Aryana Noroozi
Riverside County Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) combined back-to-school essentials with a variety of community resources for its Fourth Annual Family Support Resource Fair, all coinciding with Child Support Awareness Month.
On August 8, families left the fair with free backpacks and school supplies, free haircuts, dental and vision screenings, and connections to dozens of local organizations offering housing and utility assistance, veteran services, job opportunities, and more. No appointment was necessary for families with child support questions as walk-ins were available for support with everything from applying for services to modifying existing orders to getting help with arrears.
“One of the main goals [during] Child Support Awareness Month is to ensure that parents have the resources that they need,” said Marquese Howard, Riverside County DCSS Marketing, Media and Communication Coordinator. “We have a ton of different resources that families could take part in, but also we provide backpacks and school supplies to assist with families, especially during this time in August.”
Howard said the event is also part of a broader effort to reshape how families see the child support system.
“We continuously want to give back and also change the perception of child support services,” Howard said. “What child support services are today is definitely different than how it was 10, 15, even 20 years ago.”
That shift shows up most clearly in when and how families can access help. DCSS now offers services every second Saturday, a departure from the traditional Monday-through-Friday, 8-to-5 government office model, and has expanded virtual options, including DocuSign and video or phone appointments, so parents don’t have to rely solely on calling an 800 number or encountering automation.
“Typically, when you think of government services, you think of Monday through Friday, eight to five,” Howard said. “One of the ways here is a Saturday. We’re open every second Saturday, so that means if a family or if a parent needs our services, they’re able to come in on a Saturday to receive their services.” Parents can also schedule a virtual or telephone appointment through the county’s website at any time that works for them, he said.
Howard said the flexibility matters most for parents working outside a standard 9-to-5 schedule.
“When people are working Monday through Friday, we really try to help out those that are in swing shifts or different shifts to still be able to assist [their] families at a time that’s convenient for them,” he said.
Saturday’s turnout reflected strong community interest, Howard said, though final figures on the number of screenings, haircuts and backpacks distributed were still being tallied at the time of the interview. He credited the event’s sponsors and vendors for making the giveaways possible, including Food 4 Less for donating school supplies, Altura Credit Union for financial support, First 5 Riverside County, and Community Action Partnership of Riverside County for donating backpacks. Vendors on-site also donated more than 33 prizes for attendees, including $100 gift cards to Food 4 Less.
“Not only did families leave with backpacks, school supplies, and resources, they also left [with] those prizes that they’re able to use,” Howard said.
The fair is a small-scale reflection of a much larger operation. Riverside County’s Department of Child Support Services manages more than 70,000 cases countywide, collecting and redistributing up to $185 million annually to parents, and helps connect more than 30,000 children to healthcare and medical services, according to Howard. Each month a similar fair takes place throughout Riverside County, with the next being in Beaumont and then Temecula.
“That’s the importance of Riverside County Child Support Services, and events like this help magnify the importance of Child Support Services,” Howard said. “August is Child Support Awareness Month, so what better time to do it than in August?”
Families who missed Saturday’s fair can still access DCSS services online at https://rivcodcss.com/, where virtual and phone appointments can be scheduled at a time that fits their schedule.