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Home My Public Portal AboutHHS Meeting Packet_2.7.2024Town of Brewster Health and Human Services Committee MEETING AGENDA 2198 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631 (508) 896-3701 Wednesday, February 7, 2024 @ 5:00 p.m. This meeting will be conducted in person at the time and location identified above. This means that at least a quorum of the members of the public body will attend the meeting in person and members of the public are welcome to attend in person as well. As a courtesy only, access to the meeting is also being provided via remote means in accordance with applicable law. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and/or participation is being provided as a courtesy to the public, the meeting/hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological problems interrupt the virtual broadcast or affect remote attendance or participation, unless otherwise required by law. Members of the public with particular interest in any specific item on this agenda, which includes an applicant and its representatives, should make plans for in- person vs. virtual attendance accordingly. Members of the public who wish to access the meeting may do so in the following manner: Please click the link below to join the webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89269307805?pwd=SUdza05ISzZ3Y3BIQVJOa2tHY1NlUT09 Passcode: 027724 +1 646 931 3860 US +1 929 436 2866 US (New York) Webinar ID: 892 6930 7805 To request to speak: Tap Zoom “Raise Hand”, then wait to be recognized. When required by law or allowed by the Chair, persons wishing to provide public comment or otherwise participate in the meeting, may do so by accessing the meeting remotely, as noted above. Additionally, the meeting will be broadcast live, in real time, via Live broadcast (Brewster Government TV Channel 18), Livestream (livestream.brewster-ma.gov), or Video recording (tv.brewster-ma.gov). Please note that the Health and Human Services Committee may take official action, including votes, on any item on this agenda. 1.Call to Order 2.Declaration of a Quorum 3.Meeting Participation Statement 4.Recording Statement: As required by the Open Meeting Law we are informing you that the Town will be video and audio taping as well as broadcasting this public meeting. In addition, if anyone else intends to either video or audio tape this meeting they are required to inform the chair. 5.Approval of January 3, 2024 Minutes 6.Upcoming Select Board and Fin Com Meetings 7.Presentation: Housing Assistance Corporation 8.Presentation: Duffy Health Center 9.Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair 10. Next Meetings: March 6, 2024 11.Adjournment Date Posted:Date Revised:Received by Town Clerk: Health and Human Service Committee Members Suzanne Kenney Chair Sean Parker Vice Chair Lisa Perkins Secretary Deborah Blackman Jacobs Patricia Hess Mary Jo Murphy Anne O’Connell Robert Ziegler Town of Brewster Health and Human Services Committee MEETING MINUTES 2198 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631 (508) 896-3701 Wednesday, January 3, 2024 @ 5:00 p.m. Present: Suzanne Kenney (chair), Sean Parker, Mary Jo Murphy, Deborah Blackman Jacobs. Patricia Hess, Anne O’Connell, Robert Ziegler, Lisa Perkins, Conor Kenny (Town Office liaison), Kari Hoffman (Select Board liaison, via Zoom) Absent: None 1.Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Chair Kenney at 5:00 p.m. 2.Declaration of a Quorum: A quorum was declared. 3.Meeting Participation Statement was read by the Chair. 4.Recording Statement was read by the Chair. 5.Approval of December 6, 2023 Minutes; minutes was approved as amended 7 yes, with one abstention. 6.Review of Proposals for FY’25 Funding; Suzanne introduced the various issues related to last month’s funding proposals. Anne noted that that last month’s recommended funding of Duffy Health Center indicated that the committee funded Duffy last year at $1500, but it was listed at $1000 on a working document. Suzanne reported that Anne’s notation of this in an email was a sharing of factual information, and not an expression of an opinion, in reporting this information but serves as a reminder to not address opinions in emails to the group. Regarding questions about Elder Services (that was not reviewed last month because a page was missing from application) Patricia reported on the number of Brewster residents receiving services from Meals on Wheels; she reported that their numbers have increased 20%this year, but that this increase was not as great as in the past. As a result, Suzanne recommended a 5% increase from last year’s funding. The committee agreed unanimously, and the funding recommendation is $9,576. Suzanne reviewed funding requests in total, noting that although the committee was allowed a 10% increase, that increase also included funding requests for 3 new agencies. She related how hard she knew it was to make recommendations with limited funds and the decision to fund at a lower amount than requested does not reflect an agency’s good work. She recommended that we would consider 5% increase for existing agencies asking for an increase, unless the agencies’ financial status or services to Brewster residents did not indicate an increase. Anne reviewed her approach which resulted in an overall 10% increase, changing all agencies who had greater than 5% increase in the committee’s original deliberations to a level 5%. New agencies would be funded at a lower amount than requested. Discussion involved the hard decisions of determining how to fund agencies, namely Nauset Together We Can and Duffy’s In From the Streets program which serve very few Brewster residents. Relative to IFTS, Anne suggested that we bring a representative from Duffy in to determine that what services are received for the single individual from Brewster. The committee voted to fund Duffy this year at the level of $500, vote tally was 6-1-1. The committee voted 7-0-1 to fund PAW $3,000 and Society of Vincent de Paul at $2,050. The total amount of the funding requests is $144, 181-a 10% increase overall. 7.Presentation: Pause a While: The Committee members introduced themselves to Joanne Wisniewski, president of the board, and Karena Stroh, board member. PAW is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Joanne described the aspects of the program as well as its history, including purchasing the building in Brewster. Most of those who attend PAW programs she estimated were from Brewster, although due to issues of confidentiality she noted that they do not maintain data such as residence, etc.. She related a story about talking about alcoholism to middle school students, who identified in large numbers alcohol abuse in their families. PAW currently has 15 different groups on a weekly basis. She described that the work completed on their building was done with the cooperation and support from several businesses. Karena noted that they share space and services with other organizations. Their eventual goal is to have more offerings and services. Joanne reviewed how they worked to raise funds for their operations. During Covid, PAW worked to have contact with clients virtually and have maintained that in their programming. Suzanne asked when they estimate that they would not need to rely on grants for sustainability; Joanne said at least another 2-3 years. They are discussing trying to establish a relationship with Outer Cape Health Services to have a recovery coach who could support their clients with opioid addiction. The PAW board members asked about our process and timeline for funding consideration and if we had an understanding of the money available for groups working with those with addictions. Conor reviewed the monies available to the town from the opioid settlement. Suzanne thanked Joanne and Karena for their presentation. 8.Matters Not Reasonably Anticipated by the Chair: None 9. Next Meetings: February 7, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. 10.Adjournment at 6:20 p.m. Date Posted:Date Revised:Received by Town Clerk: