DHHS to open office in Calais, 3 years after leaving
The state Department of Health and Human Services will open an office in Calais, reestablishing the department’s presence in eastern Washington County.
DHHS said in a news release Thursday that it expects to open the branch at 330 North St. in October. A previous branch in Calais closed almost three years ago.
The new location — a 3,500-square-foot building DHHS has leased for 20 years — will house 10 staff from the Office for Family Independence, Office of Child and Family Services, Office of Aging and Disability Services and the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The branch will handle processing of applications and renewals for public assistance programs.
According to the release, employees of DHHS who had transferred to its Machias office following the closure of the former Calais office will be given the option to return to Calais. The department also plans to hire additional staff there.
DHHS has received much attention in recent years for closing or consolidating some of its branches.
In 2014, under then-Gov. Paul LePage, the department was widely criticized for moving from its downtown Portland location to a newly constructed state office building in South Portland. Social service agencies protested, saying that branch was too difficult for their clients to access.
In announcing the new Calais office, DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said, “We look forward to reestablishing this connection with the Calais region, and strive to make services accessible to Maine people in all corners of the state.”
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