Uninterrupted access to services still available in person, online and via phone
WHITE SALMON, Washington – People living in Klickitat County will be able to access services like food, cash and medical benefits and other supports online, over the phone and at mobile office events once the DSHS brick-and-mortar office in White Salmon closes permanently on June 30, 2025, when the building’s lease is set to expire.
No DSHS staff are stationed currently at the White Salmon location, which has been closed to in-person services since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Community Services Office and Home and Community Services division employees at this location have been teleworking since the pandemic and seeing Home and Community Services customers by appointment only in person, in their home or at the Goldendale Community Services Office, or meeting Community Services Office customers’ needs through telephone, online and other in-person service options. For example, the DSHS Mobile Outreach Team has been providing services to the community two times each month, hosted by the WorkSource office located at 107 W Jewett Blvd. The DSHS mobile office schedule is available at dshs.wa.gov/mobileoffice and on DSHS social media channels.
The closure of the White Salmon office aligns with DSHS’ long-term goal of providing services in a more efficient, innovative way, while meeting customers’ needs and reducing the agency’s brick-and-mortar footprint wherever it makes sense to do so. It also saves the state nearly $77,000 annually in lease costs and facility-related expenses in a time when Washington is also facing a budget shortfall.
The money saved by closing the office will help reduce expenses as well as retain necessary staffing and technology to continue to administer essential services and ensure Washingtonians have access to and are eligible for programs like:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
- Aged, Blind or Disabled cash assistance.
- Housing and Essential Needs referrals.
- Services to ensure people are able to get the care they need and age in the setting of their choice.
The Department of Children, Youth and Families still has a presence in this building and plans to vacate the space before June 30.
People can access DSHS community services by calling the Customer Service Contact Center at 877-501-2233 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or visiting WashingtonConnection.org. Complete details about how to apply for benefits are available on the DSHS website.
Community members who have questions or concerns about the closure can contact Cheryl Evans-Holbrook, Region 1, CSD Regional Administrator, at 509-713-0663 or cheryl.evans-holbrook@dshs.wa.gov; Dawn Larson, Community Service Office Administrator for the Ellensburg, Goldendale and Toppenish CSOs, at 509-413-3208 or dawn.larson@dshs.wa.gov; or Tami Rucker, HCS Regional Administrator, at 509-568-3780 or tamara.rucker@dshs.wa.gov.