Public Assistance

Section II - Human Services: 5601 Public Assistance (Human Services/Fuel Assistance)

The Health and Human Services Committee was established to enhance the quality of life of all Brewster residents by ensuring a range of health and human services in an effective and cost-efficient manner. The Committee evaluates and assesses the health and human service needs of the town, reviews and weighs requests for financial assistance, sets priorities and submits recommendations concerning the funding of those agencies and organizations best able to provide needed services to the town. The Public Assistance budget also comprises the Fuel Assistance program.

Following is but one highlight from each agency that reapplied for funding:

• Aids Support Group of Cape Cod, in FY2021, in addition to a Cape-wide overdose prevention program, served 47 Brewster residents with prevention and screening services and 5 Brewster residents with medical case management. Recommended Funding: $5,000

• Alzheimer’s Family Support, in CY2019, served 117 Brewster residents on average each month with support groups, ongoing phone support, counseling, care consultation, memory screenings, education, outreach and social and cultural events with a conservatively estimated total cost of $60,900 per year. Recommended Funding: $11,000

• Cape Abilities, in CY2020, served 24 Brewster residents with vocational training, supported employment, day habilitation, life skills, community-based day supports, residential services, adult family care and shared living. Recommended Funding: $7,000

• Cape Cod Children’s Place, in FY2021, served 192 Brewster parents and children with family support visits, play groups, and parenting education classes (1,255 Units of Service). Recommended Funding: $10,500

• Consumer Assistance Council, in CY2019, served as consumer advocate for 9 Brewster cases for whom they recouped/saved $27,915. Recommended Funding: $600

• Duffy Health Center, through their In From The Streets Program in CY2019 served 3 Brewster clients by providing 9 nights of emergency safe shelter with a conservatively estimated total cost of $1,665. Recommended Funding: $1,000

• Elder Services, in FY2021, delivered 8,327 Meals-on-Wheels to 92 Brewster residents with an estimated total cost of $87,434. Recommended Funding: $8,600

• Family Pantry of Cape Cod, in CY2020, provided food (5,288 grocery bags of food), clothing, healthy-eating education and a mobile pantry to 511 Brewster residents, for an estimated total cost of $42,898. Recommended Funding: $5,000

• Homeless Prevention Council, in CY2020, provided case managers enabling a broad range of individualized services for 87 Brewster families with a conservatively estimated total cost of $53,766. Recommended Funding: $15,000

• Independence House, in FY2021, provided an array of services including counseling, advocacy and basic needs to 290 Brewster children and adult survivors through programs such as the Child Witness to Violence Program and Child Sexual Assault Services with an estimated total cost of $79,772. Recommended Funding: $10,000

• Lower Cape Outreach Council, in CY2020, served 236 Brewster households through cash assistance, food, clothing, Thanksgiving baskets and holiday toys with an estimated total cost of $177,942. Recommended Funding: $10,000

• Nauset Together We Can, in CY2019, served 20 Brewster middle schoolers with over 144 visits to the free Youth After School Program which provides a safe, healthy, social environment for students to do homework, play and relax with adult supervision and mentoring for a conservatively estimated total cost of $3,600. Recommended Funding: $1,500

• Nauset Youth Alliance, in CY 2019, served 112 Brewster children by providing after-school care and summer programming with an estimated total cost of $369,797. Recommended Funding: $16,000

• Outer Cape Health Services, in FY2021, provided 2,269 Brewster residents 5,150 billable visits and 13,227 unbillable encounters (including uninsured patients and interactions with phone callers, web users, lab staff, pharmacy staff etc.). Recommended Funding: $15,000

• Sight Loss Services, in CY2020, provided 390 units of service (support groups, education, referrals, home independence, adaptive aids and advocacy) to 63 Brewster residents with an estimated total cost of $7,332. Recommended Funding: $1,500

• South Coastal Counties Legal Services, in CY2019, provided free legal services to 23 low-income and/or elderly Brewster residents with an estimated total cost of $27,853. Recommended Funding: $4,250

The members of this committee continue to be impressed with the work of these agencies in their efforts to support our townspeople. It is clear that Brewster residents seek out these agencies for support, especially in times of crisis; it is also clear that the agencies seek to find new and more effective ways to meet the needs expressed by our residents.