Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | May 11, 2020 | wbjournal.com Already reeling from the coronavirus fallout, Central Mass. human service agency worry the hardest hit by the coming recession will be the region's most vulnerable C entral Massachusetts went into the coronavirus pandemic with communities already facing deep-rooted challenges with poverty. In Worcester, the household poverty rate in 2019 was 21%, according to the U.S. Census, more than double the state average. e rate was nearly as bad in Southbridge at 19%, and it exceeded 13% in Fitchburg and Leominster. Add a pandemic that's forced more than 800,000 Massachusetts residents to file for unemployment, and Central Massachusetts agencies whose missions are to fight food, housing, health and other challenges of poverty have been sent into overdrive. "is is very much a poor person's crisis," said Jonathan Cohen, a program officer for the Greater Worcester Community Foundation, which has helped raise millions of dollars for dozens of community groups suffering during the pandemic. e foundation moved fast, using its own discretionary funds to launch a special fund in mid-March, called Worcester Together, to help those it knew would need the most help: those without health insurance, healthcare workers, seniors and those with language barriers. By May 4, the fund was approaching $6 million. GWCF partnered with the United Way of Central Massachusetts and the City of Worcester on the fund. "We have been very amazed at the generosity of the community," said Barbara Fields, the foundation's president and CEO. "Extraordinary times have led to extraordinary responses." Making major sacrifices Other Central Massachusetts agencies have responded, too. e effort has included those agencies' own workers sacrificing their own health to take care of their clients, who themselves – whether older or developmentally disabled, for example – are oen more medically vulnerable. At Sturbridge- based Venture Community Services and Worcester- based Open Sky Community Services, employees have temporarily moved into residential group homes so they can continue providing care without potentially bringing the virus with them from home. "It's a forgotten workforce, and because it's forgotten, they don't have the economic wherewithal to stop working, even if they wanted to," said Mike Hyland, Venture's CEO. Ken Bates, the Open Sky president and CEO, estimated 30 to 40 workers at Open Sky have elected to work in pairs living at group homes. "It amazes me that they're doing it, and there are many more willing to do it," Bates said. "It's unbelievable to me that these folks continue to do that." Compounding the problem for human services agencies is the vulnerability of their own workforces. A typical nursing assistant makes $28,540 a year, and a personal care aide $26,440, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Our workforce is extremely vulnerable to this crisis," said Jeffrey Kinney, the chief of staff at Worcester's Ascentria Care Alliance. "We frequently saw when we have planning sessions internally that a lot of our employees are one step away from being our clients." A big community in need Other service workers – those less likely to be able to work from home – are at greater risk, too. In food service, 60% of workers in the Worcester metropolitan area are in families making 200% or less of the poverty rate, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of Boston report in March. at compares to 39% among food service workers statewide and 34% for all workers in the Worcester area. Among warehouse workers in Greater BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor Poor person's CRISIS Barbara Fields, CEO of Greater Worcester Community Foundation Mike Hyland, the CEO of Venture Community Services, praises his workers who, in some cases, have moved into the residential facilities where they work to limit exposure for them and their clients.

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