, please visit bit.ly/4f2sqEj.

Want to learn more? The Social Services leadership team will be presenting to the Marin Communications Forum on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. This online event will be an opportunity to learn more about our programs and to ask questions. Please email Michelle@First5Marin.org for the Zoom link.

The Social Services team and I are honored to provide these critical services in Marin. Please take this opportunity to engage with us.

Kari Beuerman is the Social Services director for the Marin County Health and Human Services Department. She serves on the First 5 Marin Children and Families Commission.