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Tamworth welfare officer reports fewer fuel-assistance requests, flags Tri-County CAP performance
Summary
Tamworth welfare officer Paul told the select board that requests for fuel assistance this winter have been lower than in prior years, but rental-assistance requests persist. He said he will investigate whether Tri-County Community Action Program’s application process is limiting access.
Paul, Tamworth’s welfare officer, told the select board on Feb. 25 that the town has seen fewer requests for fuel assistance this winter than in previous years but continued demand for rental help.
The welfare officer said the pattern is “anecdotal” and based on a small sample of cases. He told the board he will analyze current- and prior-year data in the spring to try to quantify changes and develop working theories about why requests have fallen.
Why it matters: Fuel- and rental-assistance demand affects how the town allocates its welfare line and coordinates with regional providers. The officer said one large housing case in 2023 inflated that year’s totals, and that otherwise spending in the welfare line has been comparable to prior years.
Discussion details: The welfare officer said Tri-County Community Action Program (Tri-County CAP) has not been “a great resource,” and that he planned to press the agency and to work with welfare/public assistance officers in neighboring towns to encourage better performance or contract terms. “I my sense is that they are under-requesting funding from the state for the services that they perform,” he said, adding that this could be a misperception he hopes to test.
On the local homelessness question, Paul said he does not “have a real strong sense that there are more people at risk or finding themselves in homeless situations from last year,” calling his observations anecdotal and limited to a “pretty small sample” of a dozen or two cases. He said the most common immediate causes among residents he has helped are injury, illness, temporary unemployment or similar short-term setbacks rather than a systemic rent spike.
Board follow-up and next steps: Board members asked the welfare officer whether Tri-County CAP’s application process might be preventing residents from getting assistance; he said he will attempt to quantify whether people cannot get through Tri-County CAP and to bring data and possible remedies back to the board in the spring.
Ending: The board thanked Paul for his update and had no formal action on the welfare report.
