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Health & Human Services briefs council on youth programs, veteran outreach and homelessness response
Summary
Health and Human Services leaders described funding shifts for youth employment, veteran services staffing and homelessness outreach, including mobile addiction services and plans for a day resource center in the 2026–27 timeframe.
Department leaders for Health and Human Services reviewed multiple program areas in the council budget hearings, focusing on youth employment, veteran services and homelessness/addiction response.
Commissioner Maddie Castile (Dr. Castile) told the council that youth employment funding from the state had fallen about $200,000 from the prior year and that the city and partners were stepping in to sustain strong Recreation Worcester hiring and programming. The department said it had made earlier‑than‑usual hires and was seeing strong application numbers for summer hires.
Veteran services director Joe Robinson said the department added a veterans assistant position and is expanding outreach. Robinson provided a citywide veteran count of about 9,551 veterans and said the department currently serves a small fraction of that population; he set a goal to increase direct services to 2–3% of local veterans in the next 12–18 months, which he said would represent several hundred veterans receiving services.
On homelessness and addiction response, Dr. Castile described ongoing harm‑reduction outreach and partnerships with mobile providers. She said a Spectrum van provides medication treatment in the community and that other mobile services are active. The department continues to pursue a day resource center; staff said CMHA and other partners are aiming for a 2026–27 opening window if funding and sites are secured.
Councilors raised eviction trends and requested more data on geographic and demographic patterns; Dr. Castile said evictions have increased since the end of the statewide moratorium and that the most impacted areas are the city’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. She and the manager said the administration is developing a multi‑partner homelessness strategy and an updated needs assessment funded in part by a local foundation to inform shelter and permanent housing needs.
Councilors expressed concerns about federal Medicaid changes and a potential loss of MassHealth funding; Dr. Castile warned that cuts would reduce access to addiction treatment, residential programs and supportive services for vulnerable populations.
The council approved the Health & Human Services budget pages by roll call; staff said they would return with requested reports and follow‑up information.
