Woburn senior services face staffing shortfall as demand surges

Marie, director of the Council on Aging, told the City Council that the senior center is serving about 250 people a day and recorded 6,509 unique individuals in the last fiscal year while operating with persistent staff shortages.

The short-staffing is most acute in the outreach/social-work role. Marie said the office has run four hiring rounds without finding a qualified outreach coordinator and that three SHINE counselors have served roughly 700 clients this year. She said the council’s state formula grant — about $152,000 in total, with roughly $79,000 covering salaries — covers part of the center’s staffing and programming but that other partner programs face cuts.

The director said Minuteman Senior Services (the Area Agency on Aging that runs Meals on Wheels in the region) remains a key partner but that some state and federal funding streams used by partners such as Social Capital Inc. and AmeriCorps have been reduced or are “on the chopping block.” She told the council she has been working with the mayor to pursue higher compensation for the outreach role and, if needed, to re-open talks with the union to make the position more market-competitive.

Councilors responded with repeated praise and concern. Council President Dillon and several councilors urged the mayor’s office to prioritize filling the outreach role and to press state lawmakers on funding. Several councilors noted recent examples the director cited — including a 95-year-old woman who was found abandoned by a family member and a client facing foreclosure due to a reverse mortgage — to underline the urgency.

Marie outlined other center activity and supports: the center’s Friends group contributed $20,000 toward a 14-passenger van; state representatives secured $75,000 in state funding toward another van; the center runs exercise, cultural, and meal programs, and provides SHINE counseling for Medicare-related questions.

Discussion versus direction versus decision: the presentation was discussion-only. The council made no formal vote on new staff or budget changes during the session; councilors directed general support to the mayor’s office to help secure resources and encouraged the director to continue recruitment and coordination with the mayor.

The council did not adopt any formal budget amendment or direction during the meeting; the director and councilors agreed to continue working with the mayor’s office and state partners on staffing and grant matters.

Looking forward, the director said she will continue recruitment efforts, coordinate with the mayor on compensation and union discussions if necessary, and monitor potential state funding changes that could affect partner programs.