FREEHOLD - As part of the county's ongoing effort to find efficiencies while still making services available, the Monmouth County Division of Social Services is closing its Atlantic Highlands regional office effective Nov. 13. The other offices in Freehold and Ocean Township will be available for those in need of services and benefits.

 

"The closure is part of the county's overall effort to consolidate services during this tough economy and end the practice of leasing space for county offices," Deputy County Administrator Teri O'Connor said. "There is a need to balance the provision of services and stabilization of the tax rate."

 

Kathy Weir, director of the Division of Social Services, said she does not expect the closure to cause any interruption of services for clients, although according to current regulations, the majority of new applicants for food stamps or welfare will have to visit one of the county's two offices for an initial face-to-face interview.

 

"Regulations are changing so that once someone becomes our client for benefits such as food stamps and welfare, subsequent required revaluations to continue receiving the benefits will soon be conducted over the telephone, so they won't have to come back to the office," Weir said.

 

Charles D. Brown III, director of the Department of Human Services, said staff from the Atlantic Highlands office will be relocated to either Ocean Township or Freehold, so there will not be any new delays in processing claims. He also expects the clients to transition smoothly.

 

"We surveyed our clients and found that better than 80 percent of them arrived to the office by car," Brown said. "For those people who cannot get to the offices because of a disability, social workers will continue visit their homes to conduct the initial interviews."

 

The lease at the Atlantic Highlands office expires Nov. 30. Closing the office will save the county $211,000 a year. The county also consolidated other county offices locations this year that have resulted in a total savings of $498,950 annually.

 

#     #     #