Less than a year old, the Watertown Human Services Department has plans to add new programs, such as a van to deliver meals and other services, and boxes with life-saving medicine for people overdosing.
The Human Services Department’s first director, Jenna Bancroft, spoke to the City Council at a hearing on May 6.
“Human Services is just 10 months old as a department, so we haven’t had a full year of service here in Watertown,” Bancroft said. “I will say too that the budget that we’ve proposed, I’m really excited for what we’re doing this coming year, as we continue to build relationships and really think about the needs and the gaps in the community.”
She added that the budget does not include a lot of extra programming, but there are a few additions including a new van which provide multiple services including to help provide food to those who cannot access the Watertown Food Pantry.
“It will be multi-use, I will say, and it is going to be a Human Services van, so all of our programs will be able to use it, but we are really prioritizing the food pantry and our food access other access programs,” Bancroft said. “And we hope to use it not only for deliveries, which will certainly be useful to our Watertown Food Pantry, but also mobile markets where we can set up during the wintertime.”
The van was paid for from money left over in the City Council Reserve. Bancroft said it has been ordered, but has not been delivered yet.
The Food Pantry recently moved from its longtime home on Mt. Auburn Street to the Parker Building, the City’s annex at 124 Watertown St. Approximately 170 households visit the Food Pantry each week, Bancroft said. The Pantry is open on Tuesdays, but the number of people served and days of operation could grow, Bancroft said.
In the summer, a food access advisory group will be formed, Bancroft said, “so that food access providers in the community can come together to talk about the partner more seamlessly on service delivery, same with housing stability, which is a very big topic.” The goal is to start with resource sharing and making sure that people know how to get support in that area, Bancroft added.
The Social Services Resource Program, which the City contracts with Wayside Multi-Service Center, will be partially funded by the City, said City Manager George Proakis.
“The budget provides an additional $45,000 to contracted services to ensure that the second Resource Navigator position that’s run by our non-profit partner can continue,” Proakis said.” That position had been grant funded through December of ’26. We don’t want that position to go away. We knew we would reach this point where we’re probably picking that up, so we’re doing that for the remainder of this year.”
The Human Services Department oversees the Opioid Settlement funds given to the City to spend on substance use prevention. Bancroft said the plan is to use the funds for both prevention education as well as harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.
“So we’re thinking about what kind of programs we can bring to the community and existing services that we can enhance with those funds,” Bancroft said. “Some quick programs that we’re hoping to implement will be to install the Naloboxes. We are still in the beginning stages, partnering with our Police Department and other community partners to get those — their overdose rescue kits are what Naloxboxes are.”
The boxes with overdose rescue kits will be installed in public builds, just as there are automated external defibrillators (AED) machines have been installed on the walls, Bancroft said.
“We hope to expand not only to City buildings, but to community partners that would like to have those in their spaces as well,” Bancroft said.
The Opioid Settlement funds can also be spent on mental health and substance use initiatives, Bancroft added. Some examples could be a film screening or an education event at the Watertown Library.
Another resource lost when the former Methodist Church that housed the Food Pantry was sold is a place to hold recovery group meetings, such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Proakis said the Human Services Department is looking for places to partner with.
“I get very worried if someone is in a peer recovery group that’s been meeting every Wednesday night at the same church for 10 years, and then suddenly that location disappears,” Proakis said. “You want to make sure that person is held through and brought to wherever that group can continue to meet and hopefully our by reaching out to our Human Services team.”
The Human Services Department will also be part of the Mental Health and Substance Use Advisory Group.
“It is really an iteration of the Watertown Cares Network, which was the coalition that was started in 2014, or ’15, (during) the opioid epidemic,” Bancroft said. “The group is not changing too much in terms of who’s in it, but we’re going to be meeting to really address substance use and mental health needs through that advisory format.”
A staff addition will be a full-time Principal Department Assistant, Proakis said. The person will be at the front desk of the Human Services Department and will be able to help answer people’s questions and solve problems. The person will be cross trained to be knowledgeable about food assistance, as well as other parts of the department, including Veterans Services. That department merged into Human Services.
“This person can help with veterans benefits, but can also help veterans with food benefits and housing needs,” Proakis said. “We’re doing a lot of that through our nonprofit partnerships, and we’re working all to strengthen that.”