DPSS Annual Report 24_25 FLIP v16_compressed

Administrative Services Division

Workforce Development Branch

DPSS Mass Care Volunteers Answer the Call to Communities in Crisis

Marcos Coronel, a Social Service Prac titioner III with DPSS, has spent the past several years responding to some of Riv erside County’s most challenging disas ters. As a trained mass care worker, he volunteers to staff emergency shelters where local residents seek safety during fires, floods and other crises. For Coro nel, the work is not separate from his dai ly responsibilities. It is a direct extension of them. “I wanted to get involved in mass care because it reflects our mission at DPSS,” Coronel said. “All of it is about helping people feel welcomed, supported and treated with dignity and respect while they face uncertainty.” Coronel began responding to mass care incidents around 2021 or 2022 and has since supported some of the county’s hardest hit communities. He recalls fam

“Every incident is different, and I’m ex pected to make decisions in real time, coordinate with multiple partners and keep people calm in unstable situations,” Coronel said. “It matters to me that the people we serve are treated with dignity, comfort and calm.” He credits his social work background with helping him slow down, listen and recognize when someone needs more support than they express. But he em phasizes that the work is not about spe cial abilities. “What really matters is empathy, pa tience and a genuine desire to help,” he said. Coronel also praised the DPSS Pro gram Coordinator “Ms. Marie” (Davis), calling her “an incredible resource and leader who truly supports her team.”

Every incident is different, and I’m expected to make decisions in real time, coordinate with multiple partners and keep people calm in unstable situations.

— Social Services Practitioner III Marcos Coronel

ilies sleeping on gym floors until shelter dormitories could be set up, and resi dents relying on temporary shelters after their water supply became unsafe. Those moments, he said, continue to guide how he approaches his interactions and work.

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