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Petaluma People Services Center outlines 95 programs available to Cotati residents, urges volunteer support
Summary
Petaluma People Services Center told the Cotati City Council on March 11 that most of its roughly 95 countywide programs are available to Cotati residents, and urged volunteer recruitment and local outreach partnerships.
Elise Semple, executive director of the Petaluma People Services Center (PPSC), told the Cotati City Council on March 11 that PPSC provides roughly 95 programs countywide and that most services are available to Cotati residents.
Semple highlighted services for older adults (community connectors, caregiver support and an adult day program), mental-health outreach (Healthy Ideas, PEARLS and the "You're Not Alone" call program), transportation volunteer programs (I Drive Petaluma and I Ride Rohnert Park), youth employment and diversion programs (Rise, Project Success, Mentor Me), and food-access efforts headquartered at Bounty Farm. "You're not alone today touches over 3,000 seniors in Sonoma County with a call from 3,000 volunteers in our community," Semple said, describing one of the agency’s volunteer-driven outreach efforts.
Nut graf: The presentation was a compact briefing to familiarize Cotati leaders with countywide social services already available to city residents and to identify opportunities for local partnerships, volunteer recruitment and on-site access. Council members signaled interest in hosting periodic local hubs, bringing PPSC outreach to Cotati, and exploring volunteer recruitment drives for transportation, farm work and counseling.
Key programs described
- Aging and caregiver services: Community connectors (case-management style services for residents 60+ or adults with disabilities), adult day program for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s (provides respite and nutrition), and caregiver support groups run by clinical counselors. - Mental-health outreach and diversion: Healthy Ideas screening and community counseling referrals, PEARLS coaching program, the "You're Not Alone" daily-calls program which Semple said connects thousands of seniors with volunteers, and a crisis response/ South County Safe Team partnership that dispatches crisis workers and EMTs instead of police for many mental-health calls; Semple reported the combined South County team responded to over 5,000 dispatch calls and achieved more than 80 emergency-department diversions and 31 jail diversions in a six-month span. - Food access and Bounty Farm programs: Farmers market EBT matching (CalFresh conversion to market coupons in partnership with UC Davis), sliding-scale farm stand, volunteer "Bounty Hunters" harvest events and youth volunteer opportunities. - Housing and navigation assistance: A housing hub based in Rohnert Park that offers housing navigation, language access and CalAIM-assisted housing placements; Bridge the Gap pilot to subsidize short-term rent increases for seniors. - Workforce and youth programs: Job training and reentry programs for youth (RISE), a day labor center pilot with OSHA training and wage-theft prevention, and Project Success for substance use support.
Council response and next steps: Council members thanked PPSC and discussed options to increase direct Cotati access, including a weekly outreach "hub," bookmobile visits and bringing bilingual navigation staff to Cotati. Semple offered to work with Cotati to explore a weekly on-site presence and volunteer recruitment; she left informational "You Matter" cards as a local point of contact.
Why it matters: The briefing outlined services that can reduce pressure on emergency responders, connect residents to mental-health and housing navigation supports, and expand local volunteer opportunities. Council members repeatedly noted they had been unaware of the scope of services and expressed interest in working with PPSC to bring more resources directly into Cotati.
Evidence: Presentation and council Q&A recorded in the meeting transcript. Semple and Council members provided program counts and examples during the briefing.
