State social services office in Astoria closes indefinitely over building safety concern

Published 4:15 pm Thursday, April 6, 2023

The Oregon Department of Human Services has closed its Astoria office indefinitely due to a building safety concern.

The state said employees are working remotely while the issue is being investigated, but declined to provide any other details.

One of the owners of the building on Marine Drive, however, told The Astorian that the issue stemmed from a cracked heat exchanger, which was causing noncombustible gas to escape into the building.

Kathy Schroeder, of Portland-based Marine Street LLC, which owns the building, said the issue was not obvious at first and that there has been urgency over the past few weeks to identify the problem after some people started experiencing symptoms such as headaches.

She said work is being done to get the issue repaired.

The Astoria office provides help for food, medical and child care benefits and has child welfare and vocational rehabilitation offices.

“The Oregon Department of Human Services takes the health and safety of our clients and staff seriously,” Jake Sunderland, a spokesman for the department, said in a statement. “We will share details about where members of the community can get in-person support and services as soon as we are able to.”

He said people can still get services while the office is closed.

The Astoria office is locked and signs posted on the door tell people not to enter and that no staff are on the premises.

It is unclear when the office first closed, and when it reopened before closing again.

The Department of Human Services posted a notice on Facebook on March 16 saying the office would be closed until March 17 for facility maintenance.

On March 20, the state shared another Facebook post saying the office continued to be closed due to an ongoing facility issue.

The state announced on Facebook Tuesday afternoon that the office would be closed until further notice. Sunderland told The Astorian on Friday that the office closed on March 30.

People familiar with the issue say the department is searching for spaces people can receive help in-person.