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03/16/2021 04:00 PMSpring is coming. Madison residents who look outside have a lot to look forward to, with warm weather already arriving and the prospect of days on the beach, walks on the green, and outdoor dining along the downtown cobblestone. More important, people are looking forward to a return to “normal” as vaccines are distributed across the country and governments and businesses lift restrictions.
Though the concept of “normal” has yet to be defined comprehensively, most people would agree it feels like safety, freedom, relief.
For a couple hundred people in town, those feelings aren’t attached to an activity like going out to eat at a restaurant, traveling to a resort, or attending a concert. For those who don’t have higher-paying, remote-ready jobs or significant savings, the pandemic hasn’t just been a struggle against isolation or with the new routines, but also a constant campaign to put food on the table and avoid losing their homes or apartments.
Though there have been signs of improvement in recent months and the Madison community has effectively and consistently banded together to provide support, many of these people have a long and difficult road ahead of them, according to advocates.
Crystal Depietro is the social services coordinator for Madison Youth & Family Services (MYFS). It is her voice that many Madison residents first heard when they picked up the phone back in March 2020—confused, scared, often in tears—just looking for a way to pay for their housing, their groceries.
According to Depietro, though many people have found programs and means to support themselves, these calls have never stopped.
“It hasn’t gone away,” she said. “People are still losing their jobs. This is not over; this is far from over. We had so many businesses that tried to survive during the pandemic who are just now feeling the effects...We are still seeing families with parents losing jobs or needing to move on from the community.”
Doling out more than $100,000 from a COVID assistance program funded by Neighbor 2 Neighbor, Depietro said the vastly increased need has evolved over the last year. Most people back in March and April 2020 had never navigated the social services networks, she said.
“A lot of individuals who never thought they would be in this position,” she said. “We saw a lot, especially in the beginning...a lot of food insecurity. That was, I would probably say, the number-one biggest problem that we faced that was specific to the pandemic.”
Whether it was direct payments (up to $500, depending on family size), grocery store gift cards from MYFS, meals provided by the schools, or visiting local food banks, Depietro said that MYFS was able to pivot and at least make sure people know they or their families were not going to go hungry.
“You know if you’re in your last $20 and you’re struggling, there is somewhere you can go,” she said.
Mary Hake is a supervisor at the Madison Food Pantry. She said she has seen a different kind of uptick, with new people coming sometimes inconsistently, and many others who are waiting for other benefits or programs and need the boost just to make it through a week or a month.
After initially providing gift cards in lieu of shopping, as they attempted to find a safe way to distribute food to clients, many of whom are elderly, Hake said the pantry now allows people to provide shopping lists of what they need as far as food, with food then picked up curbside.
Hake emphasized that the increased need has been met with an even greater wave of generosity.
“The town has really supported us,” she said. “We’ve been having donations dropped off at the Senior Center...Whole neighborhoods have had food drives. Basically what I’m saying: The clients that we’ve had coming, we’ve had loads to give them.”
Though the policy or aim has been to provide three days’ worth of food per family, Hake said the pantry has been able to offer “easily a week’s worth” of groceries due to this support.
Even as the community has been able to make sure people’s most basic needs are mostly met, with Dipietro saying many have told her their monthly grant from the MYFS COVID fund essentially pays their rent, the long-term struggles are likely to continue for many.
“It’s still never enough,” she said. “There’s only so many things you can buy with food stamps.”
Moratoriums on evictions and energy assistance programs will eventually end, and increased unemployment or other benefits will eventually dry up. Depietro said there has been no indication from the state or federal government about what kind forgiveness, payment plans, or other programs might be made available.
“We have lots of clients talking about, ‘Well, how am I ever going to be able to catch up?’ Housing is going to be an issue—housing has always been an issue for us in Madison, especially affordable housing,” she said.
With no answers to give these people, Dipietro said many simply have to march forward with the prospect they will have to abandon their current living arrangement unless they find some large and immediate income source.
“There’s always a fear that they’re going to have to move out of Madison,” she said. “Usually the first things we talk about is, am I going to be able to stay in Madison and what are the chances that I’ll find something that’s affordable?”
Even before the pandemic, some people had moved into houses or apartments that are essentially not affordable long-term rather than leave town, according to Dipietro. Many others have already left, she said, faced with long waiting lists for the town’s slim offering of affordable living spaces.
“In some people’s cases we’re able to assist [with housing]. Our goal is always to, when we help a family that is in jeopardy of losing housing, not only help them financially but also help them create a long-term plan,” Dipietro said. “In some cases that has been, unfortunately...help[ing] a Madison resident make the move to a town that is more affordable.”
Today, many of MYFS and Madison Food Pantry clients have settled in to some degree, and the “sheer panic” of early 2020 has reduced to an uneasy and anxious routine, as people recognize they can survive, but still have little control over their futures.
“We know that a lot of people have lost their jobs...They’re no longer able to pay their bills,” Dipietro said. “It’s looming, it’s definitely looming in the air.”
Additionally, MYFS is still receiving calls from people in the panic stage, who are not aware of the programs and need to be walked through options, comforted, and assisted, according to Dipietro. That continued stream of new clients seems likely to continue.
“It’s like a revolving door almost,” she said. “They come to this acceptance point: There’s panic in the beginning, and then you have to accept it and figure out what you’re going to do to move on.”
There continues to be signs of hope, however. Dipietro said they have had clients successfully find new jobs or workable housing situations during the pandemic—rarely in ideal circumstances, but moving forward slowly.
Just last week, the state announced a new program called UniteCT was announced, with the ability to pay $235 million toward the rent and utility bills of low-income families, up to $10,000 per household. Though there will be a co-pay, that program can be applied to up to 12 months of rent and bills, and functions retroactively, potentially offering a lifeline for those struggling with current benefits.
Hake said the optimism in recent months from her clients has been palpable, with the vaccine driving a sunnier outlook particularly in the older population. She described speaking to a client whose husband is in a long-term care facility, who finally got to sit down with him last week after a long separation
“She was very excited to spend half an hour with him,” Hake said. “Everyone’s definitely much more hopeful. They’re always very happy, actually.”
A big part of that optimistic disposition originates from and is reflected back on the Madison community, according to Hake, with clients asking her to pass on messages of thanks to town officials who helped with the vaccine effort as well as to other volunteers at the pantry.
Dipietro described a similar attitude in her clients, who are often younger and might not be feeling quite as hopeful as those at the pantry, but who have discovered that their neighbors will not leave them behind.
“Acceptance has to come with support from your community,” she said. “And even though it’s a daunting acceptance, if you’re supported, it’s a little easier to carry that burden.”