DPSS Annual Report 24_25 FLIP v16_compressed

Self-Sufficiency Division

ELIGIBILITY TECHNICIANS: The Steady Hands and Hearts of Self-Sufficiency

Shelani Villanueva remembers what it felt like to be a college student doing ev erything she could and still struggling to get by. She was taking a full course load, working part time, and stretching every dollar. At the end of her restaurant shifts, she would take home whatever leftovers were available, including bread, sal ad and syrup, anything that helped her make it through the week. She did not know programs like CalFresh, California’s largest anti-hunger program, existed. She did not know help was within reach. Years later, that experience shapes ev ery conversation she has as an Eligibility Technician III with the Self-Sufficiency Division’s Community Outreach Branch. “Eligibility Technicians are the steady hands and steady hearts of Self-Suffi ciency. They meet people where they are, help them navigate what comes next and remind our communities that support is within reach,” said Assistant Director Allison Gonzalez, who oversees the division.

Villanueva began her DPSS career more than six years ago as an entry-level technician, and a supervisor quickly rec ognized her ability to connect with peo ple. When Villaneuva attended her first outreach event, she knew she had found her calling. Being face-to-face with the community, hearing their stories and helping them understand what support they could receive felt both natural and necessary, she said. Today, whether she is at a college cam pus or a pop-up event in a rural commu nity, Villanueva meets students and fam ilies who remind her of her younger self. Many have no idea they might qualify for programs that could ease their bur den. When she helps a student apply for CalFresh or guides a family through Cal WORKs or Medi-Cal, she knows she is opening a door she once wished some one had opened for her. “I want people to know about these pro grams,” Villanueva said, “so no one has to struggle the way I struggled.”

1,028 Self-Sufficiency Eligibility Technicians

13 District Offices

18 Months Probationary Period

66

Riverside County Department of Public Social Services | Annual Report 2024 - 2025