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After months of planning and $1.2 million in renovations, Marin County has opened the Southern Marin County Services Annex in Marin City.

County officials and employees marked the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday before about 75 people.

The center at 630 Drake Ave. occupies a rehabilitated building across the street from the Sausalito Marin City School District headquarters. It is intended to provide a one-stop shop for behavioral health support, food and nutrition programs, employment and workforce development services and health coverage assistance.

The annex also provides services for older adults, caregivers and people with disabilities, said Marin County Supervisor Stephanie Moulton-Peters, who represents southern Marin.

“The county has been here in Marin City providing services, and has done much good work,” Moulton-Peters said at the event. “But we never had a place to call home, where residents could always find us.”

For years, Moulton-Peters said, the county heard the same message from area residents: “Access matters.”

“Services should be easier to find, easier to reach and delivered in ways that reflect the reality of people’s daily lives,” she said. “Government should meet people where they are.”

Marin City resident Ida Green, a project manager for the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, told the audience that the event was “a full-circle moment for me.”

“You are standing on my childhood playing ground,” she said.

Green, a longtime community activist and a former Sausalito Marin City School District trustee, has one of the six offices in the new building. It is the same place where her mother Betty Times, who died in 2001, worked as executive director for the Marin City Project, Green said.

The 2,700-square-foot complex also includes a work room, a break room, two conference rooms and a front lobby with a children’s area, according to Sharyn Mitchell, a county project manager.

Mitchell estimated that the architectural designs, permitting and planning for the project took about six months. The renovations began last July, she said.

Marin County Executive Derek Johnson said the renovation costs came out of the county’s general fund. He said workers ran into a series of unexpected problems such as floor and wall joists that needed to be replaced.

“What we quickly realized was that this project was about leaving a legacy,” Johnson said. “It was about getting something done, not skimping on any details, and giving people the dignity they deserve, here in Marin City.”

Dr. Matt Carter, a county official specializing in behavioral health for youths, said he and his team expect to serve children and their families at the annex.

“We’ll be doing assessments, case management, community meetings to connect with schools,” Carter said. “The age range is 0 to 21.”

Other staff are available to assist residents in applying for Medi-Cal, CalFresh, CalWORKs and other support programs.

Dr. Lisa Warhuus, assistant county executive and director of the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, said she was inspired by the large attendance at the gathering and the celebratory mood.

“When I see community coming out for this historical, incredible event together, this is what I live and breathe,” Warhuus told the crowd. “This is why we do government work.”

The annex hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center is closed for lunch from noon to 1 p.m.

Some services might require appointments. The main telephone number is 415-473-5130.

More information about the center is online at shorturl.at/FGaVd.