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Plymouth amends welfare guidelines to use HUD median rent metric, clarify shelter assistance for pet owners
Summary
Select Board approved two amendments to town welfare guidelines: switching housing need standards to HUD median gross rent and limiting payment for emergency shelter when a homeless person refuses shelter due to an uncertified pet; the town said it will coordinate with the New Hampshire Humane Society for temporary animal care.
The Plymouth Select Board approved two changes to the town's welfare guidelines intended to clarify housing and emergency shelter standards.
Mary Anne Peabody, the town's Welfare Director, presented the changes and said they respond to more complex and frequent welfare cases. "The town of Plymouth uses the median gross rent hosted by HUD for that given year," Peabody said, describing the revised standard for housing need.
The board also approved new language on emergency shelter for people with animals. Peabody explained, "If a homeless person refuses a bed at a shelter because they will not surrender their dog and the dog is not trained certified service animal, then the town is not required to continue paying for their shelter." She said staff have run into that situation at least twice and that the Birch House shelter in Plymouth no longer accepts pets unless they are certified.
Peabody said the town has worked with the New Hampshire Humane Society in Laconia to provide temporary care for animals so individuals can access shelter. "If the person is willing to give up their dog, we have been working with the New Hampshire Humane Society for that temporary time," she said.
After discussion, a member of the board moved to adopt the amendments as presented, and the board voted in favor. The motion did not create a new ongoing program; it clarified eligibility and staff discretion under existing welfare authority.
