Contact: Rebecca Henrie, 360-725-4615, rebecca.henrie@dshs.wa.gov
Contact: John K. Wiley, 509-363-4797, john.wiley@dshs.wa.gov

January 23, 2012
Consolidation efforts result in closure of DSHS Othello Community Services Office

OTHELLO -- The Department of Social and Health Services will close its Othello Community Services Office on Jan. 27 as part of an agency-wide consolidation and efficiency effort.

Administrators from the DSHS Community Services Division will be on hand to explain the closure and access to benefits at two public meetings scheduled Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Othello High School Library, 340 South 7th Ave. 

Services currently offered at the Othello CSO at 1025 S. 1st Ave. will be available at the Moses Lake CSO, 1620 S. Pioneer Way, Moses Lake. Depending on the season, as many as 600 clients use the Othello CSO every month.

Beginning in February, Othello clients will be served by the DSHS Mobile CSO, which will also include regular stops at community clinics in Royal City and Quincy.

Customers requesting assistance, maintaining ongoing assistance, or reporting changes in eligibility can continue to do so online www.washingtonconnection.org or by calling the Customer Service Center (1-877-501-2233). Customers also can apply for financial, food, medical assistance and child care online or request a paper application by phone.

The closure was initially part of a long-term plan for consolidating CSOs statewide to improve efficiency and better serve DSHS customers. The building is leased from the Othello School District, which now needs the space being used by the CSO to accommodate growth. DSHS will save more than $62,000 a year by closing the Othello office.

The closure comes as DSHS and its Economic Services Administration, which oversees the Community Services Division, continue to respond to ongoing budget reductions by looking at ways to save money on facilities while continuing to serve its clients.

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