Heather Snow

For the face of the Del Norte Department of Health and Human Services, COVID-19 is just a footnote during her six-year tenure.

When asked to list her department’s accomplishments, Heather Snow mentioned the Legacy, $5 million DHHS has brought in to address homelessness and the mobile showers program, a partnership with the Del Norte Senior Center and Del Norte Mission Possible. Surviving the pandemic showed up in parenthesis at the end of her list.

Snow announced her resignation to the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 25. Her last day will be Feb. 22.

“It was a difficult decision to leave DHHS, as I am deeply invested in our team, and there’s still so much I wanted to do for the department,” Snow told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday. “I have the utmost confidence in the skills and dedication of our brilliant and caring assistant director, See Thao, who will continue to lead and support the department during the transition and will be the guiding force for continuing our strategic planning efforts.”

Snow said she will continue her career as a therapist in the private sector.

“I’ve missed working directly with clients and find that work calling me,” she said.

During her career as DHHS director, Snow spearheaded the establishment of the Legacy in 2020. Using $1.9 million in state Project HomeKey dollars, the county purchased the Coastal Inn & Suites motel in Crescent City and is now transitioning it to permanent supportive housing for the homeless.

In a Jan. 11 letter to staff and partners announcing her resignation, Snow said the facility housed 16 percent of Del Norte’s homeless population based on the 2019 Point-in-Time Count.

Along with founding the Legacy, DHHS created a Housing Services Manager to support those who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. The mobile showers program also serves the homeless, providing roughly 625 showers as of mid-December.

“In addition to providing showers and meeting basic hygiene needs, the mobile site serves as a source of referrals and has even resulted in 23 individuals getting vaccinated against COVID-19, due to health outreach by our partners,” Snow said.

Other accomplishments Snow listed in her letter includes combining the Mental Health and Alcohol and Other Drugs branches into one Behavioral Health Branch.

Snow said DHHS has also been able to build better working relationships with local tribes, especially the Yurok Tribe. Referencing her own Apache heritage, Snow said she’s been an advocate when it comes to recognizing the Yurok Tribe’s sovereignty and to partner with them “in many areas.”

“We have made huge strides in this relationship and have seen evidence of success on the Behavioral Health Side as well as in Social Services,” she said. “As I reflect on the various formal contracts and MOUs between us, the personal and professional interactions and the increased collaboration and communication that now happens on a regular basis, I see that relationships are truly the foundation of transformative change and we have sparked the groundwork for growth.”

Snow has also served on the Tribal Advisory Committee for the state’s Department of Social Services Office of Tribal Affairs since 2018, representing the California’s County Welfare Directors.

“I’m grateful to have had the chance to work alongside many empathic and caring people in our community to influence change and impact individuals and families over the last several years,” Snow said. "I am taking my many valuable experiences with me to my future adventures and there aren't enough words to express my gratitude."

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