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Date: 2/14/2023
WARE – The Ware Community Development Authority hosted a public hearing on Feb. 6 regarding a proposed fiscal year 2022/2023 application by the towns of Ware and Hardwick to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development for up to $1.5 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. The town of Ware is the lead community.
Multiple projects under consideration were brought forward during the meeting, including six social services.
Ware Council on Aging Executive Director John Zienowicz began by sharing three areas that require funding, however, there are no specific dollar amounts as each one is “fluid” in what it can do.
The first area is a lock box program that has been discussed with the Ware Fire Department for about one year. Zienowicz said interim Fire Chief Jim Martinez thought it would be “very helpful” for first responders working with the senior community to make it a “safer and more expeditious entry” into their homes during an emergency.
He explained that the lock box is made of steel and goes onto a dwelling in a home or townhouse. The lock box is installed by the Fire Department and is the only one with a key to that dwelling. Zienowicz noted that it comes from the manufacturer already coded for the Ware Fire Department.
He went on to say, the lock box is designed to safely enter a home if the door is locked to help someone in need. It saves the senior potential costs of having to fix a door that has been broken down or a window that has been climbed through. Zienowicz said the cost of the box is about $200 a piece. With over 2,800 seniors in Ware, there is a limited scope on who the Council on Aging can help without a grant. With a larger grant, Zienowicz said its offerings could expand.
The second part of the Council on Aging request is “more of an immediate need,” as explained by Zienowicz, which is the lunch program. In the town’s budget, Zienowicz said Ware only pays for the chef’s salary, electricity, water and propane. At the center, lunch is provided Monday through Friday and is funded through the lunch fees along with donations.
As seniors have a fixed income and because of inflation, Zienowicz said the Council on Aging would like to use CDBG funding to subsidize the meal program and do a temporary two-year hiatus to drop the meal costs. Currently, lunch costs $3.25. Zienowicz said he would like to drop that cost back down to $2 in hopes of receiving more participation. If the grant covered the lunch program, he noted that it would cost around $12,000 a year for two years – a total of $24,000.
The last part of Zienowicz’s request was a social services issue regarding home health assistance. Social Services Coordinator Janine Leis said when working with seniors who have home health care, going through an agency can be “cumbersome” and often take a while for third parties to become involved.
She shared, the in-home services that WestMass ElderCare can provide are any sort of hands-on care with bathing or dressing, assistance around the house, grocery shopping, picking up medications and so on. While there are many agencies throughout the state providing these services, she said WestMass ElderCare can sometimes provide it at a lower cost. Typically, in-home services are needed about four to five hours a week.
Next, the Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) program was discussed. PATCH provides services in Ware and Hardwick for low-income individuals in need of assistance with transportation to work or school, childcare during appointments and more. Last year, PATCH served 33 adults and 40 children in Ware. In the new year, the program is on track to exceeding those numbers as it currently serves 74 people. Because of COVID-19 ramifications, the program only served Ware last year but has returned to covering Hardwick. PATCH collaborates with many other organizations in the community. To keep operations going, the program requested $96,600 that was funded last year. With more funding, the program could also take on another case worker.
RJ Ferullo, site plan director for the Literacy Project at the Ware Adult Learning Center, went before the board to share a CDBG funding request.
Ferullo noted that the center serviced 40 students last year from the Ware community and hosted the first in town graduation ceremony for nine students. “[It is a] remarkable experience that [we] want to continue,” he said.
Over the past few years, the Ware Adult Learning Center went from in-person learning to now offering online and evening classes, reaching more people.
During COVID-19, Ferullo said he thought students would be visiting the center in need of assistance, but that never happened. Now, he said individuals around 18 or 19 are coming in to obtain a high school diploma to apply for a job. Rather than returning to high school at an older age, individuals can go to the Ware Adult Learning Center instead. He noted that there are also programs to teach parents how to help their children with schoolwork.
Currently, there are 25 students from Ware enrolled at the center along with students from other towns utilizing the online program.
The Ware River Valley Domestic Violence Task Force also went before the Community Development Authority in hopes of receiving CDBG funding. The task force started 22 years ago, to provide Ware, Hardwick and other towns on the corner of different counties with help, as other resources weren’t easily accessible.
Over the years it has grown to now include a task force at the Ware Junior Senior High School.
The priorities of the task force this year are community education and outreach. The town of Ware leads, with 26 other towns involved. In hopes of getting the word out even more, “hope flags” that have been created in the past are being made into quilts to be hung around town. With a request of $126,000 in funding, the Ware River Valley Domestic Violence Task Force said this will allow them to keep going and provide help to those who need it.
Lastly, Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (QVCDC) Senior Outreach Program Coordinator Carol Zins spoke. She explained that the senior outreach program is funded through grants like the CDBG, as it is a free service offered to anyone over 60 living in Hardwick or Ware.
When a senior needs assistance – whether it be to grocery shop or pick up a prescription from Walgreens – they can contact the QVCDC and a chore provider will be assigned. The chore providers do not enter the seniors home. Instead, the provider will go to the door to grab a grocery list or money that is needed for the errand. When the errand is complete, items are brought back to the door, as the overall purpose is to keep seniors safe at home.
Zins noted, all core providers are employees that have passed a CORI (Massachusetts Criminal Offender Information) check.
The QVCDC’s services go beyond running errands as they also deliver food bank items to seniors in need.
Zins emphasized the importance of this program and asked for a little bit more in funding this year because of inflation.
After the public hearing closed, the Ware Community Development Authority had a discussion. With the option to only fund five out of the six social services presented, a motion was made to go forward with an application for $300,000 in social services to be apportioned as follows: $100,000 for down payment assistance, $100,000 for the Ware River Valley Domestic Violence Task Force, $50,000 for the senior outreach program and $50,000 for the Council on Aging to provide lock boxes and food efficiency services. The motion was seconded and approved with a 2-1 vote.
Another motion was made and unanimously approved for $750,000 for the infrastructure on Summit Road in Hardwick.
The CDBG remaining funds will be used for housing rehabilitation not to exceed $450,000 and aging in place not to exceed $150,000.