snow shoveling help

[dahdahdahdancer.livejournal.com]

I just read that the city is coordinating teen volunteers with senior citizens and those with disabilities who need help shoveling snow. For safety, all involved must undergo a CORI check. More from Patch: "If you are a Somerville teen, and interested in helping residents in need in return for a small stipend, please contact the Somerville Council on Aging at 617-625-6600 ext 2300 to learn more, or visit the Council on Aging page on the City website (www.somervillema.gov) to download an application." Those needing help can contact this number also to get an application for the list.

Comments

[rachelmello.livejournal.com]

Why on earth do you need a CORI check to shovel snow????? You're not going in the person's house. You're not going anywhere you couldn't get walking down the street.
This seems excessively invasive of the privacy of someone who might otherwise sign up for a neighborly act.

[dahdahdahdancer.livejournal.com]

liability?

[mytheria.livejournal.com]

They are often part of a grant requirement for any work with the disabled. If the coordinator is grant funded, that would explain this.

[ron_newman]

Yeah, that seems totally ridiculous to me too. Do adults who sign up for this also need to go through a CORI check?

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I assumed this was the requirement. That the disabled residents needing help would need to pass a CORI check to make sure they would not molest the teens. (If I were planning to live alone, and my landlord wasn't taking care of the snow, I'd need something like this myself.)

[squirrelitude]

Man, I'd just do it for free. However, if there's an excess of willing teens, it would be rude of me to take away someone's opportunity for a stipend... :-)

[m-b-w.livejournal.com]

For those 18 and older who want to volunteer, there's also this: "SIGN UP NOW FOR SHOVELING HELP OR TO HELP SHOVEL: We're looking for volunteers aged 18 and older to assist senior citizens and residents with disabilities with snow shoveling this winter, and we are also accepting applications for residents needing assistance with shoveling. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Nancy Bacci at NBacci@somervillemagov, or 617-625-6600 ext. 2250. If you are interested in receiving shoveling help, please contact the Somerville Council on Aging at 617-625-6600 ext. 2300. Both volunteers and residents seeking shoveling are CORI checked, so get on the list before it snows again. Please share this information with neighbors who may not be online."

[squirrelitude]

Thanks, but that CORI check thing is just asinine. I'll try to find a less bureaucratic way to help out.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

FYI: The CORI check form literally takes 2 minutes to fill out. It's really not a big deal and seems a good idea if you are sending strangers to the homes of vulnerable people. Even if they aren't to go inside.

Of course, the better solution is to know your neighbors in general and help out the ones who might need helping.

[siderea]

FYI: The CORI check form literally takes 2 minutes to fill out.

I'm sure all the people concerned with the civil liberties and social justice ramifications of this practice will be totally reassured that the process is convenient.

For the record, I think it's an outrage, and I am CORI/SORI cleared and cleared against the NCIS, too, for my job. Which has involved offender reintegration.

I'm not sure which pisses me off more:
1) That you need a clean CORI to shovel someone's walk.
2) That something like $25pp is being paid for CORIs for every participant in the program.
3) The presumption that a disabled person or elderly person with a criminal history is disqualified from getting help clearing their damn walk. Maybe it's just the assumption that all disabled/elderly people are perfect angels of virtue blah blah blah ableist/ageist bs. "Gramps, if you wanted disability assistance, you shouldn't have gotten busted for drug charges when you were 25. So haul that paralytic ass up out of that wheel chair and start shoveling."

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Some of the comments are more along the lines of "what a hassle" rather than indignation. Just pointing out it isn't particularly a hassle. I personally think it's a good idea to run background checks whenever unacquainted minors and adults are brought together unsupervised, but beyond that statement I have no interest in debating (I see your point, and I would hope they use some common sense and not require spotless CORIs, but otherwise I think it's a good idea).

Also, it didn't snow.