Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 4/29/2020 5:09:07 PM
Peterborough residents should contact the Town Welfare Office as soon as possible if they anticipate hardships that might prevent them from paying rent, Human Services Director Nicole MacStay said at Peterborough’s Select Board meeting last Tuesday.
“My concern is that people who may need assistance may not be reaching out,” she said.
Emergency orders currently prevent residents from getting evicted due to inability to make rent, and one of MacStay’s concerns is that some people might not be seeking help because they think they can figure out a solution before the courts reopen, she said.
“This is not meant to be a vacation from paying rent for three months,” she said, and the order encourages tenants to pay what they can. The earlier that people come forward when they foresee trouble paying rent, the better the outcome can be, she said. “It’s much easier to keep someone in their housing rather than trying to rehouse them,” she said. People can still be evicted if they’re damaging property or endangering others.
Over 30 percent of Peterborough households qualify for basic assistance like food stamps and reduced school lunches, MacStay said, but the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is already changing typical patterns. The welfare office usually sees a dropoff in applications between March and May because residents are receiving their tax refunds. This year, applications have stayed steady. Some people who received assistance in the past are returning because they’d been furloughed, or have otherwise experienced a reduction in income, she said. One family’s primary wage earner had to stay home because of a health concern, she said, and other applicants are looking for help while the state’s overloaded unemployment system processes their application. A recent drop in requests seems to correspond with federal stimulus checks rolling out, MacStay said, but that she expects to see another uptick in mid-May.
Towns are obligated by law to relieve residents unable to support themselves, MacStay said. Sometimes, the welfare office simply connects applicants with other programs and agencies. Other times, the office might provide a one-time grant for rent assistance, or a welfare lien to assist in a mortgage payment. In extreme situations where there are no other options, the town might put up an applicant in a hotel for a week or two, MacStay said.
When a person applies for assistance, MacStay collects information on their household and expenses to determine their eligibility for assistance from the town, as well as from other sources like the state, other agencies, a church, or their family.
Food pantries, the hospital’s medical and prescription assistance program, low cost and subsidized housing, and programs such as Operation Santa and Keep Peterborough Warm are local not-for-profit programs that are essential for meeting everyone’s needs, MacStay said.
There is no typical welfare household, MacStay said. She’s worked with a single father with two young children who was suddenly debilitated by a brain tumor, middle-aged men who worked their whole lives in construction, a retired grandmother suddenly supporting her son and two young children while he looks for full employment, a single mother who was physically abused while she was pregnant, and married couples with children who lost their primary sources of income due to layoffs. Applicants are hard-working people who don’t want assistance, but don’t know where to start or who else to turn to, MacStay said. Once in a while, a resident will repay their grant, she said, but it’s not a requirement. “They’re here because they have need,” she said.
Peterborough residents seeking to support others can donate to the Peterborough Food Pantry, the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, or Peterborough Human Services, MacStay said, “great resources in general” that also keep funds in the area. The River Center is another local organization that provides referrals, family and parenting support, assistance with filing taxes or working out a home budget, as well as fuel and electric assistance programs, she said.
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