Somerton DES office will close
Department of Economic Security confirms facility’s exit in Sept.
SOMERTON — After 30 years of operating in the city, the Department of Economic Security (DES) confirmed the closure of its office in Somerton next month.
The office located at 342 W. Main St., will close its doors in the last week of September as part of a consolidation in which the agency seeks to “serve our clients more efficiently and save Arizona taxpayers at the same time,” said Connie Weber, Deputy Press Secretary at DES.
To do this, she added, the strategy is to consolidate offices and personnel in places where possible.
The spokeswoman added that DES customers in Somerton will be able to get the same services at the Yuma office at 1185 S. Redondo Center Dr., where the nearly 30 employees who serve in Somerton will be relocated.
“DES has worked diligently to make sure clients are not inconvenienced by our consolidation efforts. The Yuma office is 13 miles away from the Somerton location, and there is a bus line located on that route, which helps those clients who have transportation needs. DES clients also can continue to conduct business with the agency via phone or online,” she noted.
Regarding the DES office in San Luis, the agency will maintain it as a primary point of services for farmworkers, with no changes in the services offered, but with renovation work to be done soon.
Although San Luis is a multi-service office, DES customers in Somerton will find it more convenient to go to the Yuma office, she said, because the Yuma office will have greater capacity to meet their needs.
The measure announced by the DES will not impact the Call Center the agency operates in Somerton, with about 73 employees.