Work has been ongoing to adapt the former call center in Milton-Freewater as the Oregon Department of Human Services's new office, including reception, play, conference, kitchen and areas, according to the state's contract with landlord Kenneth Jenkins. The space will be more than four times the size of the department's 4,881 square-foot-suite in Price Plaza, 287 N. Columbia St.

MILTON-FREEWATER — Oregon Department of Human Services officials have signed a 99-page lease, at least a year in the making, signifying an expansion of the state’s social service offices in Eastern Oregon.

According to a projected timeline, services for child welfare, seniors and more will begin a transition in the spring of 2025 to occupy about half of the former Sykes call center building on southbound Highway 11 near Milton-Freewater.

The building at 151 Sykes Blvd. is 42,350 square feet; ODHS will be occupying 20,350 square feet in the lease that expires in 2040, with anticipated extensions of that timeline. The landlord is listed as Kenneth S. Jenkins, trustee of the KSJ Trust, according to information supplied by the state.

ODHS spokesperson Jake Sunderland said the agency will receive the keys to the building on March 25, but the new space won’t yet be ready for clients then.

“We will share more updates with the community when we have a projected opening date,” Sunderland said in an email.

The state’s offices are in suites at Price Plaza, 287 N. Columbia St. The local Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services Division office also is there, along with Community Counseling Solutions, which contracts to provide mental health and other services for Umatilla County.

The plaza, built in 1986 and owned by Duffco Properties LLC, in Cortez, Florida, is listed by Umatilla County as having a real market value of $1,007,790, and an assessed value, which is used to determine the property tax bill, of $640,030.

County tax records show the owner, as of Oct. 21, owes $23,040 for 2023 and 2024 property taxes but it is not in foreclosure status at this time, an employee in the assessor’s office said.

The new ODHS offices will house the same services available in Milton-Freewater now, with about 30 state employees and community partner organizations, Sunderland said.

The decision to move was based on the local need for social services, he noted, and will give the agency more modern facilities. The structure was built in 1998 after Milton-Freewater officials brokered a $5.6 million incentive package to entice the Sykes company to town, according to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

After a number of threatened closures, beginning in 2004, Sykes’ business center did close in 2018.

Sunderland said as the building gets reconfigured for ODHS’ needs, the work will include creating space that allows staff to support clients through trauma-informed design that focuses on dignity and autonomy.

Sunderland said the state provides financial support to families, including medical, food and monthly cash stipends; child care, fuel, transportation and domestic violence survivor benefits; family stability coaching and job training.

“We collaborate with various partners to address family needs and connect families to affordable housing, as well as mental health, drug and alcohol services. Additionally, we work with other providers to provide employment and education opportunities, ensuring access to vital community resources,” he said.

It’s clear Milton-Freewater, with a median household income of less than $47,000, according to the 2022 U.S. Census, benefits from the ODHS presence, said Claudia Limon, program director for housing, homeless services, weatherization and utility services for Community Action Program of East Central Oregon, better known as CAPECO.

Limon has lived in Milton-Freewater since she was a young child and serves on the local school board. She is well aware this is a low-income community, with many residents in need of extra help, especially Medicaid health insurance and sometimes food, catastrophic and childcare subsidies.

“Those are essential to our community,” she said.

Newer ODHS offices are bound to serve clients better if transportation is adequately addressed, Limon said.

The suites in Price Plaza, while not ideal for some reasons, do offer a central location near two grocery stores, a bank, restaurant and other businesses. The Sykes Boulevard building is uphill from the south end of town, and a highway offers the most direct approach.

“How will we get folks there? If you’re a single mom pushing a stroller uphill, how will that go? It’s always about transportation,” Limon said, noting more ODHS intake appointments now can be done virtually, thanks to changes made during the pandemic.

City Manager Chad Morris said he intends to keep an eye on that situation, “to see if we need to find a solution.”

Some residents will be eligible for the taxi service the city subsidizes for seniors and people with disabilities.

“And we will see what additional resources need to be allocated,” he said.

Kayak Public Transit, which has the contract for Milton-Freewater’s free bus service, does not stop at Sykes Boulevard, according to its route map.

Limon anticipates the ODHS move to the larger location will bode well for several reasons, including more jobs and proximity to the Umatilla Morrow Head Start and Women, Infants and Children nutrition programs in a building one block away.

She said she also hopes there is a spot for a CAPECO presence at the future ODHS office.

“We serve many of the same folks, and we have a longstanding relationship — official and unofficial — with the state,” Limon said.

“We refer back and forth a lot, our teams communicate a lot. If there is something CAPECO can’t provide, we can help people navigate ODHS to fill in gaps,” Limon said.

That kind of partnership, she said, is key to the success of rural counties such as Umatilla.