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05/18/2021 03:59 PMAs Connecticut is just now approaching the effective end of the pandemic with most people focusing on a mostly successful vaccine rollout and the dropping of most restrictions this week, Guilford officials including First Selectman Matt Hoey have been meeting with non-profit leaders on a somewhat informal basis for the past few months, seeking to identify the most effective way to spend federal and state funds, as well as anticipate some of the changes needed to get Guilford back on track.
It’s an effort that is still in the earliest stages.
“[It’s] primarily to talk about what we’re seeing in the community—where the needs are, where the changes are, and how we might address meeting some of those needs,” Hoey said.
One of the first difficulties encountered by this group, which includes representatives from the Women & Family Life Center (WFLC), the Guilford Foundation, and local faith leaders, among others, is that the federal government has yet to release specific guidance on how relief funds can be spent or even who will be in charge of spending it, according to Hoey.
Most likely, money will be earmarked to replace lost revenue for the town, social service programs, and to fund non-profits and economic development initiatives, according to Hoey, though not even that is certain, and how these things are defined is still unclear.
That means that the town can only begin planning in the broadest way for these long-term recovery efforts, though that hasn’t stopped the working group (referred to as the Ad-Hoc Long Term Recovery Committee) from starting to explore what struggles are most likely to persist in Guilford through 2022 and beyond.
Zozan Antar, who has represented WFLC on the committee, said housing, child care, and jobs are the most urgent long-term issues facing Guilford families.
“Housing has become a really big problem, and it’s not affordable,” Antar said. “I haven’t seen anything that is addressing this issue long term.”
Financial impacts of job or wage losses often snowball, and as people begin facing eviction or mortgage default they get in deeper trying to pay for legal help, according to Antar. On the Connecticut shoreline, there are simply few affordable places to live, and childcare has grown increasingly expensive and scarce.
Women and people of color continue to be disproportionately affected by these issues, she added.
At the beginning of the pandemic, WFLC paid out about $150,000 in direct grants to struggling families, funded through private donations to the Guilford Foundation. Though that program is no longer running, Hoey didn’t rule out something along the same lines using federal or state grant monies.
Mental health is another long-term issue that has been identified, with both Hoey and Guilford Foundation Executive Director Liza Petra saying that the need for mental health support is growing exponentially, especially among young people and families who may not have been through these kinds of struggles before.
“You don’t have any idea what to do because you’ve never been in that situation before,” Petra said.
As Youth & Family Services has seen its caseload nearly double during the pandemic, Hoey said the town could begin providing summer programs for kids that could serve a dual purpose of addressing academic and the psychological needs of young people while giving parents a chance to get back to work.
Several town organizations and departments have already begun working on a program of this nature, though it is possible a different grant might fund it, Hoey said.
Contracting with clinicians on an independent, temporary basis is another avenue, and Hoey pointed out that the schools had already budgeted for another full-time mental health professional. Grant money could be used to bring that person on early and have them work with students before the original start date, he said.
One of the important functions of the committee is to make sure that people coordinate to “not step on each other’s toes” as they look for the best and most effective way to support these initiatives, according to Hoey.
Much of the fundamental issues are things that may normally be out of the purview of local leaders, according to Antar. She said many people call WLFC asking for job training or placement, or looking for child care assistance; these are issues that have been discussed legislatively at the state and federal level.
Though the WFLC can refer these people to various other agencies, the reality is that there are very few child care spots open, particularly for special needs children, Antar said, which means at least one parent is continuing to stay at home. Job training and other assistance programs offer their own challenges, and are also likely to expire or ramp down in the coming months.
“It’s all COVID related. It’s temporary,” she said.