County’s homeless services director named interim behavioral health director – San Diego Union-Tribune

County’s homeless services director named interim behavioral health director  San Diego Union-Tribune

The move comes after the previous interim director retired. Just two months after abruptly dismissing its behavioral health director and appointing an interim replacement, San Diego County announced Tuesday that a second interim will step into the role. Dijana Beck, previously director of the county’s Office of Homeless Solutions, will run the behavioral health department while the county conducts “a search for a permanent replacement,” a statement said. Once a permanent director is hired, Beck will move back to her previous job. Brigit Cooper, a county deputy director, will run the homeless solutions office until Beck’s return. A county spokesperson said that former interim director, Health and Human Services Agency executive Jennifer Bransford-Koons, retires on Oct.

30 after a 39-year career with the county. Beck has worked for the county for 25 years and has run the homeless solutions office since 2022. She also spent 17 years working in the county’s Child and Family Well Being Department. She holds a master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Arkansas. Cooper has worked for the county since 2000 in the homeless solutions office, including as a social worker and human services operations manager. Bransford-Koons took on the interim role in late August after the county released disciplinary records that