To the editor:
In times of economic uncertainty and pressing social challenges, it is often the most vulnerable among us who bear the brunt of hardship. This is why it is particularly heartening to see our state legislators stepping up to the plate and prioritizing human services in the fiscal year 2025 budget.
With the Healey-Driscoll administration, House of Representatives, and Senate all in agreement on a historic $390 million investment in the Chapter 257 rate reserve for human services, I would like to thank our state leaders – especially our North Shore delegation – for their commitment to our state’s most vulnerable residents.
By investing in front-line human-service workers, you have invested in the well-being of our entire community. Better wages will lead to higher job satisfaction and reduced turnover, ensuring that those in need receive consistent, high-quality care. It will also attract more qualified professionals to the field, addressing workforce shortages and improving service delivery across the board.
This decision also sends a powerful message about our values as a society. It affirms that we believe in supporting those who support us, that we are committed to fairness and equity, and that we recognize the dignity and worth of every worker. In a time when public trust in institutions is often tested, such actions restore faith in our collective ability to make meaningful, positive change.
This funding commitment will raise salaries for thousands of Massachusetts workers, including Bridgewell employees, who provide critical, hands-on direct support to children, adults, and families challenged by intellectual and developmental disabilities; mental-health and substance-use issues; and housing and employment instability.
Legislative language in the Senate’s version of the budget will enable a study of the pay disparity between community-based human services professionals and state employees with similar jobs. Bridgewell and other human-services agencies have been advocating for many years to bring community-based salaries in line with those paid to state workers, and this study represents an important first step. We urge the legislature and governor to ensure that this provision is in the budget that is signed into law.
Sincerely,
Christopher Tuttle
Bridgewell President and CEO
Peabody
