San Mateo County's Human Services Agency (HSA) will open a consolidated benefits office at 1500 Fashion Island Blvd. on Monday, Sept. 14.

The county-owned building will bring together 354 HSA employees from three divisions: Employment Services, Economic Self-Sufficiency, and Children and Family Services. The consolidation is projected to save the county about $7.2 million a year in lease costs, according to a county press release.

Residents will be able to apply for CalFresh food benefits, Medi-Cal health coverage, CalWORKs cash assistance and employment services at the single location, Patch reported. The office will also include benefit-eligibility services and a full-service Resource Center.

The building is county-owned.

That matters because of what happened in Belmont. After the county sold its Harbor Campus there in 2021, HSA and other departments that had operated on that site faced sharply higher rents under new ownership. The Fashion Island move is part of a multiyear effort to shift county operations out of leased space and into property the county controls.

The Fashion Island office is expected to serve roughly 165 people in person and 700 by phone each day. Its location near major highways is meant to improve access for residents across the county, the press release said.

"When that moment comes, people need somewhere to go for help," HSA Director Claire Cunningham said in the county's Aug. 27 announcement. "Our job is to help them regain stability and self-sufficiency as quickly as possible."

Cunningham said many people who seek assistance had been stable for years before a job loss, illness or rising costs pushed them into crisis.

County Chief Executive Mike Callagy said the facility puts formerly vacant space back into active public use and creates a central location for residents to reach key services. Board of Supervisors President Noelia Corzo called the site an investment in the community, saying it reflects a commitment to equity and dignity for residents who walk through the door.

The Fashion Island campus also houses the county's Family Justice Center at 1510 Fashion Island Blvd. County and city leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site in late August, ahead of the office's Sept. 14 opening to the public.