San Mateo County supervisors will consider confirming Claire Cunningham as the next director of the Human Services Agency, the department at the center of efforts to achieve zero functional homelessness.
County Executive Mike Callagy appointed Cunningham after an extensive process that, as a final step, goes to the Board of Supervisors this Tuesday, July 11 for confirmation.
If confirmed, the Santa Cruz native, who lives in San Mateo County with her two children, will assume her new position on July 24.
Cunningham would replace Ken Cole, who is retiring after running the agency since 2019.
“I am very impressed with Claire's understanding of complicated issues and her creative problem-solving skills,” Callagy noted. “Ken Cole has done an outstanding job through some of the most difficult and unprecedented times in the county's history. I know Claire will not miss a beat in picking up Ken's excellent work and moving on to new and exciting accomplishments."
While the Human Services Agency may not be a household name, its work touches one in four San Mateo County residents, or 198,000 children and adults.
This, because it administers public assistance programs such as Medi-Cal, CalFresh and CalWORKS, contracts with service providers that operate food pantries, emergency shelters and support services, transitional housing, programs for children and families, services for veterans and more.
"My initial goal is to complete the agency's transition from the pandemic era to the future," Cunningham said. "Human Services is in a unique position within county government because they play a crucial role in addressing each of the Board of Supervisors' four key priorities: housing for our residents, equity, children and families, and preparedness for emergencies”.
It should be noted that the functional zero is where each homeless and unsheltered person who chooses assistance will receive temporary or permanent housing.
Cunningham joined the county in 2007 as an attorney in the Prosecutor's Office. She spent more than a decade as in-house legal counsel for the Human Services Agency before her appointment as Deputy Director of Human Services earlier this year.
Cunningham also played a leadership role in the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities, which developed emergency response protocols, a student threat assessment protocol, one on suicide prevention, expanded mental health support for students, and other potential measures. for Save lives.
"Collaboration is one of the county's greatest strengths and I'm always thinking about how to leverage partnerships to serve our residents more effectively and efficiently," Cunningham said.
“Our greatest asset is our employees, who are committed to public service. I intend to deepen the collaborative culture and sense of shared purpose that are so important to me."
Those interested in attending the next Board of Supervisors can do so in person this coming Tuesday, July 11 at 9:00 am in the Board Chamber located at 400 County Center in Redwood City.
While those who prefer to be virtually can do so through the Zoom platform, clicking here and accessing with the meeting ID 976 2955 9945.
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