| Health
and Human Services |
|
(Approved at the 2003 Annual
Meeting.) |
| To meet the
changing needs of Westport residents and to build a
greater sense of community in all segments of
Westport's population, the League of Women Voters of
Westport supports a strong Health District and a
strong network of human services. Recognizing
that relevant town departments and supportive
agencies have maintained a commendable level of
health and human services, the League of Women
Voters believes that these services should be
extended to include: |
|
 Increased
daycare opportunities for children of working
parents. This includes full-time care for
younger children as well as part-time care for
school-aged children. We encourage the Town to
explore the use of excess school space and to work
with local businesses to address unmet childcare
needs. |
|
Expanded
opportunities for unstructured recreation for all
school aged children. The Town should consider
expanding the use of Town-owned facilities,
including the schools, for recreational use after
school, evenings and weekends. |
|
Outreach
Counselors in the middle schools to address
destructive and risky behaviors, modeled on the
Outreach Counselor in the high school provided by
the Human Services Department. |
| To provide more
housing options for seniors and people in reduced
economic or precarious personal circumstances and to
attract and retain qualified personnel to work in
Westport, the League of Women Voters of Westport
supports creative approaches and vigorous action to
increase the availability of affordable housing for
rental and/or purchase. We support the
development and enforcement of health and safety
standards for rental units. |
| To meet the needs
of all Westport residents and local workers,
including seniors, children and the disabled, the
League of Women Voters supports adequate, affordable
public transportation throughout the day, evenings
and weekends. Because the current transportation
options include public, private and volunteer
services, we support the creation of a single source
of transportation information. |
| Because the
initiation and expansion of programs and services is
costly, the League of Women Voters strongly
recommends that the Town hire a grants writer. |
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