Massachusetts
A day inside the Massachusetts department overseeing SNAP – The Boston Globe
The changes could further strain an already overwhelmed system: Of the nearly 15,000 calls made on average each day to DTA in November, nearly 4,500 were unable to connect, according to DTA’s own statistics. Another 7,000 were answered by a voice assistant, and just under 3,000 people were connected to a call center.
Dany Rodriguez, a 41-year-old DTA caseworker, tries not to focus too much on the politics, or how overwhelming the need is. “I just want to help clients,” said Rodriguez, who has been at the agency for five years and handles about 220 clients who use SNAP, cash benefits, or both. “I want to be there for them, to support them.”
Rodriguez started her morning taking calls from clients. Some, she would be able to help. For many others, the needs were too great, and the problems too deep: decades of homelessness, persistent health issues, unemployment, economic marginality. Rodriguez could try, but she was limited by the tools at her disposal.
First, there was a woman who wanted to know if she could get part of her gas bill covered for the winter. Like many SNAP recipients, she works as a personal care attendant, and with her wages low — around $17-$22 an hour — she was finding the bill “is too much, I can’t do that.” Rodriguez replied that the application for the state’s Home Energy Assistance Program, which can cover winter heating bills for some low-income households, was already in the mail. The woman thanked her profusely.
Rodriguez went to call a mother of three, taking a deep breath before dialing the number. She had to tell the client that she was no longer eligible for a cash assistance program DTA oversees, since she now makes about $2,000 a month as a cleaner. Even with the income, the mother is financially strapped: She pays $600 a month for rent, plus $780 a month in child care. Her income is so low she’ll continue to receive $994 in SNAP, the max for a family of four.
Next, Rodriguez called a client to recertify his application, something all SNAP users are required to do every six to 12 months. Despite having an appointment, he didn’t pick up. The man is homeless, bouncing between family members. He’s also disabled. Rodriguez wasn’t surprised he missed the call. She rescheduled his appointment and mailed a notice to his mom’s house. If he doesn’t get back to her within 30 days, his case will close and he’ll have to reapply.
Through each phone call, Rodriguez remained composed. She never slouched, her breathing was steady. In over three hours, she took just one sip from her pink Stanley water bottle and didn’t touch the granola bar on her desk. Throughout the morning, she toggled between three screens, keeping color-coded calendar reminders as notes to herself alongside an unwieldy client database.
The Jackson Square office where Rodriguez works is new, created to take some of the workload off the much larger Nubian Square office just a couple miles down the road. One staffer described the client load there as a “deluge.” Just over a quarter of the 34,454 people who visited a DTA office in November did so because they otherwise could not get through to staff.
Late morning, Rodriguez saw her first in-person client.
The visit was unexpected. The man showed up at reception, said he had been calling and had not gotten through. His case had been closed in October, when he started making too much money to receive any cash benefits. He still received some SNAP, though just $24 a month.
“What am I going to do, buy candy?” he told the receptionist, who popped her head into Rodriguez’s office. “I just want to give you a heads up,” she said. ”He’s mad!”
Rodriguez quickly reviewed his case, cross-referencing his name with work numbers shared by several agencies and employers. The man started working for a moving company in August where he was slated to have 40-hour work weeks at $22 an hour. But often, he only logged 20 hours, sometimes as few as six.
After sitting down in a corner chair, the client explained he lost his job just after Christmas and was now living in a shelter. He wanted to apply for cash benefits again. Rodriguez explained he had to first apply for unemployment, and only if that’s denied could he apply for cash benefits. He would need a termination letter and a new designation of disability from a doctor. On the other hand, without any income, his SNAP would go up, to $298 a month.
Rodriguez has an unusually intimate window into her clients’ lives. With this client, she learned about how his disability makes holding a job nearly impossible, which embarrasses him. When calling another client, she could hear the din of busy Boston outside: the rev of buses, the rush of traffic. She asked if anything had changed in his life. “Same situation financially, same situation, staying with family. I am still homeless.” She asked if he has any other income. “No. I wish.”
Chatting at the end of their call, the client asked whether it’s true that people can no longer use SNAP to buy sweets. “I don’t buy any myself, but you’re telling a mom you can’t buy her kids cookies?”
Rodriguez answered plainly, “We haven’t received any instructions about that.”
She has seen how news about SNAP changes can impact her clients. In the last year, she noticed fewer people coming to the office — many of Rodriguez’s clients are immigrants. “They’re afraid just to even walk out of their house,” she said.
“I love what I do,” she continued. “The political piece is something else. I try to avoid it.”
Rodriguez turned back to her computer, and clicked through her database, to see who needed help next.
This story was produced by the Globe’s Money, Power, Inequality team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter here.
Mara Kardas-Nelson can be reached at mara.kardas-nelson@globe.com.
As libraries across western Massachusetts celebrate National Library Week from April 19 to April 25, they are honoring “the last real third space where everyone is welcome,” in the words of Greenfield Public Library Assistant Director Lisa Prolman.
According to the American Library Association, National Library Week is “an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” This year, several libraries in the region will be hosting events to highlight the roles they play in their communities.
The Athol Public Library is among the venues engaging in National Library Week festivities, with a whole host of events starting on Tuesday, April 21, with Silly Goose Story Time at 10:30 a.m. The library will hold multiple events each day, including “Free Book Friday” on April 24, which Assistant Director Robin Shtulman said is “really fantastic.”
Shtulman said the week celebrates and emphasizes the “freedom to read, community outreach and celebrating the staff, without whom nothing would happen.”
The Athol Public Library said in an event announcement that “whatever brings you joy, the library has something for everyone,” and that aspect is being emphasized this National Library Week. To name a few of the events on tap, on Tuesday, April 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., there’s a volunteer opportunity where teens will make greeting cards for senior citizens; “A Minecraft Movie” will be shown at the same date and time; and on Thursday, April 23, the library will host Scavenger Hunt Bingo for all ages. For a full list of events at the Athol Public Library, visit atholpubliclibrary.com.
In Shelburne Falls, the Arms Library will feature a gallery from the Carlos Heiligmann Collection, a series of photos of public libraries across western Massachusetts. Also in collaboration with the Arms Library, Pothole Pictures and the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club will partner for a screening of “Free For All: The Public Library” on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall.
The documentary focuses on the evolution of the public library from its origins in the 19th century and the challenges it faces today, with modern-day issues such as book bans, funding cuts and debates over censorship.
It also explores the role that women’s clubs, like the one in Shelburne Falls, played in creating the modern library system. To serve their communities, women’s clubs took the lead in fundraising, collecting books and advocating for library legislation.
“Our women’s club in this town started with a group of 60 women who were gathering for lessons. … Because of the support of women in the U.S., we established over 80% of the public libraries [in the country],” said Christin Couture, program chair for the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club. “This film … I hear it’s so fascinating.”
Following the film’s screening, there will be a panel of local librarians who will engage in “lively conversation” about the history and future of public libraries. Tickets are $6, though school-age children will be admitted for free.
In Charlemont, Tyler Memorial Library will host an open house on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 2 p.m. featuring refreshments, a tour of the library and sun catcher crafting.
The Greenfield Public Library, meanwhile, is taking National Library Week in a bit of a different direction, as it is offering a book repair demonstration with Tom Hutcheson on Thursday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m. The day marks William Shakespeare’s birthday.
Although the book repair session required registration and is currently full, those who are interested may be placed on a waiting list at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16460179.
Greenfield Public Library Director Anna Bognolo recognized the hard work that everyone has put into making the library a success, offering a “huge thank you” to the volunteers and staff who make its varied offerings possible.
“Stop by and support your library,” Bognolo said.
“Libraries, especially in this economy, are more important than ever,” Prolman said. Referencing the library’s role as a place where community members can go that is not work or home, she added, “They are the last real third space where everyone is welcome, and we don’t charge you for being here.”
Massachusetts
New Bedford MS-13 Member, Illegal Alien Pleads Guilty to Role in Brutal Murders In Massachusetts, Virginia
Frankli
Police shot and killed a man who officials say rushed officers with a knife during a call in Lexington, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said the situation started around 1:40 p.m. when Lexington police received a 911 call from a resident of Mason Street reporting that his son had injured himself with a knife.
Officers from the Lexington Police Department and officers from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC), who were already in town for Patriots’ Day events, responded to the call.
Police were able to escort two other residents out of the home, initially leaving a 26-year-old man inside. According to Ryan, while officers were setting up outside, the man ran out of the home and approached officers with a large kitchen knife.
She added that police tried twice to use non-lethal force, but it was not effective in stopping him. The man was shot by a Wilmington police officer who is a member of NEMLEC. The man was pronounced dead on scene and the officer who fired that shot was taken to a local hospital as a precaution.
The man’s name has not been released.
Ryan said typically in a call like this where someone was described as harming themselves, officers would first try to separate anyone else to keep them out of danger, which was done, and then standard practice would be to try to wait outside.
“It would be their practice to just wait for the person to come out. In the terrible circumstances of today, he suddenly rushed the officers, still clutching the knife,” Ryan said.
The investigation is still in the preliminary stages and more information is expected in time. Ryan said her office will request a formal inquest from the court to review whether any criminal conduct has occurred, which is the standard process.
This happened around the same time as the annual Patriots’ Day Parade, and just hours after a reenactment of the Battle of Lexington, which drew large crowds to town.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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