Human services budget shows rising caseloads; director shifts outside-agency funding toward opioid-settlement and targeted grants

Marcy Rand, director of human services, presented the department’s 2027 budget request and described growing service demands, funding sources and outside-agency awards.

Rand reported about 228 adult and senior clients year-to-date, 169 families and 178 children in youth and family caseloads, and increased energy assistance applications (98 active cases so far, with applications accepted through May). “Our food pantry is running strong,” she said, noting 945 individuals and 740 shoppers recorded in December and steady donations funding the pantry.

On outside agencies, Rand said the department recommends awarding a total of $50,000 across several local nonprofits: the DVCC will receive $10,000; New Canaan Cares requested $22,000 and is recommended for $18,000 (with the balance funded from other grants); Meals on Wheels will receive $5,000; and a local urgent assessment line remains at $40,000 with $15,000 from the town and $25,000 from opioid-settlement funds.

Rand explained how opioid-settlement dollars arrive and are accounted for. “We have about $94,000 available as of February. We have spent $99,000, and we received a 193. So we are on track to receive about 516,000,” she said, describing a multi-year receipt schedule and the town’s practice of recording receipts and expenditures in a special projects account rather than the general fund to preserve transparency.

Board members asked about the reallocation of a $70,000 'kids in crisis' line. Rand said the Board of Education has hired a full-time school-based social worker/psychologist, and the board discussed the merits of a consistent school-based presence versus prior rotating counselors. Members also raised questions about discrepancies they found between presentation figures and the printed budget book; finance staff explained differences in how full-time salary allocations were split between human services and the Lapham Center and pointed members to the budget book’s detailed pages for fully loaded numbers.

Rand said departmental operating expenditures are projected to fall roughly 8–9% overall, driven primarily by removal of a part-time salary line and careful use of opioid settlement and grant funds to support outside agencies.