The city of Chelsea hired its first municipal social worker in October, 2025 in a 2-year pilot program meant to offer support for residents’ needs. In a little over a year, social worker Emilee Fetters has established office hours at the Chelsea’s library and senior center, as well as working with over 170 members of the community who have come to her or been recommended to her for support.
“Very early on into the start of my position, I noticed that community members were very engaged and interested in learning more about my position and how it serves as a resource to our community,” Fetters said. “And after I had connected with these individuals, they then went and shared about their experiences with their friends, their loved ones and their neighbors.”
Fetters credit Chelsea’s sense of community, both among its residents and in the collaborations she has with local services such as the Chelsea Police Department (CPD), as part of the reason her position has been successful in its first year.
“I oftentimes will receive referrals from officers at the Chelsea Police Department who respond to a call that may not have been mental health related in nature initially, but upon those officers having conversations with the community members, they learn that there may be needs related to mental health or there may be needs related to a need for financial assistance or legal representation,” she said.
Fetters also works with the CPD during crisis situations relating to mental health.
“This has been a really beneficial collaboration, in the sense that having a mental health professional be available during those emergent situations helps provide not only support to the individual experiencing the crisis, but also to the police officers who may not their specialty area may not be in providing mental health crisis response,” she said.
Fetters also works to provide resources at the Chelsea District Library, including information on sensitive topics for readers looking for more information. Her office hours at the library and the Chelsea Senior Center have also been pivotal in the outreach portion of the pilot program.
“These office hours have really been formative in me connecting with a wide variety of members of our community because they are located in areas that are highly frequented by our community members,” Fetters said. “So, it’s not uncommon for me to be having or posting office hours at the library and have someone who’s browsing books at the library see my sign and stop in to say hello or to ask me about resources related to senior supportive services.”
Fetters stated her goals for the upcoming year involve being even more involved in the community and reaching others who may not know about the resources available to them.
“When I think about the over 170 individuals that I’ve had the opportunity to work with thus far, we have formed really strong working relationships, but I would love to continue to meet some of our other community members who still may be in need of resources or just someone to talk to you,” she said. Fetters offers both walk-in and scheduled appointments for community members in need or who are simply curious to learn more about her position. While out for the holidays, regular office hours will be available again beginning Jan. 5, and more information is available at the city of Chelsea’s website (https://www.city-chelsea.org/services/community_social_worker2.php).
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