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HomeMy Public PortalAbout06-12-2012 BFO reportTown of Watertown Meeting Committee of the Budget & Fiscal Oversight Meeting: June 18, 2012 Report: June 26, 2012 The Committee convened at 7 pm on June 18, 2012. Present were Vincent Piccirilli, chair; Angie Kounelis, vice -chair; Cecilia Lenk, secretary; Town Manager Michael Driscoll, Town Auditor Tom Tracy; Council President Mark Sideris, Human Services Committee chair Councilor Tony Palomba, Councilor Ken Woodland, and residents Will Twombly, Susan Flint, Michael Schade, and Nancy Dutton. Also present were reporters from the Patch and TAB. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the financial impact of the FY13 budget priority guideline IV.G. "Explore the need and determine feasibility for a full-time community social services coordinator with funding through a public/private partnership" as described in the Human Services Committee Reports dated April 10, 2012 and June 12, 2012 (attached). Councilor Palomba provided an overview of the proposed contracted service with an existing social service agency for a full-time community social services coordinator. He indicated the contract would be for two years only at an annual budget of $85K. In addition to the social services provided, the contract would include data collection and evaluation to determine the long-term needs in Watertown for a community social services coordinator. Councilor Palomba noted that donations have been pledged to partially cover costs during the first 2 years, but the expectation is that the Town will fully fund the service in subsequent years. Committee members and those present at the meeting discussed a number of issues including Town supervision and oversight of the contract, evaluation of the program, what the Town is currently doing in this area and the potential overlap with existing services, specific duties of the coordinator, where the coordinator would be physically located, and the financial model for the contracted service, including the RFP process and accepting and disbursing donations. In order to further understand the financial issues and potential budget impact, the Committee requested that the Town Manager provide the Committee with information on how Watertown's peer communities are handling social services coordination, including: • Is there such a position within these communities? • Full or part-time? • Contracted or town staff? • What is the job description for the position, e.g. coordinator only, or clinical and coordination? • What is the average annual caseload? In addition, the Committee requested the Manager provide information on possible financial models for this service, including how the Veterans' Services Department and Council on Aging provide social services to their respective constituencies. The meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm. Report prepared by Cecilia Lenk Town of Watertown Town Council Committee on Human Services Report of the Meeting June 5th, 2012 Report Date: June 12th, 2012 The Committee convened on June 5, 2012 at 6:30 pm. Present were Anthony Palomba, Chair; John Donahue, Vice Chair; Kenneth Woodland, Secretary. Also present were Will Twombly (Marshall Home Fund, Helen Robinson Wright Fund and Council on Aging), Susan Flint (Marshall Home Fund), and Nancy Dutton (Helen Robinson Wright Fund). The purpose of the meetings was to provide the Committee an update on the Community Social Service Coordinator Proposal as submitted to the Town Council on December 6th, 2011 and discussed at the March 20 meeting of the Committee on Human Services, and to make a recommendation to the Town Council. The information provided by brief presentations from Mr. Twombly and Ms. Flint is summarized here: - The proposal calls for 40% of the funding to be provided by private sources (and 60% provided by the Town). At this time $25,000 has been pledged and an additional $4,000 in pledges is anticipated. There are efforts to arrange more meetings with potential funders. Funding has also been sought for Year Three and Year Four. - The proposed budgets for Year One and Year Two are nearly the same. Year One includes funding to create data collection and evaluation systems. Year Two includes a 3% cost of living increase. - Based on comments received from members of the Town Council, private funders, and social service providers, the basic responsibilities of the CSSC coordinator where detailed. (see Appendix A). Councilor Woodland commented on the importance of the evaluation funds and Councilor Donohue noted that funds for such a position should be consistent with surrounding communities. He also advised that the proposed budget include sufficient funds for staff benefits. Councilor Palomba motioned that the Committee recommend to the Town Council that a public hearing and vote on the CSSC Proposal (see Appendix B) take place at the Town Council's June 26th meeting. There was a motion was 2nd by Secretary Woodland, voted on unanimously. The meeting adjourned at roughly 6:58 pm. Respectfully submitted, Kenneth Woodland, Secretary. Appendix A Community Social Service Coordinator (CSSC) Job Overview / Services to be Provided Human Services Committee — June 5, 2012 SOCIAL WORKER (MASTERS LEVEL) Reports to: Clinical Supervisor at contracted social services agency. Consults with designated Town department head . JOB OVERVIEW: To help Watertown residents obtain appropriate social services by providing assessment, information & referral, short-term intervention and follow-up as necessary. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: • Provide assessment, information & referral, short-term intervention and follow-up services to Watertown residents. • Meet with emergency responders (health, police, fire, others as necessary), emergency funders, and other social service providers for service coordination, case consultation, and information & referral. • Maintain consistent communication with other service providers involved with the clients. • Document contacts with clients and service providers on their behalf (phone calls with other service providers, etc). • Perform all duties in accordance with the highest professional standards and practices, particularly those regarding confidentiality. ADDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES: • Participate in weekly supervision with supervisor and other clinical meetings, as appropriate • Participate in in-service trainings and ongoing educational opportunities as required for professional licensing • Collect statistics and report data on a regular basis for purposes of program evaluation • Prepare and submit regular reports -2 - KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED: To perform the job successfully, an individual should demonstrate the following competencies to perform the essential functions of this position. • Knowledge of and demonstrated experience providing assessment services with adults and families • Experience collaborating with other service providers and emergency responders • Knowledge of social service delivery network, including eligibility and access criteria JOB QUALIFICATIONS: Master in Social Work Massachusetts Social Work license Current valid MA Drivers License Appendix B Recommendation of the Human Services Committee Community Social Service Coordinator Proposal June 5, 2012 The Human Services Committee recommends that the Community Social Service Coordinator (CSSC) Proposal below be presented for a public hearing and vote at the June 26 meeting of the Town Council. 1) The Town of Watertown will purchase by contract the services of a Community Social Service Coordinator (CSSC) funded through public monies (60%) and private contributions (40%) for an initial period of two years. 2) The services provided to the residents of Watertown by the CSSC will include assessment, information and referral, short-term intervention and follow-up as necessary. 3) These services would be provided by a Masters -level social worker who is a full-time employee of a qualified social service agency under contract with the Town. The contract will also require the agency to provide clinical supervision, program materials, staff travel, and data collection and program evaluation services. 4) The Director of Watertown's Health Department, or another town official designated by the Town Manager, will serve as the administrative supervisor to the CSSC and the manager of the contract with the social service agency. 5) Following Year Two, the private contributions will be substantially reduced and the Town will continue to fund the position and the program. Town of Watertown Town Council Committee on Human Services Report of the Meeting March 20, 2012 Report Date: April 10th, 2012 The purpose of the meetings was to review information detailing the possibility of having a Community Social Services Coordinator, as submitted by the Town Council on December 6th, 2011, and to later make recommendations to the Town Council. The Committee convened on March 20, 2012 at 6:30 pm. Present were Anthony Palomba, Chair; John Donahue, Vice Chair; Kenneth Woodland, Secretary; Town Auditor Tom Tracy; Health Department Director, Steve Ward; Councilor Susan Falkoff; and roughly 15 individuals from the general public and various social service organizations and foundations serving Watertown. (See attached sign -in sheet). The details of the evening were: Councilor Palomba started by thanking all the contributors to this initiative who have been working very diligently to examine all the existing social services in Watertown. There were then several speakers: Will Twombly of the Marshall Home Fund, Helen Robinson Wright Fund and Council on Aging, outlined the CSSC proposal and detailed the specific services a CSSC would provide, including referrals, coordination, increased communication, and assessments (Appendices A and B). - Andrew Bundy, President of the Watertown Community Foundation (WCF), outlined the Foundations support for the proposal as well as provided a summary of the two needs assessments conducted by WCF (Appendices B, C and D). - Laura Kurman of the Wayside Multi -Service Center, presented data on request for services in Watertown as well as her own statement in support of the proposal. (Appendix E and F). (Please note Ms. Gold, Council on Aging, noted that the presentation did not include information from Springwell.) - Susan Flint of the Marshall Home Fund, presented information comparing social service staff and services provided by other cities and towns. She also emphasized the need for the CSSC to adequately assess individual and family needs (Appendix G). Nancy Dutton, Administrator at the First Parish Church, provided examples of the requests she receives as the coordinator of the Helen Wright Robinson Fund and how these requests supported the need for a CSSC (Appendix H). - Nancy Powers from WIC also provided examples of how a CSSC would benefit the residents of Watertown (Appendix I). -2 - - Rev. Mark Harris, Pastor at the First Parish Church, explained that the parish administrator was increasing providing many of the services a CSSC would provide and thereby indirectly supporting the Town (Appendix J). Dr. Sarah Abbott, Director of the Jail Diversion Program at Advocates, presented a recent situation that involved Watertown's police and the Jail Diversion social worker and how the services of a CSSC would increase the effectiveness of Program and the efficient use of police services. - Steven Ward, Director of the Health Department for the Town of Watertown, spoke in favor of the proposal. He emphasize that the position would have a positive financial impact on the Town in that CSSC would replace the time and energy existing departments dedicate to addressing social service needs at the expensive of their core services. - Patricia Gold of the Council on Aging provided additional information on the history of social service provision in Watertown that supplemented the presentation by Ms. Kurman. Councilor Palomba concluded the meeting by thanking the members of the Committee, those who attended and presented, and Town Auditor Tom Tracy for representing the Town Manager at the meeting. There was a motion for a continuance of this matter by Secretary Woodland, 2nd by Chair Palomba and voted on unanimously. The meeting adjourned at roughly 7:45 pm. Respectfully submitted, Kenneth Woodland, Secretary. Appendix A Why Watertown Needs a Community Social Service Coordinator Although Watertown has a range of social services available to meet the needs of individuals and families, these resources are frequently changing. Significant barriers exist to accessing many services, including complexity and inadequate coordination. Often an individual in need visits several organizations before being served. Two recent studies by the Watertown Community Foundation, as well as numerous meetings of funders and service providers over the past several years, have demonstrated repeatedly that comprehensive coordination of social services within the town is considered a top priority by front-line workers and funders across the board. Those surveyed have identified a Community Social Services Coordinator as the best and most cost-effective way to meet this overwhelming need. The Role of the Social Service Coordinator: A full time Community Social Service Coordinator (CSSC) would be engaged by the town through a contract with an existing social service agency. The Coordinator would assess the situation of each presenting person or family, and provide appropriate information and referral best suited to their particular needs and eligibility. The Coordinator would also offer short-term intervention when necessary. In addition, the CSSC position would create a much more systematic and effective mechanism with which to monitor issues of concern affecting town residents, such as unemployment, lack of affordable housing, domestic abuse, and addictions. This one -stop, direct path to services would make it much easier for individuals and families to obtain the help they need. Qualifications: It is important that the CSSC be a Masters level Social Worker with experience assessing needs and connecting individuals and families with relevant resources. A social worker is uniquely equipped to assess an often -complex array of needs, make referrals, and determine what barriers (psychological, logistical, linguistic, cultural, etc.) might exist in working with clients. By developing a relationship of trust with clients, the CSSC would address issues, do the necessary follow up to ensure that clients have not encountered barriers in accessing services, and offer additional assistance as needed. Tax payer savings: This position would result in cost savings to the town. Problems would be identified and addressed before escalating to the point of requiring costly emergency services (police, EMT, etc.) Savings are expected in other town departments as well. Increased coordination of services and improved communication would decrease duplication of benefits from both public and private sources. Funding the position: Initially, we envision a partnership between private funders, for-profit and non-profit sources, and the town. We plan to seek private donations to finance a portion of the cost of this contract for two years, with the town funding the balance. Such a partnership would benefit the entire community, and would provide an array of badly needed services at minimal cost. Impressive precedents: Limited -scope, grant -funded programs have already demonstrated the value of positive intervention by skilled professionals working closely with town departments. One example is a very successful Jail Diversion Program initiated by the Police Department in concert with the Advocates social service agency. Another example is a program financed in part by the Marshall Home Fund, in which the Health Department collaborated with the Edinburg Center to offer intensive support and counseling to chronic hoarders. A long-standing partnership -2 - between the School Department and Wayside Multi -Service Center brings the Student Assistance Program (SAP) to the High School where students and families in need of social services are assessed and referred to appropriate services. In all instances professional involvement has had dramatically positive results, benefiting clients and reducing demands on the departments involved. We believe that engaging a Community Social Service Coordinator would continue this trend to a highly significant degree. Background In 1968, the town established a Human Services Department. Based at the Watertown Multi -Service Center, staff provided a comprehensive array of social services to town residents. Residents could approach the "Multi" on their own, or could be referred by others, such as the Police, Health, Fire, and School departments. Qualified professionals offered a range of services, from information and referral to counseling to comprehensive case management. In 1993, when the town discontinued funding for the Human Services Department, the Multi continued to provide counseling and other clinical services under agreement with a private, non-profit organization (merged with Wayside in 1996), but due to funding limitations the role of social services coordinator was not able to continue. In the intervening years, social service and emergency assistance options for residents have become increasingly fragmented. The School Department's continued collaboration with Wayside has met a portion of the needs for Middle and High School children, although there is no designated school social worker. The Council on Aging and Springwell offer a range of social services for those over 60, and some services to the disabled. However, people without disabilities falling between the ages of 19 and 59, and children who do not attend public schools, generally do not have easy access to services, or even to basic information about possible resources in the community. Several years ago, recognizing the acute need for more coordination between emergency assistance funders, service providers, and town depaitnients, the Watertown Community Foundation took the initiative to organize a loose network of agencies and private funding organizations. This group is linked by email in order to facilitate communication between members, so as to expedite the processing of requests for assistance from individuals and families in crisis. This step has improved the delivery of financial assistance, but has also spotlighted the need for far more comprehensive services, at a much more coordinated level. The most recent recession has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people using local food pantries, and seeking other forms of assistance, as evidenced by the spike in calls to local churches, charitable organizations, and the Multi. Financial pressures have increased incidents of family conflict and substance abuse. Currently, it is extremely difficult for young and middle-aged adults to locate sources of assistance in town. If they are lucky, they hear about organizations such as the Watertown Community Foundation, the Helen Robinson Wright Fund at the First Parish, the Marshall Home Fund, Watertown Community Housing, and the Rotary Club, which receive numerous requests from individuals having acute needs, both financial and otherwise. Applicants are often single mothers with small children, unemployed workers, and the homeless. Because none of these community organizations are equipped to offer financial counseling, employment assistance, job training, or mental health services, they often feel frustrated and ill-equipped to truly help. With these facts in mind, we urge the Town Council and Town Manager to move forward with creating the position of Community Social Service Coordinator. Submitted to the Town Council's Committee on Budget and Fiscal Oversight on November 16, 2011. Appendix B Acknowledgement and Appreciation I would like to acknowledge and thank the following individuals for their input and contribution to this effort. 1. Sarah Abbott, Program Director, Jail Diversion Program, Advocates, Inc. 2. Andrew Bundy, President, Watertown Community Foundation 3. Alfredo Bartolozzi, Watertown Food Pantry 4. Rev. Mike Clark, Minister, St. John's United Methodist Church 5. Peter Centola, Director, Watertown Recreation Department 6. David Downes, Watertown Educational Foundation, Inc. 7. Nancy Dutton, Administrator, Helen Robinson Wright Fund, First Parish of Watertown 8. Bob Erickson (retired), Watertown Veterans Service Officer 9. Susan Flint, Marshall Home Fund 10. Louise Forrest, Co -Founder, Watertown Gardens 11. Caryl Fox, Director, Council on Aging/Watertown Senior Center 12. Allen Gallagher, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Club 13. Frank Galligan, President, Friends of Matt Galligan 14. Rev. Mark Harris, Minister, First Parish Church 15. Jonathan Hecht, Massachusetts House of Representatives 16. Mary Jewers, Coordinator, Parent Child Home Program 17. Mary Hunt Johnson, Director, Community Health, Mt. Auburn Hospital 18. Colleen Kelly, Program Coordinator, Mobile Crisis Intervention, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network 19. Linda Krieger , Coordinator, Parent Child Home Program 20. Laura Kurman, Program Director, Wayside Multi -Service Center, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network 21. Kathleen Lockyer, Watertown Education Foundation, Inc. 22. Rev. Amy McCreath, Minister, Church of the Good Shepherd -2- 23. Patricia Moran, Public Health Nurse, Watertown Health Department 24. Deborah Peterson, Watertown Resident 25. Carol Vincent Pennington, Saint Patrick's Food Pantry 26. Nancy Powers, Community Coordinator, Watertown WIC 27. Ruth Beckerman Rodau, Assistant Director, Springwell 28. Beth Sahakian, Director of Community Education, Watertown Public Schools 29. Andrea Salzman, Senior Program Director, Family Based Services, Wayside Youth and Family Support Network 30. David Sampson, Sergeant, Watertown Police Department 31. Michael Schade, Executive Director, Watertown Community Foundation 32. Arlene A. Smith, Coordinator, Watertown Family Network 33. Tim and Linda Tracy, Miller/Tracy Children's Foundation, Inc. 34. Will Twombly, Marshall Home Fund, Helen Robinson Wright Fund, and Council on Aging 35. Susan Viskin, Supervisor of Literacy, Project Literacy 36. Steve Ward, Director, Watertown Health Department Appendix C Watertown Community Foundation Notes for the Town Council's Committee on Human Services Andrew Bundy, President, Watertown Community Foundation March 20, 2012 Mission of WCF - A Strong, Close -Knit Community WCF is a public foundation that benefits the people and non-profit organizations of Watertown. Its mission is to promote a strong, close- knit community by fostering connections, mutual respect, and support for those in need among Watertown's diverse residents. Who We Are Our board is a 15 member all volunteer group of residents, local business people, parents of local school children, and long time community volunteers, and our part-time Executive Director and full- time advocate is Mike Schade. We are also blessed with support of many generous volunteers and donors whose work and generosity are invisible but essential. Our Work To achieve these goals, WCF expands opportunities for local charitable giving and supports nonprofit activities that meet local needs, now and for future generations. Last year we gave away nearly $70,000 in grants to non-profit and community projects across a wide spectrum of education, health, environmental and emergency assistance funding. We raised $68,000 from individuals, businesses and foundations. Along the way, we continued to fund our signature block parties across the town to promote community and to advance charitable giving in town. WCF Convening Efforts - Asking the Community What is Going On, and What Matters Most One of the core jobs we do is to convene people to tackle problems that are community -wide in nature. Years ago, we did some convening over the branch libraries and the possible uses of those buildings. More recently, we have been the conveners of an ongoing set of community meetings about the future of the Watertown Riverfront. 1 WCF Meetings to Assess Community Assets and Community Needs - In the fall of 2007 and again in the fall of 2008, WCF convened meetings to develop a stronger community dialogue about our assets and our challenges and needs, as a community. • Disclaimer: Not a scientific study, not even a study. Just a convening of concerned residents, community leaders, and town officials, a sounding out of their views and concerns, and reflection back to the larger community. • When: Fall 2007, Fall 2008. Good that there are others here with current data and reporting. But the first message was very strong in 2007, second message, in 2008, strongly re -affirmed it. • Who: 50 people representing over 40 organizations, town departments; who's who of community/town leadership. Supt of Schools, Chief of police, then -Rep Kaprelian, then -Town Councilor Jon Hecht, many others, lists are a part of reports. • Assets: Many, too many to list. People. Diversity, strong community links. Terrific organizations. Vigorous and engaged town government and civic leadership. Innovation in programming. Special funds in town. Tradition of helping, caring. • Challenges: Major changes in US, in region, that affect us - tough economy, higher levels of non -criminal issues that the police must deal with, homelessness, housing needs. Then, in 2008, cuts, big pressure on existing service providers, big sense that people are falling into, and through, the cracks. o Target Group: More resources for elders, for children, and families with children than for people 18-60 o No social work, or worker, for those in the middle o Need for Connector: Many organizations and town departments do some portion of the work - veterans, seniors, children, families - but the people they are set up to support sometimes never make the connection. 2 o Big need for Communication/Access: Both helpers and those seeking help are in need of ways to access the right person, organization, resource. • Recommended Action Steps: o Create a designated Resource Coordinator o Work with all the existing resources o Consider a public/private collaboration for funding o Use networks of "point people" o Make better use of the data we have on resources, create a database o Hold monthly meetings of key agencies/leaders Watertown is Constantly on the Move; While Much is Consistent with these Past Needs/Assets Conversations, Much has Changed • Since 2008, LOTS of forward motion, ACTION on these ideas: o WCF facilitated an Emergency Assistance funders network o Social service providers have held monthly meetings o Former WCH/WCD, now MetroWest Collaborative Development - does an annual Community Resource Directory... o Edinburg and now Advocates, Inc. partners with the Police Department on mental health support in the Jail Diversion effort o Hoarding treatment through the Compassionate Care effort... o Lots of good stuff underway. 3 Appendix E Watertown Community Foundation October 16, 2008 2008 Community Needs Assessment Report Executive Summary: There was a strong consensus at this meeting regarding the urgent need for a community resource coordinator in Watertown, and tremendous concern expressed that given the current economic circumstances many more people will fall through the cracks in the service providers' systems if this need cannot be met. There was a strong call to re-establish this function, which was at one time fulfilled by the Multi -Service Center. Setting: In 2008 the Watertown Community Foundation focused its second annual Community Needs Assessment on frontline service providers, to elicit and understand their perceptions of conditions and needs on the ground given the recent economic downturn. We met for two hours in mid -October at the library. Over thirty people attended, representing many local nonprofits and town offices. (Please see the attached list of attendees and their organizational affiliations.) The meeting was primarily a facilitated discussion of community strengths, emerging economic conditions, the resulting challenges, and action steps we can take as a community. Andrew Bundy, Vice President of the Watertown Community Foundation, facilitated. This report summarizes our discussion. Key Strengths in Watertown: • PEOPLE -- the citizens, the nonprofit and public sector staff, the volunteers ■ ORGANIZATIONS -- including the Housing Authority, Police, Fire and Health Departments; Council on Aging, the Schools, churches, Wayside Multi -Service Center, the Watertown Family Network; the Watertown Youth Coalition; the food pantries, the PTOs, and more! • INNOVATIVE PROGRAMS-- such as the New Moms at the WFN, Jail Diversion with the Police; Teen Healthy Living at Wayside, Diversity Day at High School ■ SPECIAL FUNDS — grants and small funds from Commission on Aging, Helen Robinson Wright Fund, Miller Tracy Children's Fund, Marshall Home Fund, St. Vincent Societies and other church funds; Watertown Community Foundation and Harvard/O'Neill Fund grants • TRADITIONS OF HELPING-- This is a community where people help, collaborate, pitch in The New Reality: ■ Less funds, due to budget cuts and potentially less giving ■ Budget Cut in Early Childhood Education and Community Policing • Uncertainty, stress, fear • Increased needs for food, fuel, work • Changing housing market, esp. impacting renters: many foreclosed houses are rental units • New immigrants, new languages • Social isolation due to stress and overwork — although... • There are opportunities for community building when there is less money available • Need to be prepared to take advantage of opportunities which will be different from the way we have worked before. Need to learn new skills, new ways of seeing and planning. There will be incentive packages offered. 2008 WCF Community Needs Assessment Report, page 1 Major Challenges: ■ Help (funding, institutionalized support) for community organizations which serve citizens ■ How to get people information in useful ways; in increments which do not overwhelm, and which do not presume resources. People need help learning the process, as well as getting funding or specific help. • Triage system for emergency needs such as fuel, utilities, rent, and food. A point of contact person for information and referrals. Where to go for help is haphazard and by luck. Need a way to share the knowledge across town. • Often people on the front lines -- seeing the issues -- are overwhelmed; and some -- particularly school guidance staff -- are not aware of resources in town • the fewest services are available to adults age 18-60 with no disabilities, but who have few financial resources • need more affordable child care and after school programs; especially programs for teens which offer safe, enriching and/or healthy places to hang out; emotional support • lack of affordable legal assistance Action Steps: 1. Define a place and a person as the point of entry for those seeking help. Newton had a City Hall social worker who helped connect and coordinate. The position envisioned here would be a resource coordinator, taking advantage of existing services. For example, for seniors the main contact is the Senior Center, and there is a caseworker available. There is a social worker in the school system as well. Creating a flow chart of information and referral services, from food, fuel, housing, medical care, treatment programs, language services and publicizing it to all. 2. Tackle funding for such a position. Grants are usually restricted to very specific tasks. Perhaps a public/private partnership could be explored. The Federal anti -drug program which is about to be housed in Watertown might provide an opportunity to revenue. 3. Identify the point people. Create a list of the places people turn to for help, whether they are part of a formal network or not. Get those people the information about resources to share. 4. Define and use a process to educate providers and front line staff about the Watertown Community Housing Resource Guide, how to access it, and the wide range of information contained in it. Some ways to accomplish this: A. Post on Town Website -- Bob Erickson, Town's webmaster, is also the Veteran's Affairs Officer. He points out that 1/3 of residents are connected to a veteran. Bob expressed great willingness to use the website in any way which would help coordinate efforts, and needs a contact person from whom to receive information B. Post on library website C. Create refrigerator magnets in many languages and stock them for distribution at places across town -- schools, houses of worship, health care providers, Town Hall, Food Pantries, 12 step meetings 2008 WCF Community Needs Assessment Report, page 2 5. Create a database for volunteers, especially translation services. (Some of those resources are Sue Viskin and Project Literacy, the High School and English Language Learners program, the police, Mt. Auburn hospital, the Multi -Service Center Staff, the local universities.) Another important source of volunteers are youth, especially the Peer Leaders. They have been helping with ELL at an elementary level, and assisting elders with tasks like shoveling as well as navigating the bureaucracy around food stamps. 6. Sponsor a forum in which there are regular (monthly) conversations among key agencies (Housing, Senior Center, Health Dept., Fire Dept., Police, Veterans Services, Emergency Preparedness) and begin facilitating coordination of care. Where will the center be if basic community services are cut? Bring to the table the values implicit in comparing situations and ranking response -- those who are losing their home versus those who live in public housing; immediate needs for food, fuel versus long term plans. Providers who serve different populations may not be conscious of differing perceptions of need. True emergency needs are 24 hour and cannot be referred to an appointment a week away. Additional Ideas for Action: • Widely distribute the World in Watertown multilingual resource map. • Create support groups to practice speaking English. • Set up after -school study clubs for teens. Report compiled by the Watertown Community Foundation, Fall 2008 Roberta A. Miller, President William B. Ford, Treasurer Brett Dean Jonathan Hecht Robert P. Shay Andrew Bundy, Vice President James McDermott, Clerk Andrea Greenwood Susan Musinsky Donna Smerlas Executive Director: Elizabeth Zwick 2008 WCF Community Needs Assessment Report, page 3 Appendix G Presentation to the Human Services Committee Laura Kurman, MA, LMFT March 20, 2012 Thank you for having me here to present to you tonight about the numbers and kinds of calls and requests received from Watertown residents needing social service related assistance. I have gathered this information from emergency funders in Watertown and from town departments and agencies who provide direct services. Data was received from Wayside, the Health Department, Council on Aging, Advocates, the Helen Robinson Wright and Marshall Home Funds. This does not cover all of the agencies who receive requests but those who I was able to gather data from to this point. The approximate numbers of calls collectively received shows that in a snapshot of one year, 2011, nearly 1200 total requests were made. This breaks down to roughly 200 youth specific calls and 1000 adults, parents or families. Calls and requests come in for needs such as assistance for fuel, rent, utilities, medical supplies such as eyeglasses, or help with food, to direct service requests for counseling referrals, and legal help. My experience over the past 21 years as Program Director at Wayside Multi -Service Center affords me the opportunity to have a pulse on the needs of the Watertown community along with a firm knowledge of the resources available to residents. As you know, since 1968 Wayside Multi has been in Watertown and used to be charged specifically with providing social service information and referral to residents. Because of this history, people still turn to us at times when they are in trouble and even though this service is outside the scope of what our specific work currently is they know we will do our best to help them connect to other resources in the community. However, these other resources in the community also do not have staff dedicated to respond fully to the nearly 1200 calls, which further indicates the need for this social services coordinator position. As indicated previously, there are many, many adults in Watertown, some with children, some without, in need of help directing them to social services they need, who come across barriers to accessing information and resources. I also want to call attention to a particular subgroup of adults with specific challenges, for whom recent research shows that there are very serious barriers- Young adults, ages 18-24, have a great deal of difficulty successfully living on their own as they have the highest unemployment rate, (24% federally), the fewest skills for navigating adulthood, and the least amount of services that are really knowledgeable about that age group. This is especially a concern as they are then most vulnerable to get in trouble in areas such as substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and violence. -2- A brief example of a call we received is from a single mother of 2 young children, ages 4 and 7, fairly new to town, who had an unexpected car repair and suddenly found herself without enough money to pay her utility bill. She had budgeted carefully in order to pay her bill but found herself in a difficult situation. So we helped her by connecting her to the council on aging who administer the town's emergency assistance fund and to the Helen Robinson Wright Foundation of the Unitarian Church to assist with some small cash assistance. However, through talking with this mother, it came to light that she was a victim of past domestic violence and was having some issues with her youngest daughter who had witnessed the violence in their home and was now exhibiting signs of trauma. We referred her to a suitable therapist to help this mother help herself and her daughter. An important point to mention is that neither we nor the other community resources have the capacity to follow up on these requests which is a critical need in most cases. I am sharing this story as one of many that we have been presented with in recent times to further illustrate the need for a central professional point person to receive and triage requests, provide short term assistance, make referrals and oversee follow up as Will has outlined in the proposal he presented. I also know that although Wayside and others may be successful obtaining grants for some programming, the nature of funding for direct services has changed and there is very little support available or even grants to apply for for this kind of direct service proposed. Other towns have found various ways to provide this service in their communities and Susan Flint will now share information gathered about ways in which other communities have done this. Thank you. Appendix F Requests for Social Services in Watertown 2011 Presented by Laura Kurman, Wayside Multi -Service Center Compiled February 2012 1. Phone calls Received: • Wayside Multi -Service Center: 48 youth 48 adults/families • Helen Robinson Wright Fund: 2 youth 22 adults 33 families • Watertown Health Department: 52 adults/families • Marshall Home Fund: 15 over age 55 adults (some live with children and grandchildren) • Watertown Council on Aging: 107 adults/families/elders for food pantry 209 adults/families/elders for emergency assistance & Salvation Army fund 71 adults/families/elders for legal assistance 192 adults/families/elders for fuel assistance 579 total - this includes the numbers of calls and visits, not number of people *According to director, over half of requests are made by elderly residents. Total Calls: 50 youth only calls, 81 5 adults/families = 865 total calls -2- 2. Cases Seen: (originated as calls for services) • Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: 135 youth (in -school services) 381 total number of contacts 107 clients/families served (Outpatient Counseling, In Home Therapy, Support and Stabilization) • Advocates: (Psychiatric Emergency Services and Jail Diversion) 38 youth (triaged to Wayside) 37 adults (either single or parents of children) 1 elder Total Cases Seen: 173 youth, 145 adults/families = 318 cases handled. (Multiple calls and client contacts for each person/family) GRAND TOTAL: 1 183 total requests for service and cases seen (223 youth, 1010 adults/families) Appendix H Comparative Information for Selected Municipalities with Community Social Services Positions Presented by Susan Flint, Marshall Home Fund Human Services Committee - 3/30/12 Arlington Population: 42, 844 Position: Case Manager (part-time) under the Arlington Youth Counseling Center. Case Manager oversees the Community Resource Services program. Funding: New position for 10 hrs/wk.; funded entirely by a $15, 000 grant from a church; hope to increase funding through outreach to more churches. Number Served: 80 (2011) Scope of Services: Connects residents with and helps them navigate housing, health insurance, fuel assistance and other identified needs. Referrals to the Case Manager made through police, schools, health department, counseling center, Council on Aging (for people under 60), housing agencies, churches. Belmont Population: 24,729 Position: Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (full-time) Funding: Town budget Number Served: Not available Scope of Services: Provides information and referral (I&R) to help families and individuals to identify and address their needs, locates school and community resources, connects families to services and programs, and provides case management to help navigate the many systems in which they are involved. Works with local community groups to provide funding to families in financial crisis, offers budgeting education and assistance. Provides information about state, federal and local social service programs available to support families with a variety of financial, mental health, physical disability and educational concerns. Provides free crisis intervention and counseling to students; makes referrals to private mental health services based on clinical assessment. -2 - Brookline Population: 58,732 Position: Human Services Coordinator for the Health Department (full-time) Funding: Town budget Number served: 800 (2011); new and ongoing cases Scope of Services: Assists individuals, families acquire mental health, substance abuse and other human services. Provides consultation, treatment planning, referrals, monitoring and support. Provides preventive services and coordination related to hoarding, housing, food, and other emergency needs. Is available to community for workshops, educational and other community events. Concord / Carlisle Population: 17,668 (Concord); 4,852 (Carlisle) Position: Community Services Coordinator (part-time) Funding: Position established by the Concord Town Manager's Office (2004) with a grant from Concord -Carlisle Community Chest. Number Served: 700 (2011 approx) Scope of Services: Provides individuals and families with information, referrals and assistance in the following areas: food, energy, housing and furnishings, domestic violence, mental health, disability, lower cost health insurance, vehicles, legal and emergency financial assistance. Marlborough Population: 38,499 Position: Municipal employee (part-time); heads Marlborough Human Services Department Funding: City budget; 32 hour/week position Number Served: Not available; not required to keep/ report statistics Scope of Services: Primarily information & referral; systems coordination and collaboration to fill service gaps. At one time provided more direct service but now only in emergency situations (due to cutbacks). Major needs of residents (under 60) seeking assistance include budgeting, adults with developmental disabilities or mental illness who had lived with parents who are now deceased. Need exists for the Human Services Dept. to do for people under 60 what Council on Aging does for seniors. Has access to Mayor's Charity Fund to for financial assistance to individuals. Newton Population: 85,146 Position: Community Social Worker, (full-time); situated within Health and Human Services Department Funding: City budget Number Served: 475 new cases (2011) plus several hundred ongoing cases Scope of Services: Primarily food, fuel/utility assistance, housing, financial, and other emergency assistance. Also hoarding (a few cases). Notes: Number Served data are not uniform. Some municipalities track and report only new cases in a given time period, others report total number of cases, including those that require on -going or follow-up assistance. In addition, some report every call or request for assistance, even though the same individual or family may call multiple times (duplicated count). Others track and report the number of clients (an individual or family unit), no matter how many repeat calls they make (unduplicated count). Many communities provided quarterly data, thus full year data are extrapolated. Typically requests for assistance are considerably lower during the summer. Also, the amount of time needed per request for assistance varies greatly. Some can be handled by phone, others require face-to-face appointments, often multiple ones. Home visits are warranted for some cases. Communities that do not keep statistics cited the amount of time and effort needed to do this; time that was not built into the job description or scope of work. Prepared by Susan Flint, based on information she, as well as other members of the working group, gathered from websites and personal communications. 3/20/2012 Appendix 1 Presentation to the Human Services Committee Nancy Dutton, Administration, First Parish Church March 20, 2012 My name is Nancy Dutton. I am church administrator for First Parish of Watertown. I am also administrator of the Helen Robinson Wright Fund. This is a charitable fund set up in the early 80's from proceeds of the sale of Ms. Wright's home in Watertown given to the church at the time of her death. The fund provides financial support for Watertown social service organizations and individuals and families in need. Grants from the fund are disbursed by a volunteer committee at First Parish. For many years most grants were awarded to organizations and agencies, whether they applied for them or not. However by the fall of 2008 the committee began to receive many more requests for help from individuals. I was then asked to be the first line contact for these applicants. I began to hear the needs of the most vulnerable in Watertown. Some applicants could be referred to the Marshall Home Fund or the Council on Aging if they were over 55. Most calls however were from individuals and families in their 30's 40's and early 50's. The stories began to have recurring themes... Single women raising families without a husband, individuals on disability or out of work. The needs were for fuel, electricity, phone, food, prescriptions, eyeglasses and day care. I would try to sift through their stories to see how we could best help and what other resources were available for them. Were they using the Food Pantries, were they getting any help to better manage their finances, had they applied for Fuel Assistance etc. The difficulty that I find is that often by the time the person gets to us they are either almost out of oil, have an electricity shut off notice, are threatened with eviction or they have no money for food until their next paycheck or disability check. There are often tears They are overwhelmed trying to sort it all out. They thank me for listening as they do not always feel heard when they try to work their way through the complicated systems to get help. I do the best I can but I know they need more consistency and support. I thought that it would be helpful to tell you the stories of several different applicants. First is a 54 year old woman who moved to Watertown several years ago to live with her son who was in his 20's and showing signs of mental illness. He began to not be able to work and needed help with prescriptions and doctor visits. He was finally admitted to McLean's Hospital. During this time she was going through her savings. They started getting behind in rent and were facing eviction. Many phone calls later between the Marshall Horne Fund, St Patrick's Church and the Wright Fund we were able to assist them with their back rent. Her son is now able to get disability and Mass Health which means they can hopefully get back on their feet. It took several months and a lot of coordination to get this to happen. She is extremely grateful! The second is a single women on disability living in public housing in Watertown who has come to us on several occasions for help with her expenses. She acknowledges being depressed at times and not able to manage her life. She says she is not eligible for Mass Health because she says they tell her she makes too much on her disability, so she pays for the prescriptions herself. She then gets behind and does not fill her prescriptions which makes her depression worse. We help her one more time but tell her she needs to get help with managing her finances. Springwell has this service and I give her their number. Will she follow through? Will her sister help her look into why she is not able to get for Mass health? I think we will hear from her again. The last applicant came into our office just today. She randomly heard the Wright Fund from a friend who had been helped by a Unitarian Universalist church in another town. She is a 42 and has lived in Watertown for 23 years and is working full time as a care giver. She has 4 children and is paying $1700 a month for rent. Her husband who had worked 26 yrs fir a company fell at work and hurt his back. He is unable to work. They owned their own home and lost it 3 years ago. Now she is unable to pay rent and is behind for large amounts of money to NStar, National Grid and rent. I am overwhelmed with how to help this woman. It would be wonderful to have someone to refer her to! In summary over the past four years, the Wright Fund has seen a dramatic increase in the number of applications from younger and middle-aged individuals and families in crisis. Although we do our best to provide short-term financial relief, we are simply not equipped to offer comprehensive assessment and longer -term follow-up. People often find us by accident, and the help that we can offer is limited. The more I work with these folks the more I am convinced that the town urgently needs a Community Social Service Coordinator to provide more consistent and comprehensive care for so many of its citizens. Thank you for considering this. Appendix J Summary of Notes for Presentation to the Human Services Committee Nancy Powers, Coordinator, WIC March 20, 2012 Ms. Powers spoke about how her program is a nutrition education program. And that they we are spending more time doing referrals with our clients then doing our nutrition education. We also said that what we really need in Watertown is to have a one stop shopping, so all the families could go to one place and get referrals for everything they need. She spoke of going to shelters and seeing families there that lost their jobs then there homes but did not know where to go for help. Also most of the families are working not on TAFDC and no food stamps. They are the ones that get lost. They do not know who to call or where to go and most of them wait until they start losing their homes, their families fall separated, and their children become unhappy and act out. Most families are just too proud to ask for services or afraid of being treated badly (which does happen at some agencies). If someone there was a CSSC in Watertown we could refer clients to this person. If someone in an agency refers a client to a CSSC in Town, the client would feel safe, since s/he already trusts the referring provider. Also the provider has the name of someone to refer to not just a phone number, which increases the client will receive access to services. Appendix K Summary of Remarks at the Town Council's Human Services Committee In Support of a Community Social Service Coordinator for Watertown Rev. Mark Harris of the First Parish of Watertown - 3/20/12 Clergy have always been visited by a variety of people who have material needs. These include people passing through town or homeless people looking for meals, gas, or a quick handout. Cash is usually not given, but some kind of food card or the like. Clergy also assist individuals and families who are residents/parishioners, and have ongoing needs for food, rent, phone and electric bills, oil, etc. simply because they cannot make ends meet due to unemployment, poor management, or unexpected bills Checks are issued to the vendor in such cases where it is felt an emergency need exists. I work with my church administrator, Nancy Dutton, and a First Parish church committee to administer the Helen Robinson Wright Fund, an endowed charitable fund established to help individuals and families in Watertown with emergency financial assistance. We have give out approximately $13,000 annually to individuals. Because of the downturn in the market we have found it necessary to do more fund raising — offerings from the congregation, benefit concerts, grants from other agencies and foundations, and individual contributions all added to a fund that has been eroding its endowment with payments of grants. I note two things especially that have happened with this fund in recent years. This fund has existed for about thirty years. I am now in my sixteenth year here as minister. During my early years, most of the money was granted to local social service agencies to help them administer their programs. There were virtually no individual grants. In recent years almost all of our funds have gone to individuals who have emergency needs such as rent, electric bills and fuel assistance. Sometimes we work with the vendors as well. This reflects the increased poverty levels and basic human needs that are not being met in our country and community. In prior years the church committee charged with funding these grants was able to do so in quarterly meetings, but with all the individual demands it soon became evident that we needed to respond to people's needs on a both a more personal and timely basis. This resulted in the employment of the church administrator at First Parish as a part-time administrator for the Wright Fund. During the last four years she has been acting as a social worker for the church handling phone calls, requests, meeting with people and doing intake of information, contacting other agencies, and working with me on decision making. This has meant that we have needed increased funds to pay her to do this work, and it also takes away from her work as church administrator, so that she can help people in the town, most of whom are not members of the church. This is a strain on a small and financially strapped institution, as it assists a wide number of people in the community. All of these factors make it apparent that the need is evident in the community, and the burden for taking care of these people has fallen on other voluntary institutions when a town wide program could alleviate some of this financial and labor burden we now bear.