Southborough Youth Commission advances universal financial-assistance form, launches community needs assessment

The Southborough Youth Commission at its Feb. 11 meeting heard a director's report on efforts to create a single, townwide financial-assistance application and on an ongoing community needs assessment, and received updates on upcoming events and fundraising efforts.

Sarah, the Youth Services director, told commissioners the department consolidated multiple department-specific aid forms into one application intended for families seeking help with programs such as camp scholarships, Winter Wishes and AMP/RAP discounts. "We've been busy," she said, and described moving the application to DocuSign so residents can securely upload documents and avoid in-person drop-offs.

The new application establishes three discount tiers for AMP and RAP programs'25 percent, 50 percent and 90 percent'and will be used this year to determine Winter Wishes eligibility. Staff reported Winter Wishes served 25 families, with a…