Napa’s On the Move debuts mobile office

On the Move is adding a mobile office – a hitch trailer dubbed “Community on the Move” – to its fleet of programs and services.

The concept was created by a group of professionals participating in On the Verge, an On the Move leadership program. The “Vergers” presented the 1969 Silver Streak Travel Trailer, which took about 35 days to refurbish, to Napa County providers during a kickoff event at Napa Lutheran Church on Thursday.

The idea behind it is to have a better way to reach individuals and families in underserved, isolated or difficult to reach areas of Napa County, said “Verger” Maria Ruiz with Queen of the Valley Medical Center Community Outreach.

“It’s really to serve the underserved and create healthier communities,” Ruiz said. “Community on the Move” can be used upon request by local providers to bring their services to people “anywhere up, down, and throughout the county,” she said.

Many services are concentrated in the city of Napa, which means they may be difficult or inconvenient for people living outside of Napa to get to, especially if they lack transportation, said “Verger” Jessica Chapin with Napa County Public Health.

“We want to go where people are,” Chapin said.

The first agency to use the “Community on the Move” trailer will be the Cope Family Center, which offers adult education and family support services. The center will initially use the trailer to host a “parent café” where parents will be able to express their needs, said Cope’s executive director, Joelle Gallagher.

“We really need to reach our more isolated families,” she said. The trailer will help providers meet people where they are, not only psychologically but geographically as well, she said.

“I think it’s a really neat to have a portable hub to use to go out to where folks are instead of always depending on them coming to us,” said Ian Stanley, LGBTQ Connection program director.

Stanley said that it’s great to have a building people can visit, but it’s also important to bring services and information to different parts of the community. The trailer will be useful for not only hosting small gatherings or displaying resources, he said, but also to transport materials when going to places like Calistoga or Berryessa.

“I think the trailer actually could be really useful,” he said.

Providers interested in using the “Community on the Move” trailer will need to fill out a facility use agreement, schedule an authorized driver and provide their own materials.

For more information, visit onthemovebayarea.org.