It’s a surprise to many: According to a United Way study released in 2019, Clinton has the second-highest rate of poverty in Middlesex County. Clinton’s human services director wants residents to know that the department is here to help.

According to the report, 10 percent of families in town live below the poverty line, which is second in the county only to Middletown, which has 11 percent below the poverty line. The study counted families of four who live on less than $25,000 per year. Clinton’s total population was estimated at 12,957 for the study.

During the town’s annual meeting of the boards and commission in January, Human Services Director David Melillo read that statistic and several members of the audience were visibly taken aback by the news.

“I think that because this is a nice shoreline community people underestimate the need for social services and how many people here are struggling. I think there’s a tendency for people to say, ‘Oh, that doesn’t happen here,’” Melillo said.

Melillo said that when people picture places with people living in poverty, he thinks most people tend to picture an inner city as opposed to a town on the Connecticut shoreline, however the numbers don’t support that vision. It’s likely that Clinton residents know someone in the community who is struggling.

ALICE is an acronym that stands for asset-limited, income-constrained, employed—people who are working but still struggling to make ends meet. According to The United Way, 24 percent of Clinton residents qualify as ALICE, the fourth-highest percentage in the county. The report also shows that 24 percent of the school population receives free or reduced meals, the second-highest percentage in the county.

Living in poverty is obviously detrimental to one’s financial stability and ability to pay rent, but there are other negative consequences that may be harder to see, according to Melillo.

“We live in a country that is very success- and material oriented and when you don’t have that, I think self esteem is the big victim, particularly with adults in a household,” Melillo said.

The United Way reports that of the 467 calls in 2019 Clinton residents made to 2-1-1, a toll free 24/7 hotline operated by The United Way, the top requests were for help with mental health, housing and shelter, utilities, healthcare, and addiction.

Social stigma, a reliance on cheap food as opposed to nutritious food, and a reluctance to see a doctor without insurance are also issues that Melillo said plague families who live in poverty. Additionally, Melillo pointed to the lack of public transportation that is available in the region for families who don’t have a car. Since most the transportation that is available relies on access to Route One, Melillo said that people who don’t live within easy access to the route are at a severe disadvantage.

The Human Services Department is available to assist residents who need help with financial needs.

“First and foremost, we’re in charge with helping with government programs,” Melillo said.

Examples of the programs the department will help with include energy assistance programs, food stamps, and rent assistance.

Melillo said that local groups including Families Helping Families, the food pantry and soup kitchen, faith-based groups, the community garden, and the Social Services Department have been working hard to help tackle the problem.

“There’s a lot of effort that goes into maintaining people. The people of Clinton are very generous,” Melillo said.

“I’ve been here a year and a half and I know the people in the department will turn over every stone to try and find some help for people,” Melillo said.

The Human Services Department is located in the Town Annex Building located at 48 East Main Street and can be reached at 860-669-1103.