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Human services director asks council for $15,000 in general assistance; outside‑agency awards, grants outlined
Summary
Marcy Rand, director of human services, presented the department’s FY26 request and said the general‑assistance pool is depleted. She outlined proposed outside‑agency awards, grant matches and a new donation portal.
Marcy Rand, director of human services, told the New Canaan Town Council on March 25 that the department is seeking $15,000 in general assistance for next fiscal year because a community assistance fund has been largely depleted.
"We did this year ask for $15,000 in our human services general assistance," Rand said, describing that the money helps residents in crisis with rent and utilities and that the department is halfway through the current fiscal year’s funds.
Rand outlined proposed awards to outside agencies and how they would be funded: Kids in Crisis (teen‑talk counselor for New Canaan High School) — $96,000 total with $70,000 from New Canaan, $16,000 from a Youth Services Bureau grant and $10,000 from the town’s opioid‑settlement funds; Domestic Violence Crisis Center (DVCC) — $10,000 from New Canaan; New Canaan Cares — $18,000 with $5,000 from town funds, $5,000 from a Youth Services Bureau grant and $8,000 from opioid settlement funds; Meals‑type program (Bills on Wheels) — $5,000 from New Canaan; and the New Canaan urgent assessment program — requesting $40,000 (reduced from $50,000) with $15,000 from New Canaan and $25,000 from opioid‑settlement funds.
Rand said some outside‑agency funding that previously came from town funds is being offset by grants: the Connecticut Department of Transportation matching grant will contribute $25,000 toward an outside agency allocation so the town’s share is reduced. She also told council members that grant receipts are held in a separate town grant fund and reported through that mechanism.
Rand said the human services office recently added a donation button in the town newsletter and has collected just over $1,500 so far. She said the department hopes community donations and grant offsets will reduce the need for a sizable town appropriation in future years.
Why it matters: The $15,000 request for general assistance affects the town’s social‑safety net for residents facing short‑term crises; the schedule and mix of town funds and grant dollars will affect outside agencies’ budgets and services to residents. The council held clarifying questions but did not take a formal vote on the human services appropriation at the March 25 meeting.
