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08/21/2024 08:30 AMFollowing three years as a special education paraprofessional in Clinton, Veronica Aleman has moved to neighboring Westbrook, where she will now serve as the town’s new social services coordinator.
Following the retirement of the previous department leader in the spring, the Westbrook Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to hire Veronica to be the new social services coordinator in early July. Veronica officially started her job on July 29.
“This kind of job has kind of been my dream job for a long time. It’s the kind of job where you can really make a difference,” Veronica tells the Harbor News.
According to the job description, Veronica will be “…responsible for evaluating, providing, and administering a variety of local, state and federal programs to the residents of the town of Westbrook. “
“It’s about building relationships and building a network to be able to help residents of the town,” says Veronica.
In addition to overseeing the department staff, the social services coordinator is charged with investigating different programming ideas and grant applications, preparing the department budget, and helping direct clients to appropriate services, among other duties. The department provides “advocacy, information, referral, and support services to adults, families, elderly and disabled residents,” according to the town website. The department also helps people fill out applications for assistance with state, federal, and private programs.
As a first order of business, Veronica will be working on getting out into the community more, so that people are aware of what the department can offer.
“I definitely want to be out in the community more. I want people to feel comfortable asking for help if they need it. I also want to learn what programs are needed in the community,” she says.
Veronica wants people in town to know that she has an open-door policy where they should feel comfortable providing any feedback about what is working or what the department can do differently to help.
“I want to bring back Thanksgiving at the Town Hall and maybe partner with a local restaurant. We’re a small town, and we need to work together,” Veronica says.
Prior to coming to Westbrook, Veronica spent about six years working as an outreach coordinator with the homeless population in the Greater New Haven area. While she enjoyed the work, Veronica admits that she was looking for a job where she could make more of a difference in her own community. After six years in New Haven, Veronica spent three years as a special education paraprofessional at The Morgan School in Clinton.
Even though her work in the school was different than what she had been doing, Veronica says that it did have some similarities to her new job.
“It was a lot of helping students advocate for themselves or advocating for them. It’s certainly different, but the same kind of work in general,” says Veronica.
Another reason why Veronica’s time at Morgan was special was because some of her co-workers were her former teachers from when she was a member of the school’s Class of 2001. In fact, Veronica has stayed in contact with some of her former co-workers, even though she’s left the job.
“The spirit they have in Morgan, they really make it a very great place,” says Veronica.
Veronica has always wanted to work in a job which serves her community, and she attributes that interest to her childhood.
“Growing up, we weren’t well off. We weren’t wanting for anything, but being raised by a single mom and seeing how hard she worked, I learned the value of hard work and working hard for things. It’s really easy for people to judge, but basic needs are non-negotiable, and helping people who need it is something I really enjoy,” says Veronica.
When asked about her favorite part of her work, Veronica points to the relationships she’s formed.
“Building relationships, whether that’s inside or outside the community, and working with clients one-on-one is also great. Anytime you’re able to help someone, it’s a great feeling,” Veronica says.
However, Veronica does admit that the job can be challenging at times, too.
“It can definitely be hard sometimes setting boundaries and having to tell clients that resources are limited if you can’t get them the help they want,” she says.
Veronica grew up in Clinton and still lives there with her family to this day. While spare time can be hard to come by, Veronica enjoys reading, kayaking, photography, and spending time with her husband and kids.
“I’ve also spent a lot of time this summer being a baseball mom,” Veronica adds with a chuckle.
For Veronica, the best part of living along the shoreline is observing the small-town values which are on display on a daily basis.
“I think the shoreline is great because, when there is a need, people really do rally together to come to help each other,” says Veronica.