People in Need Have Someone to Turn to in Watertown

Wayside Multi Service Center

Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist Danielle DeMoss, center, was joined by (from left) State Rep. Jonathan Hecht, Wayside Senior Program Director Laura Kurman, State Sen. Will Brownsberger and Watertown Town Council President Mark Sideris.

For the past year, people who need help heating their home, finding an affordable place to live or getting some extra food have someone to turn to – Danielle DeMoss.

DeMoss has served as Watertown’s Social Services Resource Specialist. The position was approved by the Town Council last year, and has been funded by a town charitable fund and local non-profit groups.

Since late October 2013, DeMoss has helped 315 residents and received more than 1,200 phone calls asking for assistance. She works with more than 30 town departments, community organizations and churches.

The position focuses on people ages 19-59 because children and teens can get services through schools and 60 and older can go to the Senior Center and other groups. The highest proportion of people served are in their 50s, followed by those in their 40s.

“A majority of the people are working but are having difficulty getting by,” DeMoss said.

Most of the time DeMoss, who works out of the Wayside Multi Service Center on North Beacon Street, is not the one providing direct support. Instead, her role is to direct people to the right place and help them navigate a sometimes complex and tricky system.

“Typically over the phone I do an intake, get information and see if I can give them a referral right away,” DeMoss said. “If it requires filling out an application and navigation the system I set up a face to face meeting.”

Housing has been the biggest need, DeMoss found. She has helped people get into the affordable housing system and also some rental assistance. The next biggest needs were heating fuel and utilities. She also got a fair number of requests for help with mental health issues and for food assistance.

One roadblock for many seeking help getting heating fuel is the fact that people had to go to Lowell on a weekday for an interview to qualify for the state’s fuel assistance program. Many people had transportation issues or could not afford to take time off from work to go to Lowell.

DeMoss found a way to ease the process. She trained with the fuel assistance group to be able do the interviews. In the first couple weeks she conducted six interviews, DeMoss said.

Hooking up people with social services keeps DeMoss busy, but she only does it part time. She devotes 24 hours a week to that position and also works with at-risk students at the Watertown Boy’s & Girl’s Club.

Laura Kurman, senior program director at Wayside, was part of the group that helped create the Social Services Resource Specialist position. Now the focus is on finding funding to keep it going.

“This is the time to show what the needs are and look for ways the sustain the position,” Kurman said.

Recently a celebration was held for the one-year anniversary of DeMoss’s work. More than 50 people showed up, including many state representatives, elected town officials and other supporters, Kurman said.

Some of the funding for the first year came from the Harvard/Watertown Community Enrichment Fund – a fund set up by Harvard when it owned the Arsenal on the Charles complex. When athenahealth bought the complex, that funding dried up.

Other contributors to the position are Watertown Savings Bank, Watertown Commission on Disability, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown Commission on Disability, Mount Auburn Hospital, Watertown Community Foundation and the Helen Robinson Wright Fund of the First Parish of Watertown.

To get in touch with the Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist call 617-744-9585. Calls will be returned within 48 house, Monday through Friday.