On the Road for You

DSHS Mobile Office Team — Photo Essay

“We travel in our truck and we take our services to them.” It’s Wednesday and Sonia Segura has already driven more than 600 miles this week to provide DSHS services in eastern Washington.

Sonia Segura is on the road in the Mobile Community Services Office. She drives one of the two 40-foot trucks the Department of Social and Health Services deploys to reach out and improve access to services in Washington state.

This is the second day of a three-day tour for the Mobile Office Team in the region that serves all of eastern Washington. The first day, they completed an event in Grand Coulee before driving 150 miles south to Tri-Cities. On the third day, they drove to Yakima to visit Camp Hope, where people experiencing homelessness are getting connected to services.

This day, Segura and her team visited St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank in Pasco. The mobile unit returns once a month to this community partner that serves 1,400 people and families.

The Mobile Office fleet has expanded to eight vehicles in the last year — six smaller 20-foot trucks have joined the 40-foot trucks. Here’s a brief look at a day in the life of just one of the fleet and its fantastic team.

Find an event near you: Mobile Office Calendar

Sonia Segura started with DSHS more than 25 years ago. She joined the mobile unit in 2017. “I haven’t been any happier in any other position,” Segura says. “So, I think I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

Sonia Segura completes a safety pre-check on the mobile office truck before an event in Pasco, Washington. Segura earned a commercial drivers license as required to operated the truck. “[It was] a real big accomplishment for me,” Segura says.

Eli Melchor prepares to open the mobile office. “I just love helping people,” Melchor says. “And our customers are some of the greatest people you’ll ever meet.”

Mobile offices help remove barriers customers may have to accessing DSHS services. “We can alleviate some of those stresses,” says Brandon Woodruff, a Mobile Office Team supervisor.

“We are all over Eastern Washington. That’s the best part of it,” Segura boasts. Region 1 comprises the largest territory.

“It’s awesome, the connection we have with our clients,” says Ricardo Daniel, right, a program specialist with the mobile office. He greets Sonia Segura as she arrives at St. Vincent De Paul Food Bank.

“Our partnership with the Community Services Office mobile unit is extraordinarily gifted in connecting with our neighbors in need,” says Maureen McGrath, president of St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank in Pasco, Washington.

Photos and videos by Adam Jabari Jefferson.