GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, MY NAME IS BEN WEBER. I'M THE BOSTON CITY COUNCILOR FOR DISTRICT SIX AND THE CHAIR OF THE UH, UH, BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS.
TODAY IS APRIL 27TH, 2026 AND THE EXACT TIME IS 210. UM THE HEARING THIS THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED AND IT'S ALSO BEING LIVE STREAMED
AT BOSTON.GOV/CITY COUNCIL TV AND BROADCAST ON XFINITY CHANNEL EIGHT, RCN CHANNEL 82 AND FIOS CHANNEL 964. THE COUNCIL'S BUDGET REVIEW
PROCESS WILL AND UH WILL ENCOMPASS OR DOES ENCOMPASS A SERIES OF PUBLIC HEARINGS THAT BEGAN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH OF APRIL. THEN WE'LL RUN THROUGH JUNE. WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO TAKE A MOMENT TO ENGAGE IN
THIS PROCESS BY GIVING TESTIMONY FOR THE RECORD. YOU CAN DO SO IN SEVERAL WAYS. YOU CAN ATTEND ONE OF OUR HEARINGS, UH, AND GIVE TESTIMONY IN PERSON OR
VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM. UM, YOU CAN UH AND WE WILL TAKE THAT PUBLIC TESTIMONY USUALLY AT THE END OF THE FIRST ROUND OF QUESTIONS FROM UH, MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES.
UH, YOU CAN UH YOU CAN VIEW A FULL HEARING SCHEDULE ON OUR WEBSITE AT BOSTON.GOV/COUNCIL-BUDGET. YOU CAN ALSO UH, GIVE PUBLIC
TESTIMONY UH IN PERSON AT ONE OF TWO UH, LISTENING SESSIONS. WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING ONE IS TOMORROW NIGHT HERE AT CITY HALL UH AT 6 P.M. THAT'S TUESDAY, APRIL 28TH THEN THE UH
THE LAST LISTENING SESSION WE'RE HAVING DURING THIS BUDGET CYCLE WILL BE IN PERSON ON THURSDAY, MAY 26TH AT 6 P.M. ALSO AT CITY HALL IN THIS CHAMBER, UM, AT ANY OF THOSE
LISTENING SESSIONS IN ANY CHAMBER YOU CAN GIVE TESTIMONY IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY VIA ZOOM FOR IN-PERSON TESTIMONY. UH, PLEASE COME TO THE CHAMBER AND SIGN UP ON THE SHEET NEAR THE ENTRANCE.
ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO SPEAK AT THIS HEARING, THERE'S A SIGN UP SHEET. UH, IF YOU IF YOU HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY, UH, PLEASE SIGN IN. UM UH, FOR VIRTUAL TESTIMONY, YOU CAN SIGN UP USING OUR
ONLINE FORM AND ON OUR COUNCIL BUDGET REVIEW WEBSITE OR BY EMAILING THE COMMITTEE AT SEEK DWM AT BOSTON GOV OR BY
EMAILING UH KARISHMA CHO ON IT CHRIS MA 6AM@BOSTON.GOV. WHEN YOU'RE CALLED TO TESTIFY PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME UH AND
UH RESIDENTS OR IF YOU'RE WITH AN ORGANIZATION YOUR AFFILIATION WITH THAT ORGANIZATION AND UH PLEASE LIMIT YOUR COMMENTS FOR TWO MINUTES SO EVERYONE GETS A CHANCE TO TESTIFY.
UM, IN LIEU OF, UH, SHOWING UP OR TESTIFYING UH, VIRTUALLY, YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN TESTIMONY TO THE COMMITTEE ASKED AT BOSTON GOV. UH LASTLY YOU CAN UH, SUBMIT
TESTIMONY BY SUBMITTING A TWO MINUTE VIDEO OF YOUR TESTIMONY THROUGH THE FORM ON OUR WEBSITE . I'M NOT SURE ANYONE'S TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THAT YET BUT LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING SOME VIDEOS. UM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
CITY COUNCIL BUDGET PROCESS AND HOW TO TESTIFY, PLEASE VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL'S BUDGET WEBSITE AT BOSTON.GOV COUNCIL DASH BUDGET. IN-PERSON PUBLIC TESTIMONY TODAY WILL BE TAKEN FOLLOWING
THE FIRST ROUND OF COUNCIL QUESTIONS. INDIVIDUALS WE CALL ON IN THE ORDER THAT THEY HAVE SIGNED UP AND WE'LL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO TESTIFY IF YOU WISH TO SIGN UP AGAIN AND HAVEN'T DONE SO ALREADY.
THE SIGN IN SHEETS OVER THERE ON MY LEFT AND UH OR IF YOU'RE ONLINE YOU CAN EMAIL OUR, UH, DIRECTOR OF LEGISLATIVE BUDGET ANALYSIS KARISHMA CHO AT CAR IS
H MARCO U H A N@BOSTON.GOV FOR THE ZOOM LINK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST. THIS AFTERNOON'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET NUMBERS 073320740.
AN OVERVIEW OF THE FY 27 OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING. UH, THIS IS ONE OF A SERIES OF HEARINGS WE'RE HAVING TO REVIEW THE FY 27 BUDGET. THESE MATTERS WERE SPONSORED BY
MAYOR MICHELLE WU AND REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON APRIL 8TH, 2026. I HAVE, UH, BEEN JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL. WE'VE BEEN JOINED BY A LOT
OF COLLEAGUES WHICH IS UH WHICH IS GREAT. I SHOULD HAVE SOME SORT OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, SOME. >> UH, UM. GIFT CARDS JP LIKES AT THE END OF THIS FOR THE PERSON WITH THE HIGHEST ATTENDANCE, UH, THE
EARLY STANDINGS ARE THAT COUNCILOR FLYNN IS IN THE LEAD. COUNCILOR MURPHY'S CLOSE BEHIND IS. YEAH. UH. WELL. >> MAYBE UH MAYBE THERE WAS A PRE-BUDGET UH, HEARING. UH, AND ANYWAY, LOTS OF OTHER
COUNCILORS COUNCILOR BREADON I THINK IS ALSO BEEN AT EVERY HEARING COUNCILOR CULPEPER AS WELL. UM UH, SO THIS AFTERNOON IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL COUNCILOR FLYNN, COUNCILOR MURPHY,
COUNCILOR FITZGERALD, COUNCILOR LOUIJEUNE COUNCILOR. CULPEPER, COUNCILOR. COLLETTA. ZAPATA, COUNCILOR PLAYPENS. UH AND THAT'S ALL I HAVE SO FAR. IT'S A FULL HOUSE, WHICH IS GREAT. UM.
OH, DID I NOT SAY COUNCILOR BREDON? IS COUNCILOR BREADON NOT ON THE LIST? YEAH, THAT'S I'M JUST, YOU KNOW ,PASSING THE BLAME HERE TO OKAY, SO COUNCILOR BRADEN'S
THIRD SO IT'S FLYNN MURPHY, BREADON FITZGERALD LOUIJEUNE CULPEPER UH COLETTA ZAPATA THAN PEPEN IF THAT I THINK THE ORDER IS RIGHT. UM, SO WE'RE WAIVING OPENING
STATEMENTS IN THESE BUDGET HEARINGS. WE'RE GOING TO HEAR FROM THE PANEL. I'M JUST GONNA INTRODUCE OUR OUR ESTEEMED PANELISTS. I ALWAYS ESTEEMED, UH, OUR CHIEF OF HOUSING SHEILA DILLON
AND OUR DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION FINANCE FOR ME, RICK WILSON. UM, SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE A PRESENTATION. UM, SO, UM, THE FLOOR IS YOURS AND THANK YOU.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NO THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF YOU. I JUST WANT TO THANK COUNCIL MEMBER FOR INVITING US AND MEMBERS OF THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE. WE ARE HERE TO TESTIFY, AS YOU
WELL KNOW, ON OUR FISCAL YEAR 27 BUDGET. FOR THE RECORD, MY NAME IS SHEILA DILLON AND I'M CHIEF OF HOUSING AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING AND I AM JOINED HERE BY OUR AMF DIRECTOR RICK WILSON .
I'M ALSO UH, JOINED BY MANY SENIOR MANAGERS WHO ARE HERE IN THE AUDIENCE IN CASE YOU HAVE DETAILED QUESTIONS THEY WILL HAVE THE ANSWERS AS WELL AS JOE WOLF IN THE BAR TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THEIR PROGRAM OR THEIR BUDGET ITEMS. I'M GOING TO JUST PROVIDE A VERY BRIEF OVERVIEW OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN FISCAL YEAR
26. UH, AND THEN HAVE AND AND TALK ABOUT OUR GOALS FOR 27 AND THEN HAND IT OVER TO RICK TO GET INTO SOME OF THE DETAILS OF THE BUDGET. UM, IT NEEDLESS TO SAY IT'S
BEEN A CHALLENGING YEAR UH, WITH OUR CURRENT UH, FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION. BUT WE ARE WE ARE GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU AND GLAD THAT THIS BUDGET PRESERVES THE VAST MAJORITY OF OUR FUND, OUR CITY
FUNDING AND ALLOWS US TO CONTINUE THIS IMPORTANT HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WORK AS JUST TO REMIND YOU ALL, UM,
WE ARE UH THE UH HAS SIX STRATEGIC AREAS CREATING AND PRESERVING. EXCUSE ME? AFFORDABLE HOUSING, ENDING HOMELESSNESS, STRENGTHENING HOMEOWNERSHIP IN OUR CITY,
SUPPORTING RENTERS IN CRISIS, PROMOTING URBAN AGRICULTURE AND DISPOSING OF THE CITY'S OWNED SURPLUS PROPERTIES. THESE FUNCTIONS OF COURSE ARE SUPPORTED BY OUR HOUSING COMPLIANCE AND ASSET MANAGEMENT
DIVISIONS WHICH MONITOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AGREEMENTS, ADMINISTERS LOTTERIES AND OUR POLICY DEPARTMENT AND RESEARCH DIVISION. I'LL QUICKLY GO THROUGH OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR UH, FISCAL
YEAR 26 AND OUR GOALS FOR 27 IN EACH OF THESE AREAS ARE BEGIN WITH HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. MEMO TO HIS NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING DEVELOPMENT DIVISION MADE STRONG PROGRESS IN FISCAL
YEAR 26, PERMITTING 800 INCOME RESTRICTED UNITS AND OUR ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM HAS CONTINUED TO FIGHT DISPLACEMENT AND WE HAVE FUNDED THE ACQUISITION OF EIGHT
BUILDINGS SINCE AOP LAUNCH IN 2016. WE HAVE HELPED ACQUIRE OVER 1400 UNITS TO PRESERVE TENANCIES IN AFFORDABILITY ACROSS THE CITY. LOOKING AHEAD TO 27, WE'RE
AIMING TO PERMIT A 1000 NEW AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS AND COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION ON OVER 280 UNITS OF HOMEOWNERSHIP HOUSING. HERE YOU'LL SEE EXAMPLES OF OUR SOME OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 26
PROJECTS UH TO 88 HARRISON RESIDENTS IN CHINATOWN AND THE WELCOME HOME BOSTON PROJECT ON NORWELL STREET IN DORCHESTER TURNING TO HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING IN FISCAL
YEAR 26, WE'RE ON TRACK TO PLACE OVER 780 INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS INTO PERMANENT HOUSING, INCLUDING 125 VETERANS AND WE'VE EXPANDED OUR PORTFOLIO OF SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING WITH THE COMPLETION OF OVER 200 NEW UNITS. WE ALSO FOUGHT TO SECURE $48 MILLION IN HUD CONTINUUM OF CARE FUNDING, WHICH UH FUNDS THE LION'S SHARE OF OUR HOUSING
PROGRAMS FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS. AND I WANT TO THANK THE CITY COUNCIL FOR REALLY BEING WITH US AS WE HAVE FOUGHT THE VERY GOOD FIGHT WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO MAINTAIN THOSE
FUNDS IN FISCAL YEAR 27. WE'RE COMMITTED TO SUSTAINING THIS MOMENTUM BY HOUSING ANOTHER 775 HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS SERVING OVER 680 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV OR AIDS
AND HELPING AT LEAST 100 YOUNG ADULTS TRANSITION INTO PERMANENT HOUSING FROM HOMELESSNESS. THESE GOALS ARE GROUNDED IN DATA AND DRIVEN BY A STRONG COLLABORATION WITH OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS.
I WOULD ARGUE THE BEST NONPROFITS UH, PROBABLY IN THE COUNTRY. PICTURED HERE ARE TWO OF OUR PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTS SAINT MARY'S CAMPUS IN DORCHESTER WHICH WE BELIEVE
WILL START THIS FALL UH, AND 570 WARREN STREET IN ROXBURY WHICH IS COMPLETE AND OCCUPIED AND IT WAS UH COMPLETED BY THE COMMONWEALTH LAND TRUST. THIS YEAR THE BOSTON HOME
CENTERS CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON INCREASING HOMEOWNERSHIP RATES TO GROW INTERGENERATIONAL WEALTH AND FINANCIAL STABILITY AND SUPPORTING EXISTING HOMEOWNERS, ESPECIALLY OUR SENIORS. IN FISCAL YEAR 26, WE SUPPORTED
NEARLY 2000 RESIDENTS THROUGH FIRST TIME HOME BUYING EDUCATION AND HELPED 340 HOMEBUYERS 65% OF WHICH IDENTIFIED AS BIPOC WITH
DOWNPAYMENT AND MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE TO BUY A HOME IN BOSTON. WE ALSO SERVED OVER 900 HOMEOWNERS THROUGH HOMEOWNER UH, REPAIR PROGRAMS AND FORECLOSURE PREVENTION AND
EXPANDED OUR RESIDENTIAL DECARBONIZATION AND ELECTRIFICATION OFFERINGS IN FISCAL YEAR 27 WILL DEEPEN THIS WORK BY SUPPORTING AT LEAST 250 NEW HOMEOWNERS, CONTINUING TO
PROVIDE HOME HOME REPAIR ASSISTANCE AND PROMOTING ENERGY RESILIENCE BY PILOTING SOLAR PANEL AND WINDOW HEAT PUMP LOAN PUMP LOAN PROGRAMS, THE PHOTOS SHOW HERE CAPTURE THE REAL
WORLD IMPACT OF OUR PROGRAM FROM A FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER ON MAGNOLIA STREET WHO BOUGHT A BEAUTIFUL NEW HOME TO 15 NEW HOMEOWNERSHIP UNITS ON HANCOCK STREET IN DORCHESTER.
AS YOU WELL KNOW YOUR OFFICE AS WELL KNOW WELL AND YOUR STAFF CERTAINLY UH, WE ARE CONTINUING TO SUPPORT, UH, RENTERS IN CRISIS AND PREVENT THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY DISPLACEMENT.
IT'S BECOME ONE OF MY MOST CRUCIAL FUNCTIONS. THE OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY HAS SERVED OVER 2700 RENTERS THIS YEAR THROUGH EVERYTHING FROM HELPING WITH RENT ARREARS,
LANDLORD TENANT MEDIATION AND LEGAL SUPPORT TO EMERGENCY HOTEL STAYS AND DIRECT PLACEMENT INTO PERMANENT HOUSING. WE ALSO EXPECT TO HELP OVER 100 FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN FACING EVICTION
THROUGH ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PILOT PROGRAM, WHICH IS ADMINISTERED BY THE GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES IN FISCAL YEAR 27. WE AIM TO MAINTAIN THIS REACH WITH A CONTINUED FOCUS ON
EVICTION PREVENTION AND HOUSING PLACEMENTS FOR INSECURE HOUSEHOLDS. THESE SERVICES ARE OFTEN THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE, ESPECIALLY FOR LOW INCOME AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES FACING SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO HOUSING
STABILITY. MOVING AWAY FROM HOUSING FOR A MINUTE, UH, JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE WORK THE GRO BOSTON OFFICE OF URBAN AGRICULTURE CONTINUES TO DO TO
IMPACT, UH, REALLY THE FOOD PRODUCTION SYSTEMS ACROSS OUR CITY. THEY ARE LEVERAGING SURPLUS LAND AND FUNDING TO PROMOTE HEALTHY FOOD ACCESS, ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY CONNECTION,
PARTICULARLY IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED DISINVESTMENT. IN FISCAL YEAR 26, GRO BOSTON COMPLETED CONSTRUCTION OF 300 GARDEN BEDS AT COMMUNITY CENTERS, LIBRARIES, PUBLIC
HOUSING SITES AND AT HOMES AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THEY HAVE SUPPORTED HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS THROUGH EDUCATIONAL GRANTS, GARDENING SUPPLIES AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE THROUGH THE URBAN
AGRICULTURE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, THE GRASSROOTS PROGRAM SUPPORTED 11 DEVELOPMENTS WITH LAND OR FUNDING INCLUDING COMMUNITY GARDENS, URBAN FARMS, FOOD FORESTS AND OTHER OPEN SPACE
PROJECTS. IN FISCAL YEAR 27 WE PLANNED TO ADD 335 MORE RAISED GARDEN BEDS AND PROVIDE 200 GARDENERS WITH INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT. WE WILL ALSO SELL OR TRANSFER
PARCELS TO CREATE SIX NEW COMMUNITY GARDENS AND OPEN SPACES AND WILL CONSTRUCT AND LAUNCH A NEW HALF ACRE URBAN FARM IN MATTAPAN ON THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION
PROPERTY. SO THAT WAS A VERY QUICK OVERVIEW OF A LOT OF WORK, UH, OF OUR FISCAL YEAR 26 ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND GOALS FOR 27. AT THE END OF THIS SLIDE DECK,
WE HAVE PROVIDED SOME APPENDICES WITH DETAILED BREAKDOWNS OF OUR SPENDING BY NEIGHBORHOOD AND DEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS THAT DEMONSTRATE HOW OUR PROGRAMS ARE REACHING BOSTON'S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES. WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE.
I TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THE STAFF AND HOW HARD THEY WORK ON OUTREACH AND MAKING SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS KNOW OF OF OUR PROGRAMS AND THE RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE TO OFFER. WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THOSE SLIDES. I WILL NOW TURN IT OVER TO RICK AND HE'S GOING TO PRESENT OUR FISCAL YEAR 27 RECOMMENDED BUDGET. THANK YOU. THANKS, SHEILA.
UH GOOD AFTERNOON COUNCILORS. FOR THE RECORD MY NAME IS RICK WILSON. I'M DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE AT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING AND WHICH IS UP BY 27 RECOMMENDED OPERATING
BUDGET TOTALS $49.2 MILLION. UM, WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS OUR RECOMMENDED BUDGET BROKEN DOWN BY PROGRAM AREA UH, THE CITY OF BOSTON VOUCHER PROGRAM, WHICH WE PASSED THROUGH TO THE BOSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY IS THE
LARGEST LIKE LINE ITEM IN OUR BUDGET FUNDED AT $11.85 MILLION FOR FY 27. UM HOMEBUYER AND HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE IS NEXT TO $10 MILLION UH HOMELESS IN SUPPORT OF HOUSING, 9.3 MILLION
AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT 7 MILLION AND HOUSING STABILITY OF 5.5 MILLION. UM AS SHEILA MENTIONED, UH HAS BEEN FORTUNATE TO RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT CITY INVESTMENT IN RECENT YEARS.
IN FACT, OUR OPERATING BUDGET HAS NEARLY QUADRUPLED, GROWING BY $36 MILLION OVER THE LAST TEN FISCAL YEARS. UH, WE TAKE THIS GROWTH AS A REFLECTION OF THE CRITICAL NEED FOR OUR PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
AND IN THE CONFIDENCE THAT BOTH YOU AND THE MAYOR, UM, HAVE IN OUR ABILITY TO EFFECTIVELY OPERATIONALIZE THESE FUNDS. AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT. AS YOU KNOW, COUNCILORS, MOST
OF OUR FUNDING COMES FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES, ESPECIALLY GRANTS FROM THE US DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT OR HUD. UM THIS INCLUDES CONTINUUM OF CARE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT HOME INVESTMENT
PARTNERSHIP, HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR PERSONS WITH AIDS, EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT AND LEAD PAINT ABATEMENT. UM ALL TOLD THESE GRANTS COMBINED TOTAL $77 MILLION IN ANNUAL FUNDING.
UM AS SHEILA INTIMATED, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF UM KIND OF FOCUS AND ATTENTION AROUND FEDERAL FUNDS OVER THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF. UM, FIRST THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UM, FROZE UH, MANY FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS
LAST YEAR. UH AND THEN UM, PROPOSED DRASTIC REDUCTION TO THEM, UM, INCLUDING OUR HUD GRANTS. THANKFULLY CONGRESS REJECTED THOSE PROPOSALS AND PASSED AN APPROPRIATIONS BILL THAT PROVIDED LEVEL FUNDING FOR MOST
OF OUR GRANTS FOR FY 27. UM, WE RECENTLY RECEIVED THEIR ALLOCATIONS AND THEY ARE UM CLOSE TO WHAT WE EXPECTED CDBG HOME AND ESG RECEIVE FLIGHT REDUCTIONS OF 1 TO 2% AND HAVE
INCREASED BY ABOUT $200,000 OR 6%. UM, I'M ALSO SURE YOU'RE AWARE THAT WE ARE INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE LAWSUITS REGARDING OUR HUD FUNDING. UM, THE ONE WE ARE PROBABLY WATCHING MOST CLOSELY, UH,
INVOLVES OUR CONTINUUM OF CARE GRANTS WHICH TOTAL $48 MILLION IN SUPPORT MOST OF OUR HOMELESSNESS PROGRAMS. UH, LAST YEAR HUD ATTEMPTED TO RESTRUCTURE THESE GRANTS TO LIMIT FUNDING FOR PERMANENT
HOUSING WHICH WOULD HAVE IMPACTED HUNDREDS OF FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN BOSTON INCLUDING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS, YOUTH VETERANS AND SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. UNFORTUNATELY, WE'VE BEEN
SUCCESSFUL AT WINNING COURT INJUNCTION AND CONGRESSIONAL ACTION TO PRESERVE OUR CIVIC FUNDING FOR THE UPCOMING YEAR, BUT HUD HAS ALREADY INDICATED THAT IT INTENDS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE TIME FOR CHANGES FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. WE ARE WORKING WITH THE CITY
FINANCE DEPARTMENT, LAW DEPARTMENT, INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS AND OUR STATE AND NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO RESPOND TO THESE ACTIONS AND MITIGATE IMPACTS TO OUR CLIENTS AND WE WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS THE SITUATION UNFOLDS.
UM, TURNING TO TO OTHER FUND OTHER EXTERNAL FUNDS WE'VE COME TO RELY HEAVILY ON ON OTHER EXTERNAL SOURCES TO SUPPORT OUR WORK, ESPECIALLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. WE EXPECT TO COMMIT $23.3
MILLION IN STATE, LOCAL AND OTHER SOURCES IN FY 27 INCLUDING $20 MILLION FROM THE INCLUSIONARY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. SO IN. >> TOTAL WE ANTICIPATE MANAGING OVER $100 MILLION IN EFFORTS
OF EXTERNAL FUNDS IN FY 27. UM, YOU WILL NOTE THAT THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE UH, ARPA FUNDING. WE RECEIVE $237 MILLION IN ARPA FUNDING FOR HOUSING AND GROW BOSTON INITIATIVES. THAT'S IT'S TECHNICALLY OUTSIDE
OF AMERICA'S. BUDGET, WHICH. >> IS WHY I'M NOT PRESENTING IT HERE. BUT UM, I'M PROUD TO REPORT THAT WE HAVE SPENT OVER $190 MILLION OR 80% OF OUR ARPA ALLOCATION AND WE ARE WELL ON
TRACK TO SPEND THE REST OF IT BY THE END OF THIS, UH, CALENDAR YEAR BY THE DEADLINE. LOOKING AT THE UH THE CAPITAL BUDGET FOR FY 27.31 CAPITAL
PLAN FUNDS SEVERAL ONGOING PROJECTS AT THE BOSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY UM INCLUDING MAJOR REDEVELOPMENTS OF MILDRED HALLEY CHARLESTOWN MARY AND MARY ELLEN MCCORMICK AS WELL AS WELL AS ALL ELEVATOR UPGRADES
AT A NUMBER OF SITES. UH AND AGAIN AS I MENTIONED, JOEL IS HERE FROM THE VHA IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE PROJECTS, THE CAPITAL PLAN ALSO INCLUDES TWO ONGOING MI EIGHT PROJECTS.
UM, FIRST, UH IN MISSION HILL WE'RE REPLACING A RETAINING WALL ON A CITY OWNED PARCEL ON PARKER TERRACE. PARKER TERRACE THAT WILL BE UM, DEVELOPED INTO HOUSING, OPEN SPACE, COMMUNITY GARDENS AND
COMMERCIAL SPACE. UH, AND THAT PROJECT UH, IS WILL BE GETTING UNDERWAY SOON AND THEN, UM, 135 DUDLEY STREET IN DUBLIN SQUARE. UM, THE CAPITAL FUNDS WILL BE USED TO CONSTRUCT A PUBLIC
PLAZA ADJACENT TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT THAT, UH, IS CLOSING IN THE COMING MONTHS AND THAT WILL CONNECT THAT SITE TO THE NEARBY, UH, BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY. AND WITH THAT I'LL TURN IT BACK
TO SHEILA TO WRAP UP. THANK YOU. THANK YOU RICK. SO UM, THAT PRETTY MUCH CONCLUDES UH, OUR PRESENTATION AND UM, I JUST WANT TO WRAP UP
BY THANKING THE YOU KNOW, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU FOR A VERY, VERY POSITIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP AND, YOU KNOW, BRINGING ISSUES TO OUR ATTENTION WHEN WE WHEN WHEN YOU
NEED WHEN YOUR CONSTITUENTS NEED ASSISTANCE OR SUPPORTING US WHEN WE GO OUT TO NEIGHBORHOODS AND WE'RE WORKING ON SITING AFFORDABLE HOUSING I DON'T I JUST I FEEL LIKE IT'S A VERY VERY GOOD POSITIVE WORKING
RELATIONSHIP BUT I JUST REALLY WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT AND LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING SUCH A POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. THANK YOU. OKAY. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH I KNOW LIKE.
I PEOPLE LIKE YOUR CHILDREN YOU CAN'T PICK A MOST IMPORTANT ONE. YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THESE HEARINGS AS BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT I MEAN THIS THIS MAY BE THE ACTUAL MOST IMPORTANT HEARING WE HAVE, UH,
YOU KNOW, SUPPLYING HOUSING FOR PEOPLE ACROSS THE CITIES. IT'S REALLY YOU KNOW, I CAN'T THINK OF A. >> MORE. IMPORTANT FUNCTION. UM. >> AND JUST, UH, BEFORE I GET TO MY COLLEAGUES, I'M GOING TO EXERCISE JUST. >> A. LITTLE PRIVILEGE OF THE CHAIR. UM.
>> YOU KNOW, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE WHO NEED IT. UH. >> ONE THE SOMETHING YOU HIGHLIGHTED. YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING WE'VE DONE THROUGH THE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PILOT PROGRAM IS TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE FACING
EVICTION WHO HAVE KIDS IN SCHOOL HERE IN BOSTON. UH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU JUST THAT THAT IS NOT IN THE. BUDGET UH, FOR. FOR NEXT FISCAL YEAR I GUESS. CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE. >> BIT MORE ABOUT UH, THE WHAT
THE. DID THAT PROGRAM WORK OVER THE LAST YEAR? IS IT A IS IT WORTHWHILE TO TRY TO CONTINUE IT? UM, I'LL JUST WANT TO YEAH. UM THANK YOU COUNCILOR.
YEAH. UH, THE UH THE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR UM PILOT PROGRAM AS YOU AS YOU MENTIONED IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FY 27 BUDGET. UM, YOU KNOW, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS PART OF A DECISION BY THE BY
THE MAYOR'S OFFICE IN THE BUDGET OFFICE AROUND CITY COUNCIL AMENDMENTS FROM PRIOR YEARS. UM, GENERALLY SPEAKING, UM I THINK THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. WE EXPECT IT TO HELP 100 UH FAMILIES THIS FISCAL YEAR.
I WILL NOTE THAT WE DO HAVE OTHER FUNDING, UH, THAT WE PROVIDE GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES TO PROVIDE CASE MANAGEMENT AND SOME LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO UM RENTERS FACING UH, EVICTION AND HOUSING
INSTABILITY NOT SPECIFICALLY FOR FOR FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN LIKE THE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PILOT IS FOR UM I THINK UM YOU KNOW, IT'S A WORTHWHILE PROGRAM. I THINK WE WOULD CERTAINLY
WELCOME TO SEE THAT FUNDING ADDED BACK TO THE BUDGET. BUT YOU KNOW, WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THE CITY THE SITUATION THE CITY IS FACING. UM, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LOTS OF IMPORTANT NEEDS ACROSS ACROSS THE CITY. SO UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO
WE'RE GOING TO DO WHAT WE CAN WITH WHAT WE HAVE. BUT YOU KNOW YEAH I THINK WE ALSO HEARD. THAT IT'S UH RIGHT NOW IT'S ABOUT THREE FAMILIES A WEEK COME IN LOOKING FOR. >> HELP. FROM THAT PROGRAM AND. JUST THINK ABOUT THE IMPACT WE. CAN HAVE.
UM, I JUST. ASK MY COLLEAGUES TO THINK ABOUT THAT. UH, OKAY. UM. SO LET'S SEE, COUNCILOR FLYNN, YOU'RE UP FIRST. UH, WE'RE GOING TO GO WITH SIX MINUTES. UH. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. I APOLOGIZE.
WE HAVE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILOR WORRELL. UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. AND THANK. >> YOU TO. REC AND. >> THANK YOU TO. SHARE IN THE. HOUSING TEAM FOR THE PROFESSIONAL WORK YOU DO EVERY DAY.
HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH YOU, SHEILA, FOR EIGHT YEARS AND THEY'RE AN OUTSTANDING PROFESSIONAL CITY EMPLOYEE. UM. >> SHEILA, I WANTED TO
HIGHLIGHT PLANNED DOWNTOWN I FILED A TEXT AMENDMENT AS YOU MIGHT KNOW, TO REQUIRE ON SITE. AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS PART OF THAT. UM, I STILL WANT TO SEE HOUSING
. FOR WORKING CLASS PEOPLE, UM, IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON FOR LOW INCOME FAMILIES AS WELL. AND I KNOW YOU'VE DONE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WORK IN SUPPORT OF THE CHINESE
COMMUNITY AND CHINATOWN. BUT AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF UM, CHINESE AND ASIAN RESIDENTS LIVING IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON. BUT IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU
WOULD CONSIDER IS UM. IS SUPPORTING THIS TEXT AMENDMENT TO REQUIRE ON SITE AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND IF IF YOU'RE NOT PREPARED TO. DELIVER A RESPONSE NOW MAYBE WE CAN.
WE CAN CERTAINLY TALK ABOUT IT LATER. BUT I. >> JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU THE HEADS. >> UM SURE. I MEAN I I'M I'M NOT PREPARED TO TALK ABOUT THAT NOW BUT I WOULD BE GLAD TO ENGAGE YOU AND MY COLLEAGUES AT PLANNING.
I WILL SAY THE OFFICE TO RESIDENTIAL UM PROGRAM WHICH I THINK WE'RE ALL A BIG FAN OF IS REALLY I CAN'T THINK OF ONE, UH, INSTANCE AND OF ALL THOSE. NEW PROJECTS WHERE THE AFFORDABILITY HAS BEEN BOUGHT. OUT, WHICH. >> IS GOOD NEWS.
UM, I WILL SAY JUST MORE GENERALLY UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT PROJECTS RIGHT NOW UH, AGAIN WITH A FRESH UH, SET OF EYES SOMETIMES TO IF WE CAN GET THEM JUMPSTARTED AND GOING IN THIS
DOWNTURN. UM BUT WE ARE TRYING OUR HARDEST TO KEEP ANY KIND OF BUY OUT, YOU KNOW, VERY, VERY LOCALIZED AND SPENT VERY, VERY CLOSE TO THE MARKET RATE PROJECT.
BUT THE SPECIFICS OF THAT TEXT AMENDMENT I'D BE GLAD TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AND TALK WITH YOU INDIVIDUALLY. OKAY. >> THANK YOU SEAN. AND I THINK RICK MENTIONED IT OR SHEILA I KNOW I MENTIONED IT. BUT THERE.
WERE SOME CUTS. THAT ARE TAKING PLACE. TO THE BUDGET TO THE. HOUSING BUDGET. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THOSE CUTS ARE WHERE THEY'RE TAKING PLACE PLEASE? SURE.
>> UM YES COUNCILOR OUR BUDGET UH OUR 427 BUDGET WHICH WAS ABOUT $49.2 MILLION. SO IT'S ABOUT A $5 MILLION UH, REDUCTION FROM THE CURRENT YEAR'S BUDGET FY 26 UH,
OPERATING BUDGET. UM THE LARGEST REDUCTION WAS IN THE CITY OF BOSTON VOUCHER PROGRAM UM $2.3 MILLION. UH, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, JOEL, UM AGAIN CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE ABOUT THAT
SPECIFIC REDUCTION. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THAT WILL NOT, UM, REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UH, CITY OF BOSTON VOUCHERS UH, THAT THAT UH, IS ABLE TO SUPPORT BUT AGAIN, I'LL DEFER TO TO HIM ON THAT.
UM, THE NEXT LARGEST REDUCTION WAS $1 MILLION FROM THE REMOVAL OF THE UM AMERICAN AFFORDABLE COMMERCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND OR A HALF UM, THAT WAS A PROGRAM THAT WE HAD IN PLACE FOR A FEW
YEARS THAT UM PROVIDED SUBSIDIES TO MIXED UH, MIXED USE HOUSING AND COMMERCIAL UH DEVELOPMENTS, UM, TO SUPPORT THE COMMERCIAL SPACE SPECIFICALLY UM IN EXCHANGE FOR A COMMITMENT TO RENT OUT THE
SPACE TO SMALL LOCAL UM BUSINESSES OR NONPROFITS. UM, WE HAD THE APPLICATION UP FOR A FEW YEARS. WE FUNDED A HANDFUL OF PROJECTS I THINK UM, TO BE HONEST, IT WASN'T GETTING KIND OF THE TRACTION THAT WE HAD THAT WE
HAD HOPED AND GIVEN THAT WE WERE ASKED TO IDENTIFY, UM, YOU KNOW, REDUCTIONS TO HELP BALANCE THE CITY BUDGET AND WORKING WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE . UM, WE FELT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANTED TO PRIORITIZE OUR CORE, UM, HOUSING PROGRAMS AND
SERVICES. UM, AND GIVEN THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY APPLICATIONS IN HAND UH, FOR THAT FOR THAT PROGRAM, UM, WE WE IDENTIFIED THAT ONE IS ONE THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO TO REDUCE AS WE LOOK TO APPLY
27 UM, THERE WAS ALSO WE ALSO MENTIONED THE REDUCTION TO THE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PROGRAM THAT COUNCILOR WEBER BROUGHT UP. UM ANOTHER AREA WAS A REDUCTION TO UH GROW BOSTON GRANTS UH
ABOUT $400,000 AND THOSE WERE GRANTS TO UH URBAN AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATIONS. UM AND UH UM FOOD PROVISION NONPROFITS, UM FOR EDUCATION,
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMING SUPPLIES DESIGN, UH DESIGN AND CAPACITY BUILDING, UM FAIR HOUSING. WE WE HAD A PASS THROUGH UH FUNDING FOR FAIR HOUSING IN OUR
BUDGET $250,000 UM THAT WAS ALSO REDUCED UH THEY HAD THEY DO HAVE FAIR HOUSING DOES HAVE UM PRIOR YEAR FUNDING THAT THEY'LL BE ABLE TO. LEVERAGE TO CONTINUE THEIR PROGRAMING. SO UM UM MY UNDERSTANDING IS
THAT THAT WILL NOT ACTUALLY IMPACT OUR PROGRAMS FOR FOR UH FOR 27. UM AND THEN THE LAST ONE I'LL MENTION IS A REDUCTION TO THE ADU BUDGET OF $200,000. BUT UM, THAT LEAVES $1 MILLION FOR THAT PROGRAM WHICH WE FEEL
IS SUFFICIENT TO COVER THE CURRENT PIPELINE FOR FOR THAT AND THERE'S A FEW OTHER REDUCTIONS SIMILAR REDUCTIONS AS WELL. THANK YOU RICK. >> ONE PRIORITY I HAVE. IS REALLY. MAINTAINING THE.
PUBLIC HOUSING IN DISTRICT TWO, BUT I AM CONCERNED ABOUT. >> SOME. OF THE CHALLENGES WE. FACE IN MANY. VHA DEVELOPMENTS. I WAS JUST OVER THE LAST SEVEN DAYS I. >> WAS AT. FOLEY APARTMENTS IN SOUTH
BOSTON, WEST NINTH STREET IN SOUTH BOSTON, RUTH BARCLAY UM THE OLD CATHEDRAL IN THE SOUTH END. BUT I WANT US TO I WANT TO SEE A COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT EXISTING.
VHA HOUSING AND. PROVIDING A SAFER AND HEALTHIER ENVIRONMENT FOR FOR RESIDENTS. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT SOME SAFETY ASPECTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE ASPECTS AS.
IT RELATES TO RUTH BARCLAY. YOU KNOW AS YOU KNOW SHE'LL. WE'VE SPOKEN TO THIS ABOUT. THE ELEVATOR. SYSTEM AND IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ARE ABLE TO. DO TO. >> WORK WITH ME. TO HELP SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE.
IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NEEDED AT. DEVELOPMENTS THERE? THERE ARE QUITE A FEW AND I THINK IT'S TIME FOR JOEL TO COME DOWN AND JUST JOIN US. UM, OKAY. BUT UH, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO
HAVE JOEL WOLFE FROM THE VHA JOIN US, BUT THEY'RE IN THE CAPITAL BUDGET. YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'VE PROBABLY REVIEWED IT. THERE ARE A LOT OF EXPENDITURES GOING TO BE FOR PROJECTS, BUT,
UH, REALLY WELL TO DEFER TO JOE . UM, GOOD. GOOD AFTERNOON. FOR THE. RECORD, JOEL. DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR. AT THE BOSTON HOUSING AUTHORITY. I'M ALWAYS GOOD GOOD TO BE BACK IN THE CITY COUNCIL.
UM, AND UH. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN, FOR YOUR QUESTION AND FOR YOUR ADVOCACY AND OF COURSE PERSONAL VISITS OUT TO THE HOUSING AUTHORITY ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS . UM. >> I DID WANT TO NOTE THAT THE CITY HAS BEEN AND THE MAYOR
HAVE UH, MAYOR AND COUNCIL HAVE BEEN STRONG SUPPORTERS OF THE IN A COUPLE OF AREAS UM BOTH FOR SENIOR HOUSING SPECIFICALLY AND UM ON THE ELEVATOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. .
UM I THINK UM SOME THINGS TO NOTE ON THAT. UM, AND UH, APOLOGIES IF I'M NOT GOING EXACTLY IN ORDER ON THE ON THE NATURE OF YOUR REMARKS, COUNCILOR. UM, WE DO HAVE UM, INVESTMENTS AS YOU KNOW, GOING ON AT RUTH
BERKELEY. THOSE ARE TARGETED FOR THE ELEVATOR IMPROVEMENTS TO WRAP IN JANUARY 2027. WE HAVE, UM, PULLED THOSE UP, UH, THE TIMELINE KNOWING THE URGENCY OF THAT. SO WE ARE EXCITED FOR THAT.
UM, WE ALSO AS YOU KNOW, ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT SAINT BITOF THAT IT WAS IN PART THAT'S A MIX OF SOURCES BUT THAT CAME FROM ANOTHER CAPITAL PROJECT THAT UH FROM FROM EARLIER CAPITAL BUDGET YEARS HOUSING IMPROVEMENTS.
UM AND THE CITY HAS BEEN GREAT AT PARTNERING AND THINKING ABOUT HOW TO UM HOW TO MOVE FORWARD ON THOSE. I THINK THAT WHAT YOU'VE BROUGHT TO ARE WHICH YOU RAISE FOR GOOD REASON IS THAT SOME
OF THE SITES LIKE FOLEY AND WEST NINTH ALSO NEED UM, TRANSFORMATION STRATEGIES. SO I THINK WE'RE HAPPY TO CONTINUE TO WORK WITH YOU ON HOW BEST TO DO THAT. UM, BOTH FOR THE SORT OF SECURITY AND THE OPERATING
INVESTMENTS THERE AS WELL AS THE PHYSICAL PLANT ISSUES. UM, WE'RE ENGAGING WITH THE CITY ON ALL KINDS OF FRONTS THERE. UH, FOLEY, FOR EXAMPLE, IS IN AN AREA WHERE UM, WE IN THE CITY ARE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW,
HOW DO WE PREPARE HOW DOES, UH, SOUTH BOSTON PROTECTED FROM CLIMATE CHANGE RESILIENCE? UM, HOW DOES THAT AFFECT THE MECHANICALS, THE UTILITIES, THE INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS THERE? UM, SO WE'RE DEEPLY ENGAGED IN
THAT CONVERSATION AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO REACH OUR NEEDS. THANK YOU. >> OKAY. YEAH. >> COUNCILOR FLYNN, THANK YOU. UH, SO, UH, UP NEXT IS COUNCILOR MURPHY, THEN COUNCILOR BREADON AND COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. SO I'M SORRY COUNCILOR MURPHY IS NOT HERE.
UM, SO, UH. IF SHE COMES BACK, COUNCILOR BRAYTON, UH, YOU'RE UP NEXT AND THEN COUNCILOR FITZGERALD AND COUNCILOR. LOUIJEUNE AND COUNCILOR CULPEPPER. UM THANK YOU.
UM THANK. >> YOU AS ALWAYS. GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL. UM, SO I'M CURIOUS ABOUT UM.
THE OVERALL UM, SIGNIFICANT CUTS TO EXTERNAL FUNDING AND HOW DOES. THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING PLAN TO CONTINUE TO, UH, AS CHARGE TO BUILD ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING?
THE EXTERNAL FUNDING CUT BY IS AT $49.4 MILLION FROM LAST FROM LAST FINANCIAL YEAR. OR IS THAT JUST A SPENT LIKE THAT JUST THE ARPA MONEY? >> YEAH YEAH SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT THAT IS COUNCIL THE REALLY
THE WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE EXTERNAL FUNDS THE BIG YOU KNOW IMPACT TO OUR EXTERNAL FUNDS IS THE EXPIRATION OF OUR OF OUR ONE TIME FUNDING. SO THE THE CARES ACT WE HAD SIGNIFICANT FUNDING FROM THE
FEDERAL CARES ACT CDBG, CV UM ESG CV WE ALSO HAD UH YOU KNOW THE ARPA FUNDING THAT I MENTIONED EARLIER. SO I THINK WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS JUST, YOU KNOW, ANOMALIES OF THE TIMING OF WHEN PROJECTS ARE CLOSING.
BUT I THINK WHAT YOUR QUESTION IS AN IMPORTANT ONE WHICH IS HOW ARE WE HANDLING THE THIS YOU KNOW, DECLINE AND THIS ONE TIME ONE TIME REVENUE? UM I WILL SAY THAT I THINK YOU KNOW, WE TRIED TO BE PRUDENT
AND THOUGHTFUL WITH OUR FEDERAL FUNDS. WE KNEW IT WAS ONE TIME WE DIDN'T STAND UP ANY NEW PROGRAMS. WE DID SOME PILOT PROGRAMS AND WE USED IT REALLY TO INFUSE FOR LIKE MAJOR INFUSIONS INTO
CERTAIN PROGRAMS LIKE AOP $50 MILLION FOR AOP HOMEOWNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING. DEVELOPMENT AND THAT'S GOING TO CREATE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF NEW UNITS ALL OVER THE CITY HELP HUNDREDS OF NEW
FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS. UM SO YEAH, WE ARE OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GOING TO SEE A DROP OFF BACK DOWN TO PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS PARTICULARLY IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND AND HOMEBUYER ASSISTANCE.
UM, WE HAVE YOU KNOW, WE'VE APPLIED FOR CPA WE ACTUALLY YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'RE BEING AWARDED $5 MILLION IN CPA FUNDING TO SUPPORT OUR HOMEBUYER PROGRAMS. UM AND WE HAVE LINKAGE FUNDING NOW FOR OUR FOR OUR UM AOP
PROGRAM. UM, BUT I THINK CERTAINLY. IT'S THE THE THE OIL AND. GAS SUCH A COMMAND ON ON. >> THE NUMBERS. >> WHICH IS VERY VERY HELPFUL THESE DAYS. BUT THE ONLY THING I WOULD ADD IS THAT WE HAVE DONE UM, A
PRETTY CRITICAL LOOK AT OUR PROGRAMS LIKE OUR HOME BUYING PROGRAM. RIGHT. AND SO UM, REALLY UNDERWRITING EACH AND EVERY TRANSACTION TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING WE'RE GETTING A PERSON OVER THE FINISH. LINE TO BUY A HOME.
BUT WE'RE NOT GIVING THEM ANYTHING THEY DON'T NEED. UM, WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY PRUDENT WITH OUR DEVELOPMENT, BUT NOW WE'RE SAYING IF THE STATE CAN PICK UP MORE OF THE GAP AND WE'RE PICKING UP LESS
SO WE'RE TRYING NOT TO REDUCE OUR THE NUMBERS OF UH, HOUSEHOLDS THAT WE'RE TOUCHING UH, AS WE'RE TRYING TO REDUCE THAT THAT AS MUCH AS. POSSIBLE BUT BY BY BOTH WE'RE
PROBABLY GOING TO END UP ASSISTING LESS BUT WE'RE ALSO PROVIDING. UM WE'RE PROVIDING LESS PER TRANSACTION IF THAT IF THAT MAKES SENSE TO YOU. UM I THINK YOU'VE DONE A
STELLAR JOB WITH THE YOU KNOW, THE ARPA FUNDS AND CARES FUNDS. UM, YOU KNOW, IN A DIFFICULT TIME I THINK YOU GOT A LOT OF BANG FOR YOUR BUCK. I WE PARTICULARLY LIKE AOP
PROGRAM. UM, I THINK UM, SO IN TERMS OF THAT PROGRAM GOING FORWARD, ARE WE WHAT ARE WE PLANNING TO INVEST IN AN AOP LIKE I KNOW I
KNOW JUST FROM HEARING THINGS AND EXCHANGES OF PROPERTY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD THAT. THIS THIS PROPERTY TURNING OVER AND YOU KNOW, HAVING THE
CAPACITY TO GET IN THERE AND ACQUIRE SOME OF THOSE WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL. YES. YEAH. >> AOP IS UH I THINK ONE OF ONE OF EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE UM, FAVORITE PROGRAMS. UM, AS SHEILA MENTIONED, I
THINK DURING OUR OPENING REMARKS WE'VE FUNDED, YOU KNOW, THE ACQUISITION OF 1400 UNITS SINCE THE PROGRAM BEGAN IN 2010, 2016 147 I'M LOOKING AT MY UPDATE HERE 147 BUILDINGS
OVER $100 MILLION UM, THAT WE'VE SPENT ON AOP INCLUDING LIKE I SAID ABOUT 50 MILLION AND ARPA UM RIGHT NOW THE ONLY SOURCE THAT WE HAVE LEFT TO USE FOR AOP AT THE MOMENT IS LINKAGE IS NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING
TRUST. UM, WE HAVE ABOUT $7 MILLION AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT UM, FOR THE PROGRAM BUT UM BEYOND THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TO POTENTIALLY APPLY FOR MORE CPA FUNDING.
OR UM, APPLY FOR MORE UH, NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING TRUST LINKAGE FUNDING FOR THAT PROGRAM GOING FORWARD. WE'VE USED IDP IN THE PAST UM, BUT OUR IDP BUDGET IS, YOU KNOW, FULLY SPOKEN FOR FOR THE NEXT FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
SO UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A DEDICATED SOURCE FOR AOP. WE'VE NEVER USED CITY FUNDING TO THE OPERATING FUNDS UM FOR FOR AOP UM, BUT YEAH, I THINK
UH THAT THAT YOU KNOW, WE LOVE THE PROGRAM. WE WOULD LOVE TO KEEP DOING IT. WELL WE'LL JUST SEE WHAT WE CAN GET SOME MORE MONEY. UM, THE BIGGEST LINE ITEM DECREASE FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 27
IS THE CONTRACTED SERVICES. UM AND AGAIN I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT UM CAN YOU DETAIL HOW THESE SERVICES WHAT THESE SERVICES WERE AND WHAT ADJUSTMENTS ARE BEING MADE. YEAH THINGS KIND OF SHOW UP IN
IN. FUNNY FUNNY. PLACES IN OUR BUDGET AND YOU GOT TO KIND OF PIECE SOME PIECE THEM TOGETHER. BUT YOU'RE RIGHT THE CONTRACTED SERVICES LINE WENT DOWN BY ABOUT $1.3 MILLION. UM AND THOSE ARE SOME OF THE ITEMS I MENTIONED EARLIER.
SO THAT'S THE REDUCTION TO THE UM THE GRO BOSTON GRANTS WHICH WAS ABOUT 400,000 THE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PROGRAM UM WHICH IS ABOUT UM 450,000 UH AND THEN UH
WE ALSO HAD A REDUCTION OF 100,000, YOU KNOW, A LOT CLEARANCE UM, CONTRACTS AS WELL AND THAT'S BASED ON ACTUAL ACTUAL SPENDING. SO UM, I THINK THAT'S THE MAJORITY OF UH OF THAT THAT $1.3 MILLION. REDUCTION.
>> THEN ONE LAST QUESTION THE THE ALLSTON BRIGHTON HOMEOWNERSHIP FUND I THINK THAT'S MONEY THAT WE GOT FROM UM DEVELOPERS WHO WANT TO BUILD HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES IN
ALLSTON, BRIGHTON. THEY PUT MONEY INTO A FUND SO IT'S DECREASED BY 150 K UM UH IS THAT JUST THAT'S MONEY THAT'S BEEN PUT OUT TO HELP
SUPPORT DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR NEW HOMES. YEAH YES WE'VE BEEN WE'VE BEEN SPENDING THAT DOWN. WE GOT OUR WE GOT THE FIRST PAYMENT WHICH IS I THINK WAS ONE POINT OR MAYBE ONE $1 MILLION. WE'VE BEEN SPENDING THAT DOWN
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS AND I THINK WE ACTUALLY JUST REACHED OUT TO THE DEVELOPER FOR THE NEXT THE NEXT PAYMENT FOR THAT INTO THAT FUND WE'VE HELPED LOOKS LIKE 46 HOME BUYERS UH, SO FAR.
UM AND ALSO HELPED PROVIDE REHAB FUNDING FOR SOME UNITS AT THE HANO STREET HOMES AND THEN SOME SENIOR SPACE PROJECTS AS WELL. THAT'S GOOD. SO AND THEN THE DEVELOPER WILL BE PUTTING A IS A $2 MILLION IN
ON THE TRANSIT 2,000,002. >> MILLION IS THAT I'M LOOKING AT 2 MILLION. >> BUT 2 MILLION GWEN VERY GOOD THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. OKAY. >> THANK YOU. >> UH, COUNCILOR FITZGERALD. SIX MINUTES. >> THANK YOU CHAIR. UH THANK YOU RICK. SHEILA. APPRECIATE YOU GUYS BEING DOWN HERE. UM.
>> IT SEEMS THAT THIS YEAR WE'RE JUST TRYING TO DO, UH, MINIMIZE DAMAGE, RIGHT? EVERY DEPARTMENT IS TAKING A HIT AND JUST TRYING TO HOLD OFF UNTIL, UH, SOME OTHER THINGS CHANGE. UM, SO IT'S NICE TO SEE WHERE
OBVIOUSLY WE HAD TO TAKE IT. IT REALLY DOES THE LEAST AMOUNT TO THE, UH, THE EFFORTS THAT YOU GUYS ARE TRYING TO PUSH FORWARD. UM. >> JUST TO MAKE SURE I GET THIS, UH, THE THE BUDGET. >> THAT COMES. >> IN AT 49.2 AS COMPARED TO
LAST YEAR HOW MUCH WHAT PERCENTAGE ARE WE DOWN OR UP? UM, JUST IN THE JUST IN THE OPERATING BUDGET. JUST UNDER 10% OF 9.6% REDUCTION AND THAT ABOUT 6%. REDUCTION AND THEN OF OF OF THE
OUTSIDE UH THERE'S YOU KNOW I KNOW THERE'S THE HUD IS 77 AND THE OTHER 23 ARE MADE UP OF CITY STATE AND OTHER FUNDS BUT FOR A TOTAL OF 100.9 THAT'S THAT NUMBER IS USUALLY AT THAT TOTAL NUMBER.
UH I WOULD I WOULD ACTUALLY SAY OUR EXTERNAL FUNDS ARE MORE OR LESS LEVEL. YEAH I'M SORRY ASIDE FROM THE ONE TIME FUNDS GOING AWAY THE ARPA, THE CARES ACT UM THAT THE OUR SORT OF ANNUAL FUNDS I THINK.
SO THAT'S. A PRETTY LEVEL LIKE I SAID SMALL DECREASES IN SOME OF OUR HUD GRANTS. UM, AND YOU KNOW, IDP IS UH, YOU KNOW, LOOKING LOOKING OUT A
FEW YEARS I MIGHT HAVE SOME CONCERNS BUT I THINK FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS I THINK WE'RE OKAY. RIGHT. >> WE NEED. >> TO START. BUILDING SOME MORE STUFF UP. >> THAT IDP AGAIN, REFILL IT. RIGHT. >> UM. >> LOOKING AT THE SUPPORTIVE HOUSING, UH, PARTS OF YOUR WORK AS WELL AS THE RENTED REAL
ESTATE MANAGEMENT AND SALES. UH, LET'S START WITH REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT IN SALES. IS THERE WAYS ARE THERE DIFFERENT WAYS WE'RE LOOKING AT KNOWING WE'VE GOT SOME DIFFICULT TIMES IN THE UPCOMING YEARS OF THE MANAGING AND
DISPOSING OF OUR PROPERTY? IS THERE ANY LIKE SHIFT IN IN UH, THE WAY WE'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT HOW TO DO THAT IN THE FUTURE AND WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL? YEAH. SO IT'S A IT'S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE I UM WE'VE BEEN WORKING
WITH COMMUNITIES AS YOU KNOW, FOR DECADES SELLING LAND FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND REALLY CRAFTING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WITH COMMUNITY EVALUATING PROPOSALS. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST BEEN A
VERY, VERY GOOD RESPECTFUL PROCESS BUT WITH. THE WITH NOT HAVING AS MUCH MONEY AS WE DID, WE USED TO PUT OUT LAND AND WE'D PUT OUT MONEY TO TO BUILD THE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WE DON'T HAVE THAT. SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING UH SORT OF THE TEST CASE WE PUT. >> OUT SOME SMALLER PARCELS. >> THE PLANNING OFFICE TOOK THE LEAD. WE ARE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH THEM FOR MORE MODERATELY PRICED HOMEOWNERSHIP THAT
DIDN'T NEED TO BE. SUBSIDIZED AS DEEPLY. UM, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER. MODELS TOO. >> CAN WE PUT OUT. CAN WE PUT OUT SOME OF OUR LAND FOR. MARKET RATE OR MIXED INCOME HOUSING. BUT IT WOULDN'T BE 100%
AFFORDABLE BECAUSE WE DO FEEL LIKE WE NEED TO. CONTINUE TO BUILD HOUSING. UM, BUT AT THE. SAME TIME WE CAN'T AFFORD THE LAND AND THE YOU KNOW, IS SUBSIDIZING THESE PROJECTS AS MUCH AS WE. USED TO.
>> SO WE ARE WE WILL SEE HOW WE ARE DESIGNATING IN THE IN THE UPCOMING WEEKS THIS THIS. >> MORE MIDDLE INCOME. HOMEOWNERSHIP IF IT WORKS. >> OUT WELL THAT MIGHT BE A VERY VERY GOOD MODEL. GREAT. >> THANK YOU. UM AND. >> WHEN IT COMES TO AND SO ARE
WE ARE WE SELLING OFF ANY LAND OUTRIGHT JUST TO GET CASH LIKE IS IT LIKE RIGHT WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT FOR LONG CASH WE JUST SAYING HEY LET'S GET RID OF THESE PARCELS. YEAH. >> SO UM IT'S IT'S VERY SOMETHING THERE IS A UM THERE
IS A CHANGE. >> IN THE LEGISLATION SO WE ARE REQUIRED. >> TO DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND IT'S SO COMPLICATED I'M GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO RICK. >> RIGHT NOW. >> YEAH I WILL TRY UM SO THIS APPLIES TO UM I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT YEAR UH I SHOULD BUT
I DON'T I THINK THE 2022 UM THE STATE LAW IF YOU REMEMBER THERE WAS A SUPREME COURT DECISION THAT SAID MUNICIPALITIES AND TOWNS AND JURISDICTIONS UM, COULDN'T UM, TAKE LAND THROUGH TAX TAKE. TAKE REAL. >> ESTATE THROUGH TAX.
FORECLOSURE WITHOUT RETURNING THE EXCESS PROCEEDS OR THE THE THAT THE I FORGET THE TERM THE TERM HERE BUT UH EXCESS EQUITY UH BACK TO THE PREVIOUS HOMEOWNERS. SO IF A HOMEOWNER OWED $10,000
IN TAXES THE CITY COULDN'T. TAKE THE PROPERTY, SELL IT FOR 100,000 AND THEN KEEP THE 90 THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO RETURN THE THE EQUITY THAT THE HOMEOWNER HAD ABOVE WHAT THEY OWED IN TAXES.
SO THAT IS GOING TO DRASTICALLY CHANGE THE CALCULATION FOR THE CITY. AGAIN THIS IS ONLY FOR PROPERTIES GOING FORWARD NOT FOR THE TWO 1000 WHATEVER PROPERTIES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE IN OUR PORTFOLIO BUT THE ONES
THAT FORECLOSED AFTER 2020 22. LIKE I SAID I THINK IT'S 2022 UM THAT DOES THAT YOU KNOW, AGAIN WITH MOST OF THE TIME WHEN WE'RE GIVING OUT PROPERTY WE'RE GIVING WHERE IF IT'S FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
OR COMMUNITY GARDENS, ANY KIND OF COMMUNITY USES WE'RE SELLING IT FOR 100 BUCKS A PARCEL. UM, AND IF WE DO THAT THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE ON THE HOOK TO GIVE TO OUR PREVIOUS OWNER THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT THEY OWED IN TAXES AND YOU
KNOW. >> WHAT THE WHAT IT WAS WORTH. AT FULL APPRAISED VALUE GOT TO YEAH SO. YEAH YEAH SO IT. >> WILL. IT WILL CHANGE HOW WE'RE DOING BUSINESS GOING FORWARD. UM IT'S YOU KNOW THE.
IT VARIES COMMUNITY BY BY COMMUNITY ONE WE ARE PARCELS OF ONE OF THE PARCELS WE HAVE LEFT ARE. PROBABLY NOT THEY'RE HARDER TO DEVELOP. THERE'S LEDGE THERE'S THEY'RE NOT AS DESIRABLE MAYBE AS AS UH PARCELS WE HAD.
EARLIER ON SO. I'M NOT SO SURE THEY WOULD COMMAND A LOT OF RESOURCE FOR US. AND TO A LOT OF COMMUNITIES ALMOST FEEL THAT THEY WOULD. RATHER WAIT. UNTIL WE HAVE RESOURCES BECAUSE
THIS IS WHAT THEY'VE GOT LEFT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEY WANT TO MAKE. SURE THAT THEY CAN BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERSHIP OR AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR OUR SENIORS BECAUSE ONCE IT'S GONE IT'S GONE. SO IT REALLY IS A CONVERSATION
COMMUNITY BY COMMUNITY. SORRY I JUST WANT THAT I CAN'T SAY ON THAT ON THAT LAW I, I DON'T MAKE IT SOUND LIKE THE CITY WAS LIKE OUT LOOKING TO TAKE PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, AGGRESSIVELY TAKE PROPERTIES. BUT WE HAVE I MEAN WE WORK CLOSELY WITH HOMEOWNERS. WE WANT THEM TO KEEP THEIR
PROPERTIES. YOU KNOW WE WORK WITH TAX TITLE UM AND WE DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO SUPPORT THE EXISTING OWNERS. BUT THE CITY DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE TAX FORECLOSED PROPERTY. I APPRECIATE UM I JUST UH MY
FINAL QUESTION, UH, WORKING ON THE THE UH, HOMELESSNESS AND SUPPORTIVE HOUSING UH, I SEE THE BUDGET THERE IS IS $9 MILLION AND WE GET A LOT FROM THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FROM HUD
GRANTS AT 50. AND THANK YOU FOR FIGHTING TO KEEP THAT AS OBVIOUSLY IT'S IMPORTANT UM YOU KNOW CAN YOU JUST TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE HOMELESSNESS PIECE
OF THAT AND WHAT THAT CONTINUUM OF CARE GOES TO? IS IT GO DIRECTLY TO I MEAN IS IT DIRECTLY TO HOUSING THESE INDIVIDUALS? I GUESS MY QUESTION THAT I'M NOW REMEMBERING WAS ARE WE
HOUSING INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF BOSTON OR BECAUSE I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE COME IN HERE AND THEN ARE WE TAKING THE FOLKS THAT SAY THAT THE BASIC INTERSECTION AND FINDING THEM HOUSING WITHIN
BOSTON IS THAT COMING ON OUR DIME OR NOT? YEAH. >> IT'S IT'S A IT'S A VERY FAIR QUESTION. ESPECIALLY WITH WITH RESOURCES BEING SCARCE. SO OVER THE LAST YOU KNOW,
DECADE THROUGH UH THROUGH THE COORDINATED UH CARE SYSTEM HAS HAS USED. A SYSTEM CALLED. COORDINATED ENTRY. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT'S ENTRY BECAUSE YOU'RE. EXITING BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER AND. REALLY WHAT WE DO.
IS WE PRIORITIZE INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THE SYSTEM FOR VERY LONG PERIODS OF TIME AND HAVE NOT BEEN. ABLE TO. EXIT HOMELESSNESS ON THEIR OWN . SO THEY'VE BEEN. HERE FOR YEARS TWO YEARS, THREE
YEARS, FOUR YEARS. UM, SO YOU KNOW, IF SOMEONE'S BEEN. >> IN BOSTON FOR YEARS, YOU KNOW, THERE THERE ARE AS THERE ARE RESIDENTS RIGHT? SO IT. >> IS I CAN'T THINK OF AN INSTANCE WHERE WHERE.
SOMEONE HAD JUST ARRIVED AND WE'RE FINDING THEM HOUSING. YOU KNOW AND AND. GIVING THEM RESOURCES TO GET HOUSE IT'S WE'RE REALLY PRIORITIZING PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR VERY LONG PERIODS. >> OF TIME AND THE.
VAST MAJORITY HAVE ROOTS OR GREW UP HERE. >> YEP. BUT UH THAT'S IMPORTANT I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR THE TIME, JEFF. THANK YOU GUYS. OKAY. >> THANK YOU. UH. COUNCILOR CULPEPER. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. SHEILA AND RICK AND I WANT TO JUST PICK UP ON, UH, COUNCILORS THIS CHAIRMAN'S QUESTION REGARDING, UH, THE HOMELESS AND
HOW THEY'RE BEING HOUSED AND THE SPINE LISTENING. THEY'RE ALL BEING HOUSED. CONTINUUM OF CARE, UH, FUNDING. AND I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE
BIT ABOUT THE YAMHILL PARK IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. HAVE YOU HAVE YOU TALKED WITH THEM? I AM HILL PARK IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. YEAH. AND THE SITUATION THAT THEY HAVE THERE.
YES. AND ONE OF THE UH STATEMENTS THAT UM MARK BRADSHAW FROM ELLIOTT UH COMMUNITY HUMAN
SERVICES MADE WAS AND THIS IS WHAT HE SAID IS THE BIGGEST ISSUE THAT WE HAVE COME UP WITH WHEN A CLIENT MOVES INTO A UNIT IS THAT ANY SUBSTANCE ABUSE
ISSUES IT'S NOT MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES. IT'S NOT THEM DAMAGING THAT UNIT IS LEGITIMATELY THEM BRINGING IN THEIR FRIENDS WHO ARE SLEEPING OUTSIDE BECAUSE
THEY FEEL BAD FOR THEM SLEEPING OUTSIDE. TYPICALLY THEIR FRIENDS SEE THEM MOVE IN AND THEY SEE A WARM ROOF OVER THEIR FRIENDS HEADS AND THEY WANT TO SLEEP ON THE COUCH. AND THEN HE SAID YOU HAVE TO
HAVE SOME PRETTY FRANK CONVERSATION WITH CLIENTS ABOUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WE UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU'RE COMING FROM BUT YOU WORK REALLY HARD TO OBTAIN THIS HOUSING SO YOU
HAVE TO FIND A DIFFERENT SPOT FOR YOUR FRIENDS IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS APARTMENT. AND I THINK THAT'S PART OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE AM HILL PARK UH IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION WHERE.
THE ELLIOTT. COMMUNITY HUMAN SERVICES AGENCY IS WORKING TO PLACE THEM IN CERTAIN AREAS LIKE YAMHILL PARK. THEN YOU HAVE THIS SITUATION
WHERE THEY'RE SLEEPING OUTSIDE. AND SO ONE OF MY QUESTION IS DO YOU CHECK WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY MOVE FOLKS INTO THAT NEIGHBORHOOD? YEAH.
>> BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S NO YEAH. UH, HEARING THIS REQUIRED THAT HOW DOES THAT WORK, SHEILA? YEAH. WITH THE FOLKS THAT ARE ALREADY LIVING. I AM HAPPY I I'M.
PRETTY SATISFIED WITH THE THAT HOW THE ELM HILL. UH, SITUATION WAS HANDLED RIGHT. UM. >> UH. >> AS A NEIGHBOR PUT OUT AN. EMAIL AND. >> WENT PROBABLY. TO ALL ALL OF YOU BUT ESPECIALLY YOU BECAUSE YOUR
DISTRICT AND US. WE IMMEDIATELY THERE WERE 3 OR. >> 4 OF US. >> THAT JUMPED IN INCLUDING THE. CRT TEAM AND AND YOU. ALL AND AND WE DID AS WELL. BECAUSE WE WERE FUNDING THOSE THOSE APARTMENTS AND.
YOU KNOW WITHIN HOURS ELLIOT WAS MEETING WITH THE RESIDENTS MEETING WITH THE RESIDENTS. TWO OF THE RESIDENTS LEFT. UM, SO IT'S A MUCH SMALLER GROUP THERE NOW. >> AND THAT'S OKAY. IT'S OKAY. WE'RE WE'RE WE'RE. WE ARE WANT THE REMAINING.
RESIDENTS TO BE SUCCEED AND WE ALSO WANT THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO FEEL LIKE THEY'RE LIVING YOU KNOW THAT THEY'RE LIVING IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT THEY CAN SORT OF. RELY ON AND COUNT ON. SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UM,
WHEN WE ARE WHEN WE ARE SITING NEW. SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECTS 140 CLARENDON 900 MORRISSEY. UH 41 LAGRANGE RIGHT. REALLY DEDICATED SUPPORTIVE
HOUSING. WE'RE HAVING. WE'RE MEETINGS WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WE'RE HAVING HONEST HARD CONVERSATIONS SOMETIMES WE'RE COMPROMISING HOPEFULLY, UH, MOST OF THE TIME.
AND SO THOSE ARE OPEN AND PUBLIC AND REAL. BUT IF WE'RE WORKING WITH A NONPROFIT AND THEY'VE GOT A COUPLE OF VOUCHERS FOR A UNIT
HERE OR A UNIT THERE OR THEY'RE A IT WOULD BE UM IT WOULDN'T BE A GOOD IDEA TO GO OUT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND SAY, WELL, WE'RE GOING TO RENT
TWO APARTMENTS ON THIS STREET FOR FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS. ONE IT WOULD BE STIGMATIZING THE VAST MAJORITY OF THESE SITUATIONS WORK OUT WITHOUT A HITCH, RIGHT? BUT WE DO ALWAYS NEED TO
RESPOND VERY QUICKLY WHEN WE HEAR THERE IS A PROBLEM. SO I'D BE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE GOING OUT AND TALKING ABOUT LIKE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF OF JUST A RENTER. RIGHT? UM, BUT ONCE A PROBLEM IS
IDENTIFIED THE NONPROFIT THE SUPPORTING AGENCY HAS GOT TO BE FRONT AND CENTER AND WE DO TOO. WE WERE CALLING WE WERE WE WERE MAKING OURSELVES AVAILABLE. SO I THINK IT'S DIFFERENT WHEN IT'S A PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT VERSUS JUST
SOMEONE RENTING AN APARTMENT. SO ARE THERE NOTICE REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU HAVE OR NOTICE PROTOCOL OR DO YOU TAKE IT ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS? DEFINITELY. >> IF SOMEONE'S JUST RENTING
APARTMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY CASE BY CASE. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE M HILL UM IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. YEAH. UM I MEAN THEIR WHOLE POINT WAS LOOK WE WERE CAUGHT OFF GUARD.
WE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING. THE NEXT THING WE KNOW WE SAW FOLKS SLEEPING OUTSIDE OF THE APARTMENT THE HOUSE. IT WAS AN ENTIRE HOUSE AND I THINK THEY RETROFITTED.
TWO APARTMENTS TO. APARTMENTS HERE IN THAT HOUSE. IT WAS THE ONE FAMILY, RIGHT THAT THEY. THAT I DON'T THAT I DON'T KNOW I JUST KNOW IT WAS TWO APARTMENTS IN A VERY LARGE STRUCTURE. IT WAS THE ONE FAMILY. OKAY.
SO MY POINT IS IS IT SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO START FOCUSING ON LOOKING AT SOME KIND OF NOTICE REQUIREMENT. NOW LOOK I KNOW YOU'VE GOT THE HEARD REQUIREMENTS AND GOT
ISSUES WITH REGARD TO UM YOU KNOW, FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS BUT WHAT CAN WE DO SO THAT THE RESIDENTS THAT ARE ALREADY
THERE CAN HAVE SOME PREVIOUS NOTICE UH, AND HAVE SOME DISCUSSION AND HELPING TO PLAN FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE MOVING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE
THEY'RE NOT GOING IN WITH ACCORDING TO MY BEST SHOT, THEY'RE NOT GOING IN WITH SUPPORTIVE HOUSING ALREADY. IT'S KIND OF FINDING A PLACE FOR THEM AND THEN TRYING TO GET
THEM THE SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED AFTER THEY FIND A PLACE. AND SO MY QUESTION IS HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS A SMOOTHER TRANSITION FOR THE FOLKS THAT
ARE COMING? LET'S SAY IF IT'S MASS AND CARES HOW FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE ALREADY LIVING THERE. YEAH. >> SO THEY JUST THEY WE THE PROGRAM DOES PAY FOR RENT BUT IT ALSO PAYS FOR SUPPORTIVE
PRETTY PRETTY ROBUST SUPPORTIVE SERVICES TO MAKE SURE THAT UM THINGS GO WELL. ONCE AGAIN I, I WOULD FEEL SLIGHTLY I WOULD FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE THAT'S LIKE I WOULD FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE GOING OUT TO A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION SAYING TWO
APARTMENTS ARE GOING TO BE RENT ON ELM HILL FOR FORMERLY HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS. I LIKE THAT. BUT BUT I. DON'T YOU THINK THEY NEED. AND LOOK, SHEILA, WE WORKED FOR YEARS. YEAH. YEP. >> WE LOVE EACH OTHER. YEAH.
BUT DON'T YOU THINK IT'S FAIR THAT THE FOLKS ARE GOING TO BECOME NEIGHBORS HAVE SOME KIND OF INFORMATION AND NOTICE ABOUT WHO'S COMING INTO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH IT WAS TWO APARTMENTS IT CAUSED AN UPROAR AND AND THAT WE'RE STILL. GETTING WE HAD. TO SORT OF WE'RE STILL. GETTING FEEDBACK FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS.
SO IF YOU LOOK MAYBE YOU SHOULD SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND HAVE A FACE TO FACE WITH THEM SO THEY CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT'S TAKING PLACE AND HOW IT HAPPENED. YEAH.
BECAUSE I MEAN WE'RE STILL GETTING AND I'M NOT TRYING TO PASS THE BUCK TO YOU. NO NO NO BUT I AM TRYING TO BUT. THAT'S MY JOB. THAT'S MY JOB. >> SO YOU CAN SIT. WITH THEM. >> YEAH. NO THAT'S. THAT'S FINE I UM SO ANYTIME I
HEAR THERE'S A PROBLEM LIKE THAT I JUMP IN PERSONALLY. SO I'D BE GLAD TO SIT DOWN WITH THIS. IT'S A BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBORHOOD. I'D BE GLAD TO SIT DOWN WITH THOSE FOLKS. I WASN'T I WAS AWARE AS OF LAST WEEK THAT THE ISSUE HAD GOTTEN 100% BETTER.
SO IF THAT'S NOT THE CASE I DO NEED TO KNOW SO I CAN FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR OFFICE. >> NOT THE CASE. AND UH, GOOD TO KNOW. OKAY. VERY GOOD. >> BE GLAD TO WORK WITH YOU. OKAY. >> COUNCILOR CULPEPPER THANK YOU. UH, SORRY, I THINK IT'S COUNCILOR CLETA ZAPATA.
YEAH. >> THANK YOU. CHAIR. UH. GOOD AFTERNOON. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU ALL. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WORK, EVERYBODY. UM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE MY FORMER COUNCIL COLLEAGUES OVER HERE.
IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK IN THE TANK. UM, I'M EXCITED FOR TOMORROW'S GROUNDBREAKING WITH BUNKER HILL MADE POSSIBLE BY THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP. UM, THROUGH THE ACCELERATOR FUND. I JUST WANT TO GIVE KUDOS TO
EVERYBODY, UH, FOR THAT WITH, UM FOR THEIR CREATIVITY AND THEIR, UM, INNOVATION WHEN IT COMES TO THAT. UM, SPECIFICALLY ON THE HOUSING VOUCHERS. SO WE HAVE $11.8 MILLION GOING
TO THAT PROGRAM. UM, HOW MANY VOUCHERS HAS THAT WILL THAT FUND FOR FY 27? UM AND THEN A FOLLOW UP QUESTION JUST GENERALLY AND I
APOLOGIZE I DID NOT ASK THIS QUESTION BEFORE AND IN OUR MANY CONVERSATIONS BUT WHERE ARE WE AT WITH PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS IN THE CITY? UM I THINK THAT MAY BE FOR FOR GENERAL. CONCEPT.
>> OKAY, GREAT. UM UH COUNCILOR ALWAYS GOOD TO ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. UM, SO THE PROGRAM UH, WHEN THE PROGRAM WAS CONCEIVED FOR THE
CITY VOUCHER WAS A COLLABORATION BETWEEN UM BETWEEN THE CITY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING, THE BUDGET OFFICE, THE VHA. WE HAD A SOFT TARGET OF AROUND 500 VOUCHERS KNOWING THAT ON A
,UM, YEAR TO YEAR BASIS THERE THERE ARE ESCALATING COSTS AND A VOUCHER PROGRAM. SO THE PROGRAM CURRENTLY IS AROUND THAT LEVEL. UM WE ARE UM TRYING TO MANAGE
FOR TWO THINGS RIGHT NOW. ONE IS THAT UM WE WENT FROM AROUND YOU KNOW, LAST FISCAL YEAR MORE CLOSER TO LIKE 400 VOUCHER UP TO 500.
UM SO WE'RE ABLE TO MANAGE RIGHT THIS FISCAL YEAR WITH THE UH JUST ABOVE 500 BECAUSE BECAUSE THERE WAS A LEASE UP PERIOD. UM, SO THERE'S THERE'S SORT OF THE TRANSITIONAL FUNDS
AVAILABLE FOR THAT. UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN AT PRESENT WE CAN WE CAN MAINTAIN THE UM JUST OVER 500 UM HOUSEHOLDS IN THAT UH AND IN THE CURRENT STRUCTURE.
UM, YOU ASKED ABOUT PROJECT BASING. SO UM AND I WANT TO SAY OBVIOUSLY WE WOULD WE WE DO A LOT WITH PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS COLLABORATIVELY THAT'S OUTSIDE OF THE CITY VOUCHER PROGRAM TO
UM IT IS UM I THINK IT'S IT'S IT'S BETWEEN ABOUT 125 250 OF THEM ARE PROJECT BASED. I DO ACTUALLY HAVE A LIST OF WHICH DEVELOPMENTS GOT FUNDED BUT UM UM AND UH
SORRY ABOUT THAT ACTUALLY IT'S IT'S CLOSER TO 200 OUR PROJECT BASED UM SO UM AGAIN OF OF AROUND 500 SLIGHTLY OVER 500
IT'S ABOUT 2% OF THE PROGRAM. UM WE HAVE AND AT THE OUTSET WE HEARD FROM UH ADVOCATES AND UM CITY STAKEHOLDERS THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST IN
PROJECT BASING SOME OF THESE. UM, WE ALSO DID THEM IN A SORT OF UNIQUE GAP FILLER WAY, PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT THINGS LIKE UM BRIDGING THE GAP BUT UM ,FOR UH PEOPLE WHO UH UH FOR
EXAMPLE WERE IN LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT UNITS BUT COULDN'T AFFORD IT UM, OR WHO NEEDED A SHALLOWER SUBSIDY. SO UH, WE WE ALSO DID A LOT OF PARTNERSHIPS WITH UM THE UH
ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM PURCHASES TO ENSURE ONGOING AFFORDABILITY IN THOSE AOP UNITS. SO REALLY SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATIONS WITH THE PROJECT BASE. WE'VE TRIED TO GET MORE UM,
BALANCE AND MORE OF THOSE OVER TIME. SOME OF THE VOUCHERS ARE GOING TO REMAIN UH, MOBILE JUST BASED ON THE SPECIAL POPULATIONS THAT ARE SERVING WITHIN THE OVERALL PROGRAM. AND UH, IF I MISSED ANY OF YOUR QUESTIONS YOU CAN PLEASE REPEAT
THEM OR LET ME KNOW WHAT I MISSED. >> IT WAS IT WAS VERY THOROUGH. I ACTUALLY JUST WANT TO CLARIFY SO THE UM IT'S GOING TO WE WERE AT 400 AND THEN WE WERE ABLE TO RAMP UP TO THE 500. YEAH THERE WAS A THERE WAS.
SIMPLY JUST THAT TOOK YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE YOU CAN LEASE PER YEAR. UM AND UM ALSO PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS SOME OF THEM WERE AWARDED BUT THE THE REALLY THE UNITS WERE NOT BUILT YET SO IT TOOK LIKE THE PAYMENTS THE CASH
FLOW DID NOT START UNTIL THE UNITS WERE ACTUALLY LEASED. SO UM SO WE NOW HAVE OVER 500 UNITS LEASED UP UNDER THE CITY VOUCHER PROGRAM.
UM AND UM WE ARE UM SO WE'RE MANAGING UM WITH WITH THE CURRENT UM PROPOSED BUDGET STRUCTURE I WOULD SAY WE'RE WE'RE VERY MUCH MONITORING UM, THE FEDERAL BUDGET ALL THE TIME
BECAUSE THE ACTIVITY HERE IS UM YOU KNOW, WE WE DON'T WANT UNDER ANY PROGRAM THAT WE'RE UH ,WORKING ON TO UH, SERVE BOSTONIANS FOR ANYONE SPOUSE SHOULD BE TERMINATED AND, UM,
IT REQUIRES UH, NATIONAL LEVEL ADVOCACY. UM, THE SECTION EIGHT PROGRAM FOR SURE. UM, CERTAIN. AND WE ADMINISTER A SIMILAR SET OF UH, STATE VOUCHERS AS WELL. UM, WE WE KIND OF MONITOR
ACROSS THE THREE PROGRAMS AND LOOK FOR OTHER UM, TALK WITH ME IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE WHAT ARE THE PRIORITIES WHO'S WHO'S UM YOU KNOW, ARE THERE ARE THERE POPULATIONS THAT ARE NOT YET BEING
ADEQUATELY SERVED AND THEY'RE PARTICULARLY AT RISK AND WE TRY TO MAKE VERY SLOW PROGRAMMATIC ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON THAT. BUT OVERALL BASE UM, YOU KNOW, WE UH, TIPPED TOWARDS SERVING
UH, FORMERLY HOMELESS POPULATIONS AND WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER PRIORITIES INCLUDING UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS AND UM, UH, GREAT COLLABORATION WITH THE CITY ON HOMELESS, UH, OR
FORMERLY HOMELESS BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILIES IN PARTICULAR, A NUMBER OF WHOM ARE SERVED UNDER THE CITY PROGRAM. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU. IT'S SUCH A VITAL PROGRAM. AND JUST AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR WORK ON THAT. UM, FOR RENT STABILIZATION SLASH DISPLACEMENT WE KNOW THAT
EAST BOSTON HAS BEEN I WOULD ARGUE THE EPICENTER UH OF THAT FOR UM, A LITTLE PART OF A DECADE NOW UH HAS BEEN PARTICULARLY HELPFUL AND JUST THANK YOU, CHIEF, FOR TAKING MY
CALLS LITERALLY AT 1130 AT NIGHT SOMETIMES, UM, TO HELP WITH SOME EVICTION CALLS THAT WE'RE GETTING AND, UM, EMERGENCY UH, EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WE ARE SEEING SO THE
THE STATE IS LESSENING THE EMERGENCY HOUSING ASSISTANCE IN EAST BOSTON THAT IS MANIFESTED IN SAINT MARY'S CROSSROADS FAMILY SHELTER, UM, LESSENING THEIR THEIR BEDS FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND SO OH MY GOSH, MY
TIME IS ALREADY UP. ALL RIGHT. UM, I DO HAVE A SECOND ROUND. I'M SORRY, CHAIR, BUT I'LL FINISH THIS QUESTION. >> YOU CAN FINISH THAT. THANK YOU. UM, HOW IS THAT IMPACTED OUR
FUNDING HERE? HOW HAVE WE COMPENSATED FOR THE LOSS OF STATE AID AND ARE WE KEEPING IT LEVEL FUNDED? UM, AND HOW IS THAT IMPACTING THE OPERATIONS AND TRYING TO HOUSE SOME OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE? YEAH.
>> SO IT'S I THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO RIGHT SAINT MARY'S CROSSROADS SHELTER. YEAH I WAS PRETTY SURPRISED IT'S A THAT WAS A VERY GOOD PROGRAM. SO I WAS VERY SAD TO SEE THAT IT WAS IT WAS GOING TO CLOSE. .
>> UM SO. I WE ARE SEEING UM AND THE CENSUS NUMBERS WILL BE PUTTING THEM OUT IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS HOPEFULLY WE ARE SEEING UM IN BOSTON.
LOWER UH RATES OF FAMILY. HOMELESSNESS AND WE THERE'S JUST NOT AS MANY UH FAMILIES COMING INTO THE CITY FOR FOR LOTS OF REASONS AND THE STATE
HAD A LOT OF RESOURCES ONE TIME RESOURCES TO GET FAMILIES OUT OF SHELTER. THEY ALSO CLOSED A LOT OF THE HOTELS AND MOTELS. SO WE ARE SEEING THE NUMBER OF HOMELESS FAMILIES IN THE CITY GO DOWN WHETHER IT'S A
PERMANENT CONDITION OR NOT IT IS VERY HARD TO SAY. SO UM WE'RE WATCHING IT VERY, VERY CLOSELY. SO UM, YOU KNOW RIGHT NOW BUT BUT YOU ARE RIGHT THOUGH THAT THE OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY
CONTINUES TO GET, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF CALLS EVERY DAY WHERE PEOPLE ARE VERY SCARED OF LOSING THE APARTMENTS THAT THEY HAVE. SO OF COURSE HER JOB, YOUR JOB EVERYBODY'S JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THEY DON'T BECAUSE IT IS IT IS
HARD TO TO GET INTO SHELTER RIGHT NOW. SO THANK YOU OKAY. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH COUNSELOR PIPPIN SIX MINUTES. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE THREE OF YOU FOR BEING OUT
THERE AS A PANEL AT THE CHAIR OF HOUSING. THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF MY, UM, MOST IMPORTANT HEARINGS FOR ME TO ATTEND AND TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH NOT JUST THE THREE OF YOU BUT YOUR ENTIRE TEAM.
I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND YOUR AMAZING I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO CALL IT A FAIR OR A PRICE BUT IT FELT LIKE A FAIR LIKE A CELEBRATION UM. A FEW. >> WEEKS AGO WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE FUTURE PROJECTS
THAT ARE BEING UM, SUPPORTED BY ALL OF YOU UM, IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE INVITATION TO THAT AND THEN TO WEDNESDAY AS THE CHAIR OF THE COMMUNITY PRESERVATION
COMMITTEE, UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO PASS THE $5 MILLION FOR THE UM THE AFFORDABLE UM ASSISTANCE FUNDS FOR YOU ALL. SO, UM, HOPEFULLY THAT GETS PASSED.
YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I'M PRETTY SURE ALL MY COUNCILORS ATTENDED AND YOU KNOW, NOTHING BUT SUPPORT FOR THAT. SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO JUST CONTINUING SUPPORTING FOR THAT PROGRAM. UM, FOR ME, I ALSO I KIND
OF WANT TO PIGGYBACK A LITTLE BIT ON COUNCILOR COLLETTA SUPPORTERS. LAST POINT ON THE OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY. I DO WANT TO GIVE A VERY QUICK SHOUT OUT TO DANIEL JOHNSON.
WHO JUST DOES SO MUCH WORK FOR MY RESIDENTS. WHENEVER I REACH OUT THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE ON THE OTHER SIDE AND I WANTED TO ASK YOU ALL UM IN REGARDS TO THE BUDGET
BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF DEMAND FOR FOR THAT OFFICE. ARE THERE OR. ARE THERE SERVICES IMPACTED AT ALL OR I KNOW THAT YOU MENTIONED CONTRACTED SERVICES COULD COULD BE IMPACTED. I KNOW THAT ONE OF THE AGENCIES
THAT I WAS ABLE TO MEET WITH THE GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES AND HEAD UH, WANT TO GIVE A SPECIFIC UM SHOUT OUT WHO IS CONSISTENTLY HELPING ME OUT. UM, IS THAT INTACT? IS THAT STILL BEING IS ARE WE
ARE WE GOING TO BE OKAY WITH THERE. I WILL HAND IT OVER TO RICK. I DO APPRECIATE YOU, UH, RECOGNIZING THE DIRECTOR DANIELLE JOHNSON, WHO'S NOT WITH US TODAY. SHE IS OFF TODAY.
UM, BUT SHE REALLY JUST NEVER STOPS AND I AND I JUST WANT TO THANK HER FOR HER WORK PUBLICLY. BUT RICK, DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND? YEAH. >> UM, THE ONLY IMPACT WELL, THE. THERE'S TO TO. PLACES WHERE THE OFFICE OF.
HOUSING STABILITY IS IMPACTED IN THE FY 27 RECOMMENDED BUDGET. THE FIRST IS THE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PROGRAM WHICH SITS WITHIN THE OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY. BUT AS I MENTIONED EARLIER IS YOU KNOW, THEY THEY CONTRACT
WITH GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES TO TO PROVIDE THE ACTUAL SERVICES. UM AND THEN THE OTHER IS A VERY SMALL A $50,000 REDUCTION TO THE TENANT STABILIZATION FUND WHICH IS RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR
UM HOUSEHOLDS FACING HOUSING INSTABILITY AND EVICTION. UM BUT THAT STILL LEAVES $1.65 MILLION FOR THAT PROGRAM FOR TSF AND 527 BUDGET. THE NEED. ALWAYS OUTSTRIPS THAT WE HAVE
AVAILABLE. UM BUT WE MAKE DO WITH WHAT WE HAVE AND WE'RE GLAD THAT I, I WOULD CALL THAT LEVEL FUNDING FOR FY 27 FOR. TSF OKAY NO THAT'S GOOD I JUST I. >> KNOW. THAT SPEAKING FROM BEHALF OF MY
OFFICE THAT'S ONE THAT THOSE TWO GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES AND THE HOUSING STABILITY DEPARTMENT OF ARE TWO THAT I. FREQUENTLY REACH OUT TO EVERY SINGLE WEEK. SO WHEREVER I CAN SUPPORT YOU WHILE THEY ARE, PLEASE LET US
KNOW HOW WE CAN BETTER ADVOCATE FOR THOSE SERVICES FOR OUR RESIDENTS. UM SOMETHING THAT I'VE ALWAYS BEEN MEANING TO ASK YOU ALL AND I THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT PLACE IS I SEE THE ANN ARBOR AND JUST
ANY HOUSING RELATED THING. AS A. >> OPPORTUNITY FOR NOT JUST HELPING RESIDENTS FIND HOUSING AND BUILD MORE HOUSING BUT AS A SENSE OF INVESTMENT ALSO INTO THE CITY. DO YOU GUYS FIND MECHANISMS TO SAY HEY, IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS
WHERE WE ARE PLANNING ON BUILT ON SUPPORTING BUILDING X X, Y Z AMOUNT OF HOUSING DO WE EVER REPORT OR TRACK THE REPORT OF HOW MUCH RETURN ON
INVESTMENT WE GET FROM THAT? UM, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT MORE SPECIFICALLY SUPPORTS YEAH. IT'S A GOOD QUESTION. WE WE TRACK VERY. CLOSELY UM, WHEN WE'RE MAKING
INVESTMENTS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING HOW MUCH UH, WE'RE LEVERAGING ON A PARTICULAR DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE WE ALL WE CONTRIBUTE. AND WE'RE VERY PROUD OF OUR CONTRIBUTIONS. IT'S UM IT'S.
REALLY A RELATIVELY. MODEST PERCENTAGE OF THE TOTAL . SO WE GET STATE FUNDS, WE GET FEDERAL FUNDS, WE GET PRIVATE A LOT OF PRIVATE UH, DEBT IN MOST PROJECTS. SO WE ARE LEVERAGING VERY.
LARGE NUMBERS AND WE COULD GET YOU SAMPLES OF THOSE THOSE ARE VERY INTERESTING. BUT I THINK. YOUR YOUR QUESTION IS ASKING MORE THAN THAT I, I DO THINK AS WE REALLY. LOOK AT.
UM THE NEED TO INCREASE OUR TAX BASE ESPECIALLY FOR OUR OPERATING AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT EARLIER. THAT WE DO. AFFORDABLE HOUSING CONTRIBUTES TO TAX BASE THAT UNLESS IT'S
OWNED BY A RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION OR SOME SOME NONPROFITS BUT MOST. MOST AFFORDABLE HOUSING EVEN OWNED BY. UH NONPROFITS IS. PAYING AND. >> PAYING TAX PROPERTY TAXES. SO IT WOULD BE GOOD TO START SORT. >> OF KEEPING TRACK OF THAT. YOU KNOW, WE WE HAVE ALWAYS.
KNOWN THAT. >> IT WAS CONTRIBUTING. >> BUT NOW I THINK IT'S AN. EVEN MORE IMPORTANT STORY TO TELL. YEAH, I VERY MUCH AND KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT ESPECIALLY WHERE ARE A LOT OF THE REZONING IS HAPPENING IN MY DISTRICT I FEEL
I STARTED HIM OUT OF PENN AND THEN GOT APPROVED AND ROZZI AND THEN UM HAVING CONVERSATION IN HYDE PARK NOW WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY THERE WHERE IT'S LIKE ALL RIGHT, HOW CAN WE ALSO LOOK AT THIS AS AN I THINK WHAT NEW
HOUSING COULD BRING TO THE AREA. AND TO THE CITY. SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LOVE TO CONSIDER. I MEAN AND THEN THERE'S THINGS THAT WE. DON'T MEASURE RIGHT? SO WE. >> GET A LOT. >> OF NEW RESIDENTS THEY'RE SHOPPING LOCALLY. WHAT IS THAT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN.
FOR YOU KNOW JUST JUST HAVING MORE YOU KNOW OF OUR RESIDENTS SAFELY. HOUSED THE THE THE BENEFIT TO THAT IS JUST IMMEASURABLE. SO IT'D BE LOVE TO THINK ABOUT HOW WHAT ELSE WE SHOULD BE MEASURING TO TELL THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING STORY.
THANK YOU. >> I JUST SAY REALLY QUICKLY COUNSELOR IN ADDITION TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING GETS FUNDED AND WHAT THAT GENERATES SOME OF THE SORT OF HOUSEHOLD AND ASSET BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES BOTH IN TERMS OF HOME HOMEOWNERSHIP IS A WONDERFUL
AND CONSPICUOUS ONE BUT ALSO UM AND UM LIKE FAMILY SELF-SUFFICIENCY WE TRACK THINGS LIKE ESCROW THAT UM, PEOPLE CAN GENERATE WHEN WHEN UM THEY'RE THEY'RE GOING PARTICIPATE IN A PROGRAM LIKE
THAT AND WHAT THEY GET WHEN THEY FINISH THE PROGRAM SO THEY GET LIKE JUST HOUSEHOLDS IN BOSTON GRADUATING WITH MORE ASSETS. UM. >> UM SOMETHING THAT WE LOOK AT. UM, YEAH. AND THE LAST THING I'LL SAY I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION. I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL
BECAUSE, UM, A PHASE THREE OF THE PARCEL DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING, THERE'S A SPECIFIC PARCEL IN REIDSVILLE THAT IS SUPPOSED TO GO FOR IT. I THINK IT'S A DUPLEX TWO
FAMILY EACH TO TWO SEPARATE ONES AND THAT'S JUST THAT HAS GOT GOTTEN SO MUCH SUPPORT EVEN FROM FRANKLY IT'S GOTTEN SUPPORT FROM SO MANY RESIDENTS BECAUSE THAT IS EXACTLY THE TYPE OF HOUSING THAT PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR.
IT'S LIKE THAT FAMILY HOUSING FOR FOR TWO WORKING TO TO UH TO WORK IN FAMILY HOUSEHOLD. SO IT'S JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR FOR KEEPING AN EYE ON THAT THING AND I WANT TO PUBLICLY THANK YOU FOR THAT BUT THAT'S IT FOR ME, COUNSELOR. OKAY.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNSELOR L IT'S SIX MINUTES. UH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. CHAIR. UM. I DO HAVE MORE TIME FOR ME, BUT. >> THE $2.3. >> MILLION.
IN HOUSING VOUCHERS. YOU SAID IT WOULD NOT IMPACT, UH, THE. AMOUNT OF HOUSING VOUCHERS THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DISTRIBUTE. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHY? YEAH. >> SO, UH, THANKS FOR THE
QUESTION, COUNSELOR. SO IN THE IN THIS FISCAL YEAR WE'RE ABLE TO ABSORB IT BECAUSE IN PRIOR YEARS WE WERE LEASING UP TO WHAT WE VIEWED IT AS OUR TARGET NUMBER FOR THE ROUGH PROGRAM SIZE AGAIN.
SO WE WERE LEASING UP TO AROUND 500 VOUCHERS TOTAL. OKAY. UM IT JUST MEANS THAT THERE WAS A LITTLE BIT FROM LAST YEAR'S FUNDING THAT WE CAN PUT TOWARDS THIS YEAR'S PROGRAM. UM, SO.
THE MATH DOES WORK ON THAT. IT JUST MEANS THE ANNUAL THE ANNUAL WE CAN BALANCE THE BUDGET BECAUSE OF IT'S ROLLING IN SOME OF THE PRIOR YEAR FUNDING. OKAY. >> UM, ANY CONCERN. FOR FUTURE YEARS BECAUSE YOU KNOW, RENTS DO INCREASE OVER
THE YEARS. ARE THERE ANY CONCERNS. TO SERVE THE SAME NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS IN THE FUTURE? WE WOULD NEED TO UM HAVE INCREASES IN THE BUDGET. >> OVER TIME. UM WE TRY TO WE TRY TO AGAIN GO
AFTER ANY OPPORTUNITIES TO DEMONSTRATE ALSO YOU KNOW INCREASE VOUCHERS AND OTHER OTHER PROGRAMS ARE NOT DONE SAID YOU FIND THE ONES AS WELL. UM I THINK WE'RE TRACKING THIS PARTICULAR QUESTION VERY CLOSELY NOT JUST WITH RENTAL INCREASES AND WHAT THAT
PROJECTION IS BUT ALSO AGAIN UM, THE FEDERAL ATMOSPHERE AROUND BUDGETS AND WHO WE MAY BE ASKED TO SERVE IN AN EMERGENCY. SO UM, YES, WE WE'RE TRACKING THAT CLOSELY FOR FUTURE YEARS. OKAY.
>> UM AND THEN I BELIEVE WE HAD UH, 90 HOUSEHOLDS. DISPLACED BY FIRE. UM, DO WE HAVE A TOTAL DOLLAR AMOUNT. OF WHAT WAS USED. >> AROUND THAT AND. AND CAN YOU JUST GO OVER THE
POLICY AGAIN LIKE WHEN SOMEONE IS DISPLACED BY THIS BY FIRE OR ARE THERE INSTANCES. >> SURE. UM TYPICALLY AND THERE'S NO. YOU KNOW, I WISH THERE WAS A LOT. >> OF THESE SITUATIONS ARE PRETTY ATYPICAL.
BUT WHEN THERE'S A FIRE UM. THE FIRE UM. VICTIMS UNIT. AND OWNERS. >> AND IF IT'S VERY LARGE UM LANDS ON SCENE. UM AND RED.
CROSS AS YOU AS YOU MAY KNOW PROVIDES UH, VOUCHERS DEPENDING ON FAMILY SIZE AND SEVERITY OF FIRE. SO THEY THEY ARE OUR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AND THEY FUND TYPICALLY 2 OR. >> 3. SOMETIMES A LITTLE BIT.
MORE UH NIGHTS UH DURING THAT. TIME AND IT'S IT'S A IT'S A GOOD TIME. FOR THE OFFICE OF HOUSING STABILITY STAFF TO CALL EVERY UH RESIDENT THAT HAS LOST THEIR
HOUSE EITHER UH, HOME EITHER PERMANENTLY OR TEMPORARILY TO SORT OF SEE WHAT THEIR PLAN IS POST UH, RED CROSS VOUCHER BEING SPENT. AND THEN AT. THAT TIME THERE'S AN ASSESSMENT
MADE ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY HAVE ANY OPTIONS FAMILY FRIEND IF IT'S UH IF IT'S A YOUNG UH NOT YOUNG BUT IF IT'S A YOU KNOW, A SINGLE PERSON THEY MAY NEED TO GO INTO ADULT SHELTER
WHICH IS NEVER DESIRABLE. BUT UM BUT IF IT'S A FAMILY AND THEY HAVE NO PLACE TO GO AND THAT'S BEEN ASSESSED THEN THEY WOULD BE PLACED INTO HOTELS BUT THEN WE WOULD BE WORKING WITH THEM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE TO GET THEM OUT GIVEN THE COST
OF HOTELS. UH, SOME. IN THE DOLLAR AMOUNT. I'M TRYING TO CONFIRM THIS RIGHT NOW. UH, I'M BEING TOLD UM 650,000
SO FAR THIS FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN WHEN IT COMES UM, GOING BACK TO THE UH THE VOUCHER. QUESTION JOHN. DO AND I DON'T BELIEVE WE DO WAITLIST BUT HOW MANY
APPLICANTS DO WE GET. YEARLY ON. >> THOSE WHO. >> WANT TO ACCESS CITY VOUCHERS ? UM YOU YEAH SO YOU SORT OF YOU STARTED TO GET AT THE QUESTION IT'S A LITTLE BIT IT'S A LITTLE BIT NUANCED HERE.
SO WE HAVE AGAIN A PORTION OF THE PROGRAM THAT'S ON PROJECT BASE UNITS. THOSE MAY MAINTAIN THEIR OWN WAITLISTS. UM WE WOULD HAVE TO GO TO THE INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPERS THERE FOR THE TENANT BASED ONES. WELL THE WAY WE'VE STRUCTURED
IT IS FOR EXAMPLE LIKE THE OFFICE OF RETURNING CITIZENS WE SAY THIS IS HOW MANY REFERRALS WE HAVE FUNDING TO GIVE YOU BASED ON SPACE IN THE PROGRAM. SO IT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT
ADMINISTERED IN A WAITLIST. IT'S IT'S HARD TO SAY THIS IS THE APPLICANT POOL. I CAN TELL YOU THE DEMAND ON EVERY CATEGORY THAT WE SERVE THERE'S THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE WHO NEED HOUSING SUPPORTS FOR SURE, BUT IT'S NOT STRUCTURED
IN A WAY WHERE THERE IS UH UM YOU KNOW, IT'S THOUSANDS PENDING HERE BECAUSE WE DON'T UM WE DON'T GO TO THE CITY OR NONPROFIT PARTNERS ON THIS ONE AND SAY SEND US 10,000 PEOPLE
OR SEND US A THOUSAND PEOPLE OR SEND US 100 PEOPLE. WE SAY LOOK ROUGHLY IN THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR BASED ON ATTRITION RATES BASED ON OTHER FACTORS, WE THINK THERE'S SPACE FOR ABOUT TEN UM, YOU KNOW, IN THAT
IN THAT PARTICULAR PARTNERSHIP. SO UH I HOPE THAT THAT'S CLARIFYING. I KNOW IT MAY NOT GIVE THE EXACT METRICS FOR YOU. YEAH. >> THAT UM. YEAH, JUST. JUST KIND OF WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE DEMAND WAS AND. I GUESS ALSO TRYING.
TO GET AN IDEA OF UM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIKE. ARE AWARE. RIGHT? YEAH. >> OF THE CITY VOUCHER PROGRAM. I WILL SAY WE HAVE WE DO HAVE THE THING YOU KNOW, WE HAVE UH RESPOND TO SOME FEEDBACK FROM THE WORKING GROUP IN TERMS OF WE'D LOVE TO SEE MORE
PROJECT BASED VOUCHERS. AGAIN, AS I WAS SAYING WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO INCORPORATE MORE OF THOSE OVER TIME. UM, WE DO HAVE SOME THAT ARE YOU KNOW, PENDING LIKE THEY SAY HEY, IF FUNDING COMES IN, YOU KNOW, WE'D LOVE TO DO THIS THAT
WE UM THAT ARE SORT OF SITTING THERE AT THE AT PRESENT BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS SORT OF AT CAPACITY AWESOME. AND THE CITY HAS. A HOUSING STRATEGY PLANNED I BELIEVE IT GOES FROM 2022 TO
2025. CORRECT. UM. >> HAVE WE CREATED A NEW STRATEGY. PLAN AND THEN BASED. OFF OF THAT 2022 TO 2025 HOUSING STRATEGY STRATEGY PLAN,
THE CITY TARGETED I THINK 307. EXPIRING PRIVATELY OWNED INCOME RESTRICTED. UNITS UH, TO BE PRESERVED BY 2025 WHERE WE ABLE TO REACH THAT TARGET GOAL. YEAH.
>> SO UM THE YOU'RE RIGHT. THE FIRST HOUSING STRATEGY TERM ONE CONCLUDED. UM WE POSTED. I THINK WE'VE POSTED ALL. OF OUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS ONLINE. WE ARE. >> NOW IN CONVERSATION.
UH AMONGST OURSELVES AND WITH MANY MANY, MANY PEOPLE UM ABOUT WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING IN TERM TWO AND UM IT'S. HOW DO WE CONTINUE? >> I THINK THE BIGGEST QUESTION FOR US IS HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO
SERVE AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE HAVE BEEN SERVING UH, WITH A MORE YOU KNOW, A TIGHTER FISCAL CLIMATE, ESPECIALLY OUR FEDERAL UM AND THE LACK OF UH, A LOT OF NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT THAT
FUNDS AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. SO UM, BUT WE'RE WE'RE GENERATING A LOT OF NEW IDEAS AND WE HOPE TO HAVE SOMETHING PROBABLY OUT IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES FOR TERM TWO.
UM, SO THE PRESERVATION UM, THE WE'RE. WE ONLY. HAVE THAT I'M AWARE OF ONE. PROJECT THAT IS. 140 UNITS UH THAT WE WEREN'T
ABLE TO PRESERVE YET IT'S. FORBES IN JAMAICA PLAIN. UM. >> WE CAN. WE HAVEN'T GIVEN UP HOPE. UM, IT'S IT'S, UM. IT'S A REALLY. IMPORTANT PROJECT TO PRESERVE. THERE'S A LOT OF VERY, VERY.
VULNERABLE RESIDENTS THERE. WE'RE WORKING WITH THE OWNER. UM, THINGS HAVE GONE SLOWER. THAN WE. >> WOULD HAVE HOPED, BUT WE HAVE RESOURCES AND THE STATE IS HOLDING RESOURCES, SO WE WE WERE HOPING THAT THAT WOULD
HAVE BEEN ACCOMPLISHED BY NOW. THAT'S THE ONLY PROJECT A MILL PRESERVATION PROJECT I'M AWARE OF THAT HAS BEEN STALLED. AWESOME. >> THANK YOU. YEAH. >> OKAY. >> WE HAVE TO DIGEST THAT. UH, YEAH. PEOPLE PEOPLE ASK, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATIONS AND THAT IT'S NOT HAPPENING SO IT'S. IT'S IT'S. >> IT'S. STILL HAPPENING. IT'S JUST MOVING SLOWLY. OKAY. >> WELL, UH OKAY. UH, COUNCILOR LOUIJEUNE UH, WITH SIX MINUTES.
THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. AND THANK YOU TO, UH, SHEILA TO CHIEF DILLON AND YOUR TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THAT YOU DO. IT'S LIKE MY FIRST QUESTION IS MEAN. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT HEARING. HOUSING IS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE THAT WE GET FROM RESIDENTS.
I KNOW THAT YOUR WORK WOULD BE MUCH, MUCH MORE AMPLIFIED IF YOU WERE ABLE TO GET REVENUE FROM THE STATE SUCH AS WHAT WE ARE HOPING FOR IN THE TRANSFER FEE SO THAT WE CAN DO THE WORK OF BUILDING MORE HOUSING AND
PRESERVING MORE HOUSING. UM BUT WHAT IS THE BIGGEST WHAT IS TAKING THE BIGGEST HIT THIS YEAR TO YOUR BUDGET GIVEN THE DECREASE THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS EXPERIENCING.
WITH OPERATING OR MORE OF EXTERNAL FUNDS? ANSWER OKAY. UM I'M GOING TO HAND THIS OVER TO RICK. I THINK I KNOW BUT I THINK IT'S ARPA. THAT EXTERNAL. YEAH I MEAN THE THE BIG NO.
>> NO NO I DON'T MEAN EXTERNAL FUNDING IN THAT SENSE. I MEAN LIKE I THOUGHT YOU MEANT INTERNAL IN TERMS OF YOUR DEPARTMENT AND ACTUAL IN TERMS OF LIKE WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY ABLE TO DO. VERY GOOD NOT I KNOW THAT IT'S OKAY. YEAH YEAH YEAH.
YEAH I MEAN THE BIGGEST THE BIGGEST IMPACT IS IS THE VOUCHER PROGRAM WHICH WE WE JUST TALKED ABOUT JOEL JUST TALKED. ABOUT UM. THE OTHER THE OTHER BIG YOU KNOW, REDUCTIONS THAT I WENT OVER EARLIER ABOUT $1 MILLION
FOR THE AFFORDABLE COMMERCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND, 400 $450,000 FOR ACCESS TO COUNCIL. UM 400,000 TO WHAT. WAS THE ONE THAT YOU SAID BEFORE ACCESS TO COUNCIL? UH, SORRY THE UM, AFFORDABLE
COMMERCIAL ASSISTANCE FUND. SO THAT WAS $1 MILLION. SO THAT WAS $1 MILLION LINE ITEM IN OUR BUDGET TO SUPPORT UM, UH, COMMERCIAL SPACE AND MIXED USE AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS.
UM, WE HAD THE APPLICATION POSTED FOR A FEW YEARS. WE FUNDED A HANDFUL OF PROJECTS. UM, WE THINK IT WAS UM, YOU KNOW, A GOOD PROGRAM BUT IT WASN'T GETTING THE TRACTION THAT WE HAD HOPED. UM WHY NOT WHY WHY NOT?
YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS TARGETED AT UM, PROJECTS THAT WERE THAT WERE KIND OF READY TO TO LEASE UP AND UM AND IT WAS IN EXCHANGE FOR A COMMITMENT TO RENT IT BELOW MARKET UH RENT
TO. SMALL LOCAL UM, BUSINESSES. UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE HAD NO APPLICATIONS IN HAND AT THE TIME THAT WE WERE ASKED TO IDENTIFY REDUCTIONS TO TO TO THE UM TO OUR BUDGET.
UM, SO WHEN SPEAKING WITH THE BUDGET OFFICE WE FELT LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANTED TO PRIORITIZE OUR CORE HOUSING HOUSING PROGRAMS, UM, OVER THAT PROGRAM. NOT THAT NOT IT'S NOT AN IMPORTANT USE. IT IS AN IMPORTANT USE.
UH, BUT JUST ON BALANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE EFFORT TO TO HELP BALANCE THE CITY BUDGET, WE IDENTIFIED OTHER WE IDENTIFIED THAT AS A AS A POTENTIAL REDUCTION. CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE IT WAS USED POSITIVELY
OR SUCCESSFULLY? UM, YEAH. JUST BOOKISH UM WROTE WE WROTE DOWN TRAVIS LEE'S. PROJECT ON DORCHESTER AVENUE DORCHESTER. STREET I ALWAYS GET SOME. MIXED UP UM, BUT JUST BOOKISH
UM UH PORTIA AND. BINGS BOOKSTORE. SO WE WERE ABLE. TO, UH, WRITE DOWN THE RENTS IN THAT I THINK FOR 5 OR 6 YEARS UH, WHILE THEY GOT THEIR FEET UNDER THEM. AND THAT'S. >> A VERY GOOD. EXAMPLE OF HOW.
>> IT WAS USED. OKAY. >> I THINK THAT'S THE SIDE ON THE I CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE TENANT STABILIZATION FUND AND HOW MUCH WAS UM EXPENDED AND WHAT IT WAS USED FOR? YEAH. >> THE BUDGET THE BUDGET FOR TSF IS $1.7 MILLION THIS YEAR
IT'LL BE ONE POINT WHAT THE WHAT THE RECOMMENDED BUDGET IS 1.65. SO IT WAS A $50,000 REDUCTION TO THE BUDGET. UM IT'S THE DEMAND IS STRONG AND WE CONTINUE TO GET APPLICATIONS FOR THAT FOR THAT PROGRAM.
UM BUT. >> IT'S NOT. >> IT'S NOT DIRECTED IT'S NOT DIRECT ASSISTANCE FOR AVERAGE. IT IS YES. FOR FOR WHOM. UH FOR HOUSEHOLDS FACING EVICTION UH. OUTSIDE OF THE RAF PROGRAM
OUTSIDE OUTSIDE. WE DO REALLY ENCOURAGE UH FOLKS CALLING TO GO TO RAFF FIRST. UM BUT SOMETIMES THE THE RESOURCES NEED TO BE COMBINED IF THE REAR. DOORS ARE REALLY LARGE
SOMETIMES THEY DON'T QUALIFY FOR RAFT AND UM SO THEY COME TO US OR SOMETIMES. >> IT'S. JUST IT'S. UM THEY'RE IN TOO MUCH TROUBLE ALL THE TIME IS TOO SENSITIVE. SO WE WILL. FUND WHAT'S THE AVERAGE AMOUNT
. I'M LOOKING TO BE I'M LOOKING TO. GET THAT TO YOU. BUT WE CAN PROVIDE THAT. . >> OKAY, I HAVE TWO WELL TWO QUESTIONS. UH. ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. >> I THINK YOU TALKED ABOUT THE CONTINUUM OF CARE FUNDING AND THAT LAWSUIT IN THE AMICUS
BRIEF IS HAPPY TO HELP ON THAT. UH, YOU MENTIONED HOUSING FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIMS AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW GENERALLY SORT OF WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A CITY TO PROVIDE MORE SUPPORT
FOR SURVIVORS AND THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO LOSE, UH, LEAVE ABUSIVE SITUATIONS THAT HOUSING, UM, IS A HUGE BEAR. WHAT ARE WE DOING? TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PRIORITY FOR THOSE WHO ARE FACING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND
THAT WOULD HAVE KNOW. SO I MEAN I'LL START AND JOE I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HAVE THINGS TO ADD OR IF THERE'S ANYONE UM AND. >> THEN AND THEN AFTER THAT MY LAST QUESTION IS I PROBABLY WILL GET CUT OFF IS ABOUT COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND HOW
OUR SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY INTEREST IS LIKE A BUDGET. SURE. >> SO UM SO WE ARE FUNDING THROUGH THE CONTINUUM OF CARE AND UH IF UM I MEAN WE CAN GET
YOU EXACT THE EXACT PROGRAMS BUT I KNOW THAT WE ARE FUNDING SEVERAL PROGRAMS WHO CARES A MARINA SO WE ARE FUNDING NONPROFITS THAT ARE REALLY UM THAT ARE DOING A LOT OF.
WORK WITH DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. BOTH RESIDENTIALLY AND PROGRAMMATICALLY. >> AND SUPPORT SERVICES THROUGH THE. CONTINUUM OF CARE. BUT I CAN GET YOU THE EXACT PROGRAMS AND THE AMOUNTS THROUGH. >> THE CHAIR. CAN WE GET THAT INFORMATION JUST BECAUSE I WANT IT TO BE
MORE CLEARLY KNOWN TO THE COMMUNITY HOW WE ARE SUPPORTING THAT WORK? YEAH ABSOLUTELY. WE CAN GET YOU THAT. JUST IN A SENTENCE OR TO UM THE BOARD HAS HAD AN ADMISSIONS
PRIORITY UM RELATED TO DV FOR SOME TIME AND THEN UNDER THE CITY VOUCHER PROGRAM I BELIEVE ONE OF THE REFERRAL PATHWAYS THE COMING OUT OF THE STATE SHELTER SYSTEM UM SUPPORTS IN THAT WAY IT'S SMALL NUMBER.
VOUCHERS BUT THERE IS A BIG PRIORITY FOR FOLKS WHO ARE FACING. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AGAINST. AND WITHIN CHILDREN. WITHIN CRC. UM, WHAT I WHAT I HAVE IN FRONT OF ME YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A $4
MILLION WORTH OF OUR CLC FUNDING GOES TO SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 125 HOUSEHOLDS AS THE MINIMUM NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS SERVED THROUGH THAT THROUGH THOSE PROGRAMS. AND I ALSO HAVE THAT THANKS TO KATHY UP THERE I HAVE THE
AVERAGE. UM TENANT STABILIZATION FUND GRANT IS. ABOUT 3830 $800 IS THE AVERAGE AWARD UNDER THE TENANT STABILIZATION FUND FOR HOUSEHOLD. 3800 OKAY. THANK YOU.
YEAH IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HEAR THAT AMOUNT BECAUSE THE NUMBERS ARE. THE BACK RENT THE RENT ARREARS. IT IS ALWAYS A PRETTY. LOW NUMBER OR REASONABLE NUMBER
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT REALLY STABILIZING A FAMILY AND KEEPING. THEM HOUSED. SO UH LAND TRUST. OH YEAH. >> YEAH. UM LAND TRUSTS HOLD ON. LET ME PULL UP MY. MY MY UPDATE THAT I GOT HERE.
UM, SO THE YOU KNOW, LAND TRUST IS NOT A LINE ITEM WITHIN OUR BUDGET, BUT WE DO WORK WITH LAND TRUST IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS. UM, WE'VE, UH, FUNDED SOME PROJECTS WITH LAND TO BE IN BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AT 364 HARVARD
STREET AND THE COMMONWEALTH COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AT NO THREE JOHN DE CLARK DOESN'T COMMONWEALTH THAT'S OKAY. YEAH. SOME OF CAN ADDRESS RIGHT. THREE JOHNNY COURTS OR AOP UM WELCOME HOME BOSTON. WE'RE WORKING WITH THE BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY LAND
TRUST ON A WELCOME HOME BOSTON PROJECT FOR SIX UNITS. UM A FEW YEARS AGO WE GAVE THE B B. BOSTON COMMUNITY LAND TRUST NETWORK UH, $2.1 MILLION TO
ESTABLISH A REVOLVING FUND UM AND THEN USING ARPA FUNDING WE ALSO GAVE UM THE LARGEST NETWORK UH $1 MILLION TO HELP US TO. >> HELP. WITH ACQUISITIONS AND I CAN WE CAN GET YOU, UM, SPECIFIC UPDATES ON THOSE PROGRAMS IF
YOU LIKE. COUNCIL. >> THANK YOU. BUT NO SPECIFIC LINE ITEM UH, LIKE OVER AND. TO SUPPORT THERE'S NO SPECIFIC ISLAND AND THERE'S NO SPECIFIC REDUCTION OR CUT TO LAND TRANSIT PER SE. NO THANK YOU. THOSE ARE MY QUESTIONS IN THE CHAIR.
I'M OUT OF TIME. OKAY. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, SO I'M JUST, UH, UNPACKING. I HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS THEN WE'RE GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY. UM, SO, UH, I GUESS FOR JUST TO
GO BACK TO ACCESS TO COUNCILOR FOR FOR A MINUTE, UH, I THINK WE HAD IT FUNDED AT 450,000. UM, BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE
MONEY NOT BEING AN ISSUE UH, IN TERMS OF FUNDING LIKE IS IS THAT DOES THAT IS THAT ADEQUATE IS IT YOU KNOW, MEET ALL THE
NEEDS UH OF THAT GROUP UH, JUST I KNOW IN NEW YORK CITY THEIR THEIR RIGHT TO COUNCILOR ACCESS TO COUNCILOR PROGRAM IS 100 MILLION YOU KNOW, SORT OF AND
THEY'RE WORKING THEIR WAY UP I WHAT IS YOUR SENSE OF WHAT KIND OF FUNDS WOULD WE NEED TO COVER THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH KIDS IN SCHOOL FACING EVICTION HERE? YEAH I. >> AND DANIELLE'S NOT HERE BUT I WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO GET
BACK TO YOU ON WHAT THE IDEAL AMOUNT WOULD BE. PROBABLY MORE THAN WE CAN EVER IMAGINE. >> AND YOU'RE RIGHT NEW YORK CITY. >> HAS. A RIGHT TO COUNCILOR AND. WE HAVE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR WHICH IS YOU KNOW. >> WE WOULD WE HAVE. SUPPORTED RIGHT TO COUNCILOR LEGISLATION AT THE
STATE HOUSE NOW. FOR MANY LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS. BUT UM SO THE PROGRAM IS. IN THE PROGRAM IS. INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL BECAUSE WE'RE ABLE TO TARGET.
UH FAMILIES AND FAMILIES AND THERE ARE. AS AS YOU KNOW, I'M JUST STATING THE OBVIOUS. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY LOW INCOME . HOUSING HOUSING INSECURE FAMILIES AND SO THE IDEA THAT
WE HAVE RESOURCE BUT. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE. >> A RESOURCE THERE WAS A MECHANISM RIGHT THAT FAMILIES WERE IDENTIFIED, FAMILY AIDES STEPPED IN. THEY HAD A REALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH GREATER BOSTON LEGAL SERVICES.
IT WAS VERY MUCH IT IS VERY MUCH. UH A. REALLY WORKING A SYSTEM THAT'S WORKING WELL. UM. >> SO YOU KNOW. SCHOOLS WERE IDENTIFYING FAMILY AID WAS YOU KNOW, MEETING WITH THEM, SEEING WHAT THEY NEEDED
AND THEN IF THEY NEED LEGAL SERVICES THEY WERE THEY WERE BEING UM. YOU KNOW. TRANSFERRED OVER TO GET LEGAL SERVICES. SO I THINK WE WE REALLY NEED THOSE VERY, VERY THOUGHTFUL SUPPORTS. FOR OUR FAMILIES.
AND UM AND NOT AND HAVE THEM NOT GET LOST IN THE SYSTEM BUT HAVING RESOURCES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED JUST FOR THEM IS IS VERY VERY IT WAS A VERY IT'S VERY VERY SPECIAL.
AND AND JUST IN IN UH IN A WORLD WHERE WE HAD YOU KNOW, MORE RESOURCES, ARE THERE OTHER POPULATIONS THAT YOU THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALSO LOOK AT UH, WHO
WOULD BENEFIT FROM THAT SORT OF PROGRAM? I MEAN, IF THERE'S A RIGHT TO COUNCILOR WHERE EVERYONE IS IS GETS AN ATTORNEY. >> JUST. LIKE IN YOU'VE GOT A CRIMINAL COURT, YOU KNOW, OVER THE RESOURCES. UM, BUT IN A WORLD WHERE WE
HAVE TO BUILD BUILD IT UP IN NEW YORK THEY DIDN'T START WITH EVERYONE. THEY STARTED I THINK WITH ZIP CODES AND THEN WENT TO SENIORS OR YOU KNOW, THEY SORT OF UH IS THERE SOME OTHER GROUP. I I MEAN THERE'S.
I I MEAN I THINK WE'RE VERY MUCH IN AGREEMENT THAT EVERYBODY SHOULD. HAVE ACCESS TO COUNCILOR GOING INTO A HOUSING. COURT OR HAVING LEGAL ISSUES WITH THEIR HOUSING. SO THAT'S YOU. >> KNOW, UM. ,WE WE I. >> THINK WHEN WE WERE DESIGNING THIS WITH YOU UM, SEVERAL YEARS
AGO NOW WE IDENTIFIED. THAT OUR. OLDER ADULT POPULATION TOO. IS UH GETTING NOTICES THERE THERE. UM IT'S IT'S HARD.
IT'S CONFUSING. THEY'RE SCARED. UM, THEY SOMETIMES DON'T HAVE ANY THE SUPPORT SO I WOULD SAY CERTAINLY OLDER. ADULTS AND A LOT OF OUR OUR UM NEWLY ARRIVED IMMIGRANT
FAMILIES TO. TO HAVE LANGUAGE BARRIERS AND HAVE TO NAVIGATE WHEN THAT BE WOULDN'T THAT BE IDEAL AS WELL. SO I ALMOST CAN'T THINK OF A POPULATION THAT ISN'T DESERVING BUT THOSE THOSE THREE PROBABLY
COME TO MIND FAMILIES WITH SCHOOL AGE. CHILDREN UH OLDER. ADULTS AND UH FAMILIES OR INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE LANGUAGE OR. CULTURAL BARRIERS.
WHOM I SAY I THAT I THAT'S WHAT I WAS THINKING UH UM AND JUST FOR MY COLLEAGUES I KNOW YOU KNOW COUNCILOR LOUIJEUNE PRACTICE AND HOUSING COURT AND
PROBABLY COUNCILOR CULPEPER UH ALSO BUT JUST TO YOU KNOW, IN A FEW VISITS I REMEMBER SEEING. A SENIOR FROM. UH FROM BOSTON WHO SPOKE CHINESE AND DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH AND YOU HAD A DIDN'T
HAVE AN ATTORNEY AND YOU HAD A JUDGE SAYING LIKE, WELL, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THIS CASE FROM THE SJC WHO'S LIKE IT'S LIKE THIS PERSON YOU KNOW, LIKE IS NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNCILOR.
YOU'RE CITING CASES. IT JUST SEEMED THE CRYING OUT FOR UH LEGAL REPRESENTATION. UM OKAY. AND THEN UM IN TERMS OF SO I
JUST WANTED TO NAIL THIS I THINK COUNCILOR L WAS ASKING ABOUT, UH, CITY HOUSING VOUCHERS AND YOU KNOW, UH, MOUSE THAT WE ADDED IN AMENDMENTS THAT AREN'T GOING TO BE THERE NEXT YEAR.
I MEAN, HOW MUCH, UH, DO WE WHEN WE THINK ABOUT FAMILIES, NUMBER OF FAMILIES AND I THINK YOU'RE SAYING THE SAME NUMBER OF FAMILIES ARE GOING TO BE COVERED NEXT YEAR ON LESS LESS
MONEY BUT LIKE HOW CAN WE ATTACH LIKE A DOLLAR FIGURE TO A FAMILY? YOU KNOW IN TERMS OF THE NUMBERS LIKE WHAT SHOULD WE BE THINKING ABOUT. AROUND 2200 PER MONTH. 22 OKAY. YEAH.
UH THAT HELPS ONE FAMILY. YEAH, YEAH. SO UM OKAY. UH AND THEN ALSO A QUESTION ABOUT UH WE HAD FUNDING LAST
YEAR FOR UH, YOUTH PROGRAMING AT MILDRED HALEY. I DON'T THINK THAT IS BEING FUNDED. I'M NOT SURE. UM, DO YOU DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?
HOW WE CAN, UH, FUND YOUTH SERVICES AND JUST LIKE 500 KIDS THERE AND THERE'S NO FULL TIME YOUTH PROGRAM OR, UM, I KNOW THE, UH, OUR STATE REP SAM ANTONIO AND STATE SENATOR LIZ
MIRANDA HAVE GOTTEN FUNDING IN THE STATE BUDGET. BUT, UM, HOW THE CITY CAN SUPPORT THOSE THOSE KIDS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN YOUR
DISTRICT AND AT THE AT THE HALEY SPECIFICALLY. UM, WE HAVE TO YOUR POINT GONE TO EVERY SOURCE POSSIBLE THERE . UM, UH, WE'VE MANAGED THAT WITH THE CITY. UM IT'S BEEN THROUGH DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS OVER THE YEARS BUT I THINK IT'S NOW TECHNICALLY UM SITUATED AT OR THROUGH THE HEALTH COMMISSION IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. UM. WE UM I THINK WE WOULD WE WOULD
LOVE TO SEE KIND OF CONTINUED AND STABLE SUPPORT THERE. UM I, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR THE CITY DEPARTMENTS BUT I CAN SAY THAT WE ARE WE'VE BEEN WE'VE MADE A LOT OF PROGRESS THERE UM, THROUGH THE MIX OF UH, CITY
STATE AND PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT INCLUDING THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB COMING IN AND OPENING UP THE SPACE THERE. SO, UM, IF YOU HAVE IF THERE'S SPECIFIC QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, HOW WILL SERVE OR THE FUNDING NEEDS THERE WE CAN WE
CAN FOLLOW UP ON THAT. UM UM BUT UH OTHER THAN THAT WE'RE WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT'S BEEN THERE AND ARE REALLY TRYING TO EVERY EVERY UH, YOU KNOW, BUDGETARY OPPORTUNITY WE WE TRY TO PUT IN A LITTLE BIT MORE FOR UH TO KEEP THAT
MOVING. OKAY. >> WELL THANKS. I THINK WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THAT UM, AT LEAST MY OFFICE AND BY THE OFFICE HOUSING IN THE FUTURE. OKAY. SO I'M GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY UH, BEFORE WE GO TO
OUR NEXT ROUND OF QUESTIONS. I'VE GOT SOME FOLKS HERE WHO SIGNED UP. IF ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO TESTIFY WHO'S HERE WHO HASN'T SIGNED UP, UH, YOU CAN JUST, UH, COME UP WHEN. WE'RE WE'VE GONE THROUGH THESE
NAMES. UH, SO FIRST I HAVE DANIEL ANDREWS, UH, DANIELLE ANDREWS. ANNABELLE. WE'RE, UH. RABBI. RABBI. UM. I'M SORRY. I'M GOING TO MISPRONOUNCE IT.
MARK WINTER OLIVIA MARTIN. LET'S STOP THERE AND YOU CAN, UH, FOR FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY. VERY GOOD. UH, DANIELLE. UH, AND YOU CAN BE HERE OR YOU CAN BE OVER THERE. UH, FIRST WE'LL START ON THE
LEFT. I'LL I'LL POINT TO YOU, UH, SO YOU GET TWO MINUTES. LET ME GET THE TIMER STARTED. JUST, UH, YOU KNOW, TELL US YOUR NAME, UH, WHERE YOU LIVE, WHAT ORGANIZATION YOU'RE HERE
WITH, IF YOU ARE HERE WITH THE ORGANIZATION AND THEN, UH, JUST TWO MINUTES TO, UH, LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS. THANK YOU. UH, MY NAME IS DANIEL ANDREWS. I LIVE IN JAMAICA PLAIN AND FOR
THE PAST ALMOST 25 YEARS I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF CARING FOR THE FOOD PROJECTS URBAN FARMS AND THE DUDLEY GREENHOUSE IN BOSTON ALONGSIDE OUR. TEEN FARMERS. WHILE I RECOGNIZE THE DIFFICULT FISCAL POSITION THE CITY
OF BOSTON IS IN, I WAS DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT FEELS LIKE DISPROPORTIONATELY LARGE CUTS. >> TO THE. BOSTON BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING 2027 BUDGET YEAR, AND I'M HERE WITH A NUMBER OF COLLEAGUES TO SHARE HOW THESE CUTS WILL
IMPACT BOSTON'S NETWORK OF GARDENERS AND FARMERS. I CONSIDER MYSELF A GROWER, BUT I'M UH IN SOME WAYS MORE OF AN EDUCATOR AND INFORMAL EXTENSION SERVICE IF YOU WILL AND MUCH
OF MY TIME IS SPENT ANSWERING QUESTIONS NOT ONLY FOR OUR YOUTH STAFF BUT PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO TO THE COMMUNITY OF GARDENERS AND FARMERS THAT GRAVITATE AROUND THE DEADLY GREENHOUSE FROM SCHOOL TEACHERS
ASKING FOR LESSONS ABOUT POLLINATION TO DAYCARE, SEEKING OUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEIR TODDLERS TO PLANT CHERRY TOMATOES ON OUR FARM WHICH IS HOW WE PLANT OUR CHERRY TOMATOES EVERY YEAR AND ALSO NEIGHBORS ASKING FOR CHICKENS ABOUT WHAT IS EATING THEIR
SPINACH. IT'S ALWAYS LEAF MINOR. I DO MY BEST TO ACCOMMODATE AS MANY REQUESTS AS POSSIBLE. I THINK THIS IS REALLY THE CORE PURPOSE OF AN URBAN FARMER AND I'M MOTIVATED BY WHAT OUR AND
OTHER RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT GROWING FOOD IS LIFE CHANGING BOTH FOR INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS COMMUNITY HEALTH. THE FOOD PROJECT STANDS WITHIN A FIELD THAT HAS ACADEMICALLY PROVEN THAT EVERY DOLLAR SPENT
ON URBAN AGRICULTURE IS A. DEPOSIT INTO THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACCOUNT. AND WE HAVE 30S LEFT. ALL. IT GOES VERY. QUICKLY SO I'M. >> JUST.
GOING TO SKIP A WHOLE LOT ABOUT WHAT I'M GOING TO JUST SAY QUICKLY. ONE OF. >> THE PROGRAMS THAT IS LIKELY TO BE CUT THROUGH THIS IS THE URBAN AGRICULTURE AMBASSADOR PROGRAM, WHICH IS A PROGRAM THAT GOES ACROSS MANY
NEIGHBORHOODS AND UH FOR US HAS BEEN A WAY OF REALLY UH, JUST HAD THIS HUGE MULTIPLIER EFFECT IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO REACH SO MANY MORE GARDENERS. AND SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT
WE JUST REALLY FEEL LIKE UH, THE THE THINKING OF THIS IS VERY SHORT SIGHTED AND THIS BALANCED BUDGET DOES NOT BALANCE THE BOOKS AND UNBALANCES OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND I HOPE YOU ALL COUNCILORS
WILL RECONSIDER, UH, AND PUSH BACK ON THIS BUDGET. OKAY. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. FOR ANYONE TESTIFYING WITH YOU, IT'S TWO MINUTES. IT JUST GOES BY VERY QUICK. MY ADVICE IS JUST TO LEAD WITH YOUR BEST SHOT AND THEN, UH,
YOU KNOW YOU KNOW YOU'LL BE YOU'LL BE DONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. UH, SO, UH, IS IT ANNABELLE? MR. YEAH. >> OKAY. >> SORRY. SO I'VE ANNABELLE AND MARK WINTER THEN OLIVIA MARTIN LISA EVANS OKAY, SO I'M JUST GOING
IN THE ORDER UH, THAT SO IF WE HAVE ANNABELLE, MARK, OLIVIA THEN LISA UH, AND THEN MATTHEW THERE'S ONE PERSON I'VE SIGNED UP JOY ONLINE WHO WILL BE AFTER
,UH, THE FOLKS WHO ARE HERE IN PERSON. SO, UH, ANNABELLE TWO MINUTES. HI, I'M ANNABELLE RUBIA. I'M A BOSTON RESIDENT AND, UM, I HELP SUPPORT THE NETWORK OF,
UH, 56 COMMUNITY GARDENS THROUGH THE TRUSTEES BOSTON COMMUNITY GARDENS, WHICH IS JUST A SUBSET OF THE COMMUNITY GARDENS IN THE CITY. OUR GARDENS. I'M HERE, UM, BEHALF OF OUR
4000 GARDENERS WHICH, UH, GROW FOOD FOR OVER 20,000 PEOPLE. UM, WHICH DOESN'T ACCOUNT TO OTHER DONATIONS OF FOOD THAT COME FROM THOSE GARDENS AND WE ENGAGE UP TO 20 12,000 PEOPLE
IN EDUCATIONAL AND FAMILY PROGRAMS AND UM, WE WANTED TO SPEAK TO THE IMPORTANCE OF GROW BOSTON'S GRANT FUNDING FOR OUR SUPPORT OF THE GARDEN.
SO THE SUPPLY GRANT EVERY YEAR UM OFFERS IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT FOR ALL THE COMMUNITY GARDENS INCLUDING SHEDS, TOOLS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT TO GROW ALL OF THE FOOD THAT THEY GROW THAT WHICH
THEY OTHERWISE CAN'T AFFORD. AND ANOTHER IMPORTANT PIECE I WANT TO UM, TOUCH ON IS THE FACT THAT I KNOW THAT A LOT OF THESE, UM, BUDGET CUTS WERE
TRYING TO AVOID CUTS IN STAFF AND LABOR UM, BUT ACTUALLY GRANT FUNDING ESPECIALLY GROW BOSTON TO GRANT FUNDING ALLOWS ME AND MY ROLE TO HIRE A LOT
OF CONTRACT LABOR UM OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS INCLUDING THE URBAN EGG AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE
WHO WE CONTRACT WITH REALLY RELY ON ON THE INCOME FROM THIS CONTRACT INCOME AND THAT I THINK IS TRUE OF THE GRANT FUNDING OVERALL. AND SO THIS IS IMPACTING
IMPORTANT AND POTENTIALLY MORE VULNERABLE JOBS IN OUR CITY. UM THE GARDENS AND URBAN FARMS ARE AS DANIELLE MENTIONED UM HAVE A LOT OF RETURNS THAT ARE
REALLY IMPORTANT FOR OUR PUBLIC SAFETY. THEY'RE UM SPACES FOR PEOPLE TO CONGREGATE AND SAFE WAYS. THERE'S AN IMMENSE $1.2 MILLION VALUE OF FOOD THAT'S GROWN EVERY YEAR.
MANY OF OUR GARDENERS SUBSIST ON THIS FOOD, SO THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM. THANK YOU. UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MARK? UH, YEAH. OKAY.
HEY, UH, MARK WINTER, THE CO FOUNDER AND OWNER OF RECOVER GREEN ROOFS. WE'VE WORKED WITH GRO BISON ON A ROOFTOP FARM WITH THE BOSTON
MEDICAL CENTER WHERE THEY'RE FEEDING PATIENTS, UH, WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR FOOD AS MEDICINE AND ALSO USING THE THERAPEUTIC POWER OF OF GARDENING.
UH, WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. I THINK WE ALL KNOW SOMEBODY WHO'S SUFFERING AND TO BIG CULPRITS TO MENTAL HEALTH ARE
BAD DIETS AND BEING STUCK INSIDE ON OUR PHONE LOOKING AT SCREENS AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE ANTIDOTE TO THAT,
UH, PROVIDING HEALTHY FOOD AND GETTING PEOPLE TO LOOK OUTSIDE AT NATURE AND THAT'S UH, IMPORTANT PART OF OUR HEALTH. HEALTH IS THE FOUNDATION
OF LIVES AND FOOD IS THE FOUNDATION OF HEALTH AND WE LIVE IN A DENSELY POPULATED CITY AND WE'VE PUSHED OUT OUR
AGRICULTURE FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY FROM OUR CITY. AND WHAT GRO BOSTON IS DOING IS BRINGING THAT AGRICULTURE, THAT FOOD SECURITY BACK TO THE PLACE
WHERE WE NEED IT THE MOST. AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT FOOD SECURITY BUT IT'S ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS AND THERE'S A SHORTAGE OF THAT RIGHT NOW
AND THANK YOU GROW BY US AND FOR FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING AND BEING A BEACON OF LIGHT AND UM I THINK GROW BOSTON NEEDS
MORE MONEY AND NOT LESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, OLIVIA? YES. >> YEP. AND THEN LISA AND THEN, UH, MATTHEW ELLIS. SO MY NAME IS OLIVIA MARTIN.
I LIKE TO KNOW WHO HAS THE JURIS DISTRICT OF THE BOSTON. HOUSING METRO HOUSING. MR DALE, LOOK AT ME, PLEASE. I'VE BEEN TO QUITE. >> A. FEW OF YOUR. >> MEETINGS ON. >> THE FIVE. >> YEAR PLAN.
AT THE LIBRARY. YOUNG LADY AT THE END I'VE GOTTEN YOUR CARDS. HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET IN CONTACT WITH YOU. MR FLYNN IS GONE.
SOMEONE NEED TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW I CAN GET A MOBILE VOUCHER. BUT MY MOBILE VOUCHER HAS NOT FOR RELOCATING ON IT. AND WHEN I GO OUT I FIND AN
APARTMENT. ALL OF A SUDDEN METRO HOUSING HAS FOUR OTHER LEASES ON THE SAME APARTMENT. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE IN 2023 I
WAS TAKEN TO COURT BY PROPERTY DESK ALL BY THE BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE ARE FOUR LEASES ON IT. MY RENT WAS $1,178.
HOW DO YOU TAKE ME TO COURT WHEN YOU'RE GETTING $2,100? I BROUGHT THAT TO THEIR ATTENTION ALL OF A SUDDEN THE OTHER DAY WHEN I WAS UP THERE.
MY RENT CHANGE YOU CAN'T DO THAT LEGALLY BY LAW NOW DEALING WITH BOSTON HOUSING. I'VE BEEN TO BOSTON HOUSING. MR YOUNG, LOOK AT ME PLEASE. BECAUSE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT
ENTITIES THAT YOU BRING IN HERE MAKE AND BELIEVE IS SEPARATE. WE KNOW THAT EVERY ONE OF THEM A STRONG BOSTON. HOUSING METRO HOUSING.
UH UH I-S-D INSPECTIONAL SERVICE YOUR SERVICE IS ALL UP UNDER THE CAP OF THE MAYOR. THERE IS NO WAY THAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN A VOUCHER
THAT'S MOBILE THAT SAYS NOT FOR RELOCATING. AND ALL OF A SUDDEN I'M. BUT NOVEMBER 2025 I'M ABLE TO RELOCATE.
THAT'S AT THE METRO. MISS, ARE WE ALLOWED TO CALL OUT NAMES? ARE WE ALLOWED TO SAY PEOPLE NAMES? UH. >> YOU CAN SAY PEOPLE'S NAMES I WOULD SAY I THINK SO I GET CALLS LIKE THIS.
I'M GOING TO BE HOMELESS COME THIS FRIDAY AND THE HOOD SAYS THAT A PERSON IS ENTITLED TO HAVE A MORE EXPENSIVE APARTMENT IF THEY CAN PAY THE DIFFERENCE.
THE PLACE THAT I AM AT RIGHT NOW IN OCTOBER OF 2025 METRO COUNCIL TOLD MY LANDLORD HOW. NOT TO RENEW MY LEASE KNOWING I
WOULD NEED A PLACE TO STAY. OCTOBER, NOVEMBER, DECEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY. MARCH THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN HOLDING AN APARTMENT. FOR ME. THAT IF I'M NOT OUTCOME.
FRIDAY I'M HOMELESS. WHY ARE Y'ALL MAKING ME HOMELESS? BOSTON HOUSING METRO HOUSING. MR D'ELIA YOU SAY Y'ALL GOT THIS MONEY AND TRUST ME, I HAVE THE DOCUMENTS TO PROVE
EVERYTHING THAT I'M SAYING. BY LAW WE NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT AND OPEN BECAUSE WHEN I USED TO LIVE IN DHS HOUSING, WHEN THE BUDGET COMES
OUT ON JULY 7TH, THEY WHOLE APARTMENTS UNTIL THE BUDGET COME OUT SO THEY CAN GET I LIVE ON THIS SIDE OF MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE AND I KNOW THAT THOSE
TWO YELLOW LINES IN THE MIDDLE A MESS AND WHEN THE MAYOR IS TALKING ABOUT BOSTON SHE'S TALKING ABOUT THE ONE ON THE RIGHT TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN BECAUSE THE MINUTE YOU CROSS THAT ASPHALT AND YOU'RE ON THAT OTHER.
YELLOW YOU'RE IN LOWER ROXBURY I SEE MR. WAIT A MINUTE, MAMA. STOP MISS MARTIN AND SO SO I HEAR YOU I THINK, UH, CHIEF DILLON PROBABLY HAS SOMEBODY
HERE OR CHIEF DILLON HERSELF CAN TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS ISSUE. NO, I WANT TO KNOW WHO HAS THE JURIST DISTRICT SO THAT I CAN
NO METRO SEND YOU TO BOSTON HOUSING BOSTON HOUSING IS THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION PLUS AGENT FOR THE MAYOR PLUS HOUSING. I WANT TO TAKE THESE PEOPLE INTO FEDERAL COURT BECAUSE ALL
THIS MONEY COMING INTO THIS CITY YOU'VE GOT TRUST FUND DIARIES, PENSIONS AND ALL OF THAT THAT THEY'RE PUTTING MONEY IN AND NOT PUTTING IT FOR OTHER PEOPLE. LET'S OPEN UP SOME OF THESE AND SEE WHAT IT'S MONEY IS THAT
SINCE THEY'RE GETTING ANYTHING THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HELP PEOPLE UNLESS YOU CAN GET ME A PLACE TO STAY BY. FRIDAY, YOU. CAN'T HELP ME BECAUSE METRO. BOSTON HOUSING IS TRYING TO MAKE ME HOMELESS. AND THE REASON THEY'RE DOING
THAT IS BECAUSE WHEN I PUT MY DOCUMENTS INTO STORAGE, THE FIRST THING PEOPLE ASK IS WHO, WHERE, WHERE, WHY AND HOW. IF I DON'T HAVE DOCUMENTS, THEY'RE DOCUMENTS TO PUT IN
THEIR FACE. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN WHAT I SAY IS WRONG. MR D'ELIA, YOU KNOW I PUT DOCUMENTS IN YOUR HAND EVERY MEETING THAT I TEND TO AT COPLEY. OKAY. >> MISS MARTIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I THINK THERE'S SOMEBODY FROM CHIEF DILLON'S OFFICE. I HAVE YOUR EMAIL. I'LL SEND YOU MY INFORMATION AND WE CAN TALK. UH, THERE ALSO THERE'S. I CAN SHOW YOU. WELL, UH, HAPPY TO HELP WHERE
WE CAN. WHAT DO YOU DO FOR PEOPLE THAT'S HOMELESS? I SEEN ALL THIS MONEY UP HERE. I'M TELLING YOU THAT COME FRIDAY I'LL BE IN THE STREET. WOODS MULLINS IS NOT GOING TO TAKE ME. WHY?
BECAUSE ON THE CORNER OF MAZUR AND HARRISON WHERE THE BUREAU OF HOMELESSNESS IS AT 715 AND YOU CAN'T FIND THAT DOOR UNLESS YOU GO IN THE BUILDING TO THE
SECOND FLOOR. I'M TALKING ABOUT THINGS I LIVE NOT ABOUT THINGS PEOPLE ARE PROJECTING TO SAY. I UNDERSTAND. LET'S SEE IF THEY CAN DO ANYTHING TO HELP YOU. I'LL BE IN TOUCH.
UH, AND I JUST, UH. SO MISS MARTIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TESTIMONY, BUT. THEY'RE GOING. >> TO HELP. >> ME. WITH MONEY, NOT CONVERSATION. OKAY? EVEN STILL YOUNG AND SAY WE'LL TALK LATER. I DON'T. WANT IT YET. KNOW THAT. >> WOULD WANT TO PLAY. THEY'RE GOING TO TALK TO YOU
RIGHT NOW. HOPEFULLY THEY CAN DO SOMETHING IF THEY IF THEY CAN'T WE'LL LOOK FOR SOMETHING ELSE. UH I KNOW THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING HAS HELPED SEVERAL OF MY CONSTITUENTS WHO WERE FACING IMMINENT HOMELESSNESS
AND, UH. I THINK. >> AND AND SO OKAY. UH, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TESTIMONY. UH, SO NEXT UP IS LISA EVANS AND THEN UH, MATTHEW ELLISON.
GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, MY NAME IS LISA. EVANS AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING WE GROW MICROGREENS A SMALL URBAN FARM IN HYDE PARK. THE OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY.
UM, I AM ALSO A RESIDENT OF ROSLINDALE, AS IS MY BUSINESS PARTNER TIM SMITH. UM, OUR FARM HAS BENEFITED FROM GRANT FUNDING FROM GROW FROM
GROW BOSTON IN THE WAY OF HYDROPONIC GROW TOWERS FOR GROWING LEAFY GREENS, A SMART PLAN, A SMART FLOWER WHICH IS A
RETRACTABLE SOLAR PANEL ARRAY THAT GENERATES SOLAR ENERGY FOR THE FARM AND ELECTRIC LOADER THAT ALLOWS US TO MOVE HEAVY
HEAVY OBJECTS LIKE SOIL. UH, IN ADDITION, WE HAVE BENEFITED FROM A GRANT TO BUILD RAISED GARDEN BEDS IN THE BACKYARDS OF FAMILIES IN OUR
NEIGHBORHOOD. THE USDA DEFINES A FARM AS ANY PLACE THAT PRODUCED AND SOLD AT LEAST $1,000 OF AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCTS DURING A GIVEN YEAR. THIS STANDARD, ESTABLISHED IN THE 1970S. INCLUDES HOBBY FARMS AND RURAL RESIDENCES WITH SMALL SCALE
PRODUCTION. SINCE THE 1950S THE NUMBER OF FARM OPERATIONS HAS DECLINED BY 3.75 MILLION.
THAT 66.4% THE NUMBER OF ACRES OF FARMLAND DECLINED BY 323 MILLION.
THAT'S 26.9% SLIGHTLY TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS IN THE NORTHEAST
,9254 FARMS HAVE BEEN LOST BETWEEN 2017 AND 2022. IN MASSACHUSETTS BETWEEN 2017 AND 2022 WE.
LOST 158 FARMS AND THIS IS ACCORDING TO THE AGRICULTURAL CENSUS. THIS IS IN CONTRAST TO RHODE ISLAND THAT GAINED 11 FARMS.
ACCORDING TO. >> THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, FARMERS ARE AGING. THEIR KIDS DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE FAMILY BUSINESS. THEY'RE RISING. COSTS. >> WHEAT PRICES AND A TRADE HIT
ARE PUSHING MORE FARMS TO THE BRINK AND MAKING THE SEARCH FOR THEIR SUCCESSORS HARDER THAN EVER. THOUSANDS ACROSS THE U.S ARE CLOSING. >> THE.
BOOK ON FARMS THAT HAVE BEEN IN THEIR FAMILIES FOR GENERATIONS EITHER BY SELLING TO A LARGER ENTITY OR DECLARING BANKRUPTCY
THE CITY OF BOSTON BY SUPPORTING SERVANT FARMING. SO I CAN CAN YOU WRAP IT UP? WE'RE OVER TWO MINUTES. THE CITY OF BOSTON BY SUPPORTING URBAN FARMING IS
HELPING TO ACT OF. HELPING TO CULTIVATE A NEW GENERATION OF FARMERS AND SUPPORTING FARMS. IT IS VITAL IT IS VITAL THAT THE INVESTMENT IN THESE SMALL
FARMS CONTINUES SO THAT A NEW GENERATION OF FARMERS CAN BE TRAINED. THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SMALL FARMS HAS CARRIED STEEP CONSEQUENCES ACROSS AMERICA.
THE TOUGH. ECONOMIES ARE MAKING THE SEARCH YET BE VERY CAREFUL. >> SORRY. I'M SORRY WE WERE WELL OVER TWO MINUTES. YOU REALLY JUST. ONE MORE SENTENCE. UM.
>> THE END RESULT WILL BE THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF FOOD. >> WILL BE QUIETLY MOVED TO BEING GROWN IN BRAZIL. THESE LITTLE URBAN FARMS HAVE IMPORTANCE AND VALUE IN THEIR
EXEMPLARY MODELS AND THEIR ABILITY TO TRAIN THE FUTURE FARMERS OF AMERICA. OKAY. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MATTHEW ALLISON TWO MINUTES. THANK YOU, COUNCIL FOR THE
OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. MY NAME'S MATTHEW. I'LL SEND OF BOSTON RESIDENT ALSO THE ASSISTANT FARM MANAGER AT THE URBAN FARMING INSTITUTE. I'M HERE WITH SOME OF OUR OTHER COLLEAGUES IN THE URBAN FARMING WORLD TO SUPPORT FULLY FUNDING
GROW BOSTON FOR THE NEXT YEAR. UM, OUR ORGANIZATION PROMOTES URBAN AGRICULTURE, ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOOD AS WELL AS COMMUNITY WELL-BEING IN DORCHESTER, ROXBURY, MATTAPAN. WE KNOW FIRSTHAND HOW IMPORTANT
THE ACCESS TO HEALTHY, NUTRITIOUS FOOD IS ESPECIALLY CULTURALLY RELEVANT FOOD IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND GROW BOSTON IS SUPPORT THIS MISSION UM THROUGH THEIR RAISED BED PROGRAM WHICH YOU'VE BEEN A RECIPIENT OF. THIS HAS ALLOWED US TO INSTALL
AND ASSEMBLE 45 RAISED GARDEN BEDS THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WE SERVE WITH A WAITLIST THAT'S DOUBLE THAT AND GROWING THESE BEDS TO PROVIDE SAFE, GROWING SOIL FOR RESIDENTS TO GROW FOOD THAT IS
FRESHER AND HEALTHIER AND MOST IMPORTANTLY TASTES BETTER THAN THE FOOD THEY CAN GET AT THE GROCERY STORE. SOME EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO RECEIVE THESE BEDS ARE A 97 YEAR OLD WHO IS GROWING FOR THE FIRST TIME, EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS WHO CAN PROVIDE CONTINUE LEARNING FOR THESE WITH THESE GREAT BEDS AND PEOPLE HOPING TO GET A TASTE OF HOME AND GROW THINGS LIKE CALLALOO AND HOT PEPPERS AND THE THINGS THEY REALLY LIKE TO FIND THAT THEY CAN'T FIND
ELSEWHERE, GROW BOSTON HAS ALSO SUPPORTED A MONTHLY GROWTH SERIES THAT WE RUN, UM, THAT PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS OPEN TO EVERYONE WHO WANT TO LEARN HOW TO GROW THEIR OWN FOOD, COMBINING ACCESS TO
GROWING SPACE WITH EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT EMPOWERS RESIDENTS TO GROW A SEASON'S WORTH OF FRESH VEGETABLES IN AN EIGHT BY FOUR BED UH, THAT THEY CAN DO IN THEIR DRIVEWAY IN THE SPARE ALLEYWAY A PLACE WHERE
OTHERWISE THE SOIL ISN'T SUFFICIENT TO GROW FOOD. CUTTING FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS LIKE THIS WOULD DRAMATICALLY IMPACT THE HEALTH AND ACCESS OF TO PEOPLE OF FOOD, ESPECIALLY AT A TIME WHEN WE ALL KNOW.
FOOD CONTINUES TO INCREASE IN PRICE. ACCESSIBILITY CONTINUES TO BE HARDER AND HARDER. UH, WE REALLY SUPPORT THE CONTINUED FUNDING OF GROW BOSTON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, DOES ANYONE HERE ALSO WANT
TO TESTIFY? NO. THAT'S THE END OF THE SIGN IN. OKAY, UH, ONLINE WE HAVE.
UH WE HAVE JOY ONLINE. IF YOU CAN HEAR ME SPEAK. WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. YES, I CAN HEAR YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WELL, YES. PERFECTLY. >> UH, YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES.
OKAY. >> THANK YOU. COUNCIL. UM, MY NAME IS JOY GARY. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF BOSTON FARMS COMMUNITY LAND TRUST. WE BUILD PRODUCTIVE ECOSYSTEMS IN AND THROUGHOUT THE BOSTON AREA AND MAKE THEM AVAILABLE TO
FARMERS WITHIN OUR CITY. WE'VE BUILT FIVE FARMS IN OUR TRACK TO BUILD A SIX. UM, AND THE FOOD FROM THESE FARMS FEEDS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS ACROSS THE CITY
AND FOR MANY THIS IS THEIR PRIMARY SOURCE OF FOOD. ADDITIONALLY, WE ARE UM, BUILDING BOSTON'S FIRST URBAN FARMING UM INCUBATOR PROGRAM GIVING FARMERS ACCESS TO LAND
AND TRAINING UM, THAT GIVES THEM THE KEY FEATURES TO BE A PART OF THE LOCAL ECONOMY. UM, I RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE AT A CRITICAL TIME IN OUR HISTORY
WHERE WE ARE SEEING INCREASING LEVELS OF CRISIS IN THE HEALTH AND FOOD, ENERGY AND HOUSING AND EVEN IN THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, UM, FOR OUR YOUTH.
UM, BUT IT'S IT'S VITALLY IMPORTANT, UM, FOR YOU AS STEWARDS OF OUR CITY'S BUDGETS TO VIEW PROGRAMS LIKE GRO BOSTON, THE OFFICE OF FOOD
JUSTICE AND MO AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAMS AS INVESTMENTS . UM, CONTINUING TO INVEST IN THESE PROGRAMS, UM, CREATES THE TYPES OF INFRASTRUCTURES THAT
ARE LEADING TO ECONOMIC UM AND HEALTH AND ECONOMIC RESILIENCE FOR OUR COMMUNITIES. FOOD, SHELTER, WATER SAFETY ARE ALL CRITICAL INVESTMENTS THAT
WHEN SHORT CUT WE WILL SEE THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF THEM UM WITH INCREASING LEVELS OF DISEASE, MENTAL HEALTH DECLINE, VIOLENCE AND POVERTY WILL MOVE FROM A
MERE UM UH, FOOD INSECURITY PROBLEM TO A PROBLEM OF STARVATION. UM, WE YES, REVENUE UM AND MARGINS ARE A CRITICAL PART
OF THE BUDGET BUT SO OUR VALUES HIGH REVENUE AND GREAT MARGINS ARE NEEDED. BUT HAVING NO VALUES WILL EQUATE TO FAILURE. THAT'S NOT JUST FOR THE LEADERSHIP OF THIS CITY BUT
ALSO FOR ITS PEOPLE. SO I IMPLORE YOU, UM, AS A CITY COUNCIL LEADERS TO RECONSIDER THE BUDGET AND ADD BACK THE MUCH NEEDED FUNDING FOR GOAL BOSTON THE OFFICE OF FOOD
JUSTICE AND THE FUNDS THAT SUPPORT UM MOM AND UH, THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST WITHIN THE CITY. THANK YOU. >> OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. UM, SO BEFORE WE GO TO A SECOND
ROUND OF QUESTIONS, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HEARD OLIVIA MARTIN. I MEAN, WHEN SOMEBODY IS EXPERIENCING, YOU KNOW, UNDER THREAT OF EVICTION AND LOSING
THEIR HOME, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THERE'S YOU YOU CAN'T JUST, YOU KNOW, UH, PUT THAT TO THE SIDE AND WHEN WE HEAR THAT
I'M SURE WHEN YOU HEAR THAT AND YOU HEAR MORE THAN WE DO BECAUSE UM UH AND I GUESS SO WITH WITH THE OPERATING BUDGET
GOING DOWN 9%, YOU KNOW, IT'S UH WHICH IS MORE THAN MOST, UH, OTHER DEPARTMENTS. I MEAN, HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THAT,
UH, YOU KNOW OR JUSTIFY HOW ARE YOU GOING TO BE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE LIKE, YOU KNOW, OLIVIA MARTIN WHO ARE FACING PROBLEMS ? WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SOLVE ALL THESE PROBLEMS.
UH, BUT WHEN WE HEAR YOU KNOW, YOU SAW ALL THE COUNSELORS KIND OF JUMPED UP AND YOU KNOW, UH, UM, BECAUSE YOU KNOW, ANYWAY,
IT'S SUCH A LIKE A BASIC HUMAN NEED TO HAVE A ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO THE OLIVIA MARTINS OF THE OF THE
CITY? YOU KNOW, I THINK THE. YOU KNOW, WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH MISS MARTIN AND OF COURSE FOLKS WERE, UH, JUMPING UP TO HELP
AND SO WE'LL GET THE STORIES AND WE'LL FOLLOW UP. PROBABLY NOT TODAY BUT CERTAINLY TOMORROW MORNING. SOUNDS LIKE SHE HAS A PROBLEM WITH HER METRO VOUCHER. SO IMMEDIATELY WE'LL WE'LL CALL OVER AND AND WE'LL SEE WHAT THE STATUS IS AND TRY TO WORK WITH
HER AS BEST WE CAN. UM SO THAT'S YOU KNOW THAT'S WHAT WE DO AND THIS HAPPENS YOU KNOW WITH WITH FREQUENCY UM SO WE WE DO THE BEST WE CAN AND WE
ALWAYS DO TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COBBLE TOGETHER RESOURCES OR A SOLUTION FOR FOR PEOPLE'S HOUSES THAT ARE HOUSING INSECURE. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S UM. EVERY YEAR I THINK WE ARE
LOOKING AT HOW TO SPEND OUR MONEY, UH, WISELY. UH, IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO BUILD NEW HOUSING, BUT WE'RE ALSO ALWAYS LOOKING AT HOW WE SET ASIDE IMPORTANT RESOURCES
TO IMMEDIATELY HELP THOSE THAT ARE IN HOUSING CRISIS. RIGHT. AND I THINK IT WAS INTERESTING WHEN KATHY SAID THAT THE BACK THE AVERAGE BACK RENT IS $3,800 ,RIGHT? SO WE WE ALWAYS NEED TO FIND
ENOUGH MONEY FOR THOSE FOR THOSE RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE BACK RENT SCENARIOS AND I DON'T KNOW THIS MARTIN SITUATION NOW I'LL HAVE TO WE'LL HAVE TO GET AN UPDATE. SO IT'S UM IT'S CONTINUING TO
BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE HOUSING THAT PEOPLE WITH, YOU KNOW, PHYSICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES THEY NEED AT THE SAME TIME, YOU KNOW, DEALING WITH THE CRISES BEFORE US.
SO IT'S IT'S UM YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST EVERY DAY I GOT TO HAND TO RICK, YOU KNOW, EVERY SINGLE DAY WE'RE COMING TO HIM WITH SOMETHING AND THERE'S A JUGGLING ACT GOING ON AND WE'RE JUST ALWAYS LOOKING AT WHERE
WAS THE STATE HAVE WHAT ARE THE FEDS HAVE WHAT DO WE HAVE YOU KNOW WHAT OUR PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS HAVE AND UH YOU KNOW EACH YEAR WE GET THROUGH IT UM WE'RE NOT ABLE TO ASSIST EVERY SINGLE PERSON BUT I DO
THINK EVERY CASE WE HEAR ABOUT WE'RE DOING OUR BEST TO FIND TO FIND A RELATIVELY DECENT SOLUTION. YEAH. >> I WILL SAY THAT WHEN I GET CALLS FROM FROM PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THAT I REACH
OUT TO DANIEL JOHNSON AND UH, THAT I WHEN I REACH BACK OUT TO THEM A COUPLE HOURS LATER THEY SAY OH I'VE GOTTEN A PHONE CALL, YOU KNOW, FROM THAT OFFICE AND THEY'RE HELPING ME. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I UH IT'S
THAT IT'S THOSE ARE THE HARDEST CALLS TO TAKE THEM. ABSOLUTELY. >> UH, WHETHER SOMEBODY'S GOING TO LOSE THEIR HOUSING. ABSOLUTELY I WOULD I WILL SAY I SAY IT NOW MORE BECAUSE MAYBE BECAUSE I'VE HAD A BIRD'S EYE VIEW FOR I'VE HAD THE THE I'VE
BEEN LUCKY I'VE HAD A BIRD'S EYE VIEW BUT BOSTON WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE WITHOUT THE MAYOR'S OFFICE OF HOUSING IT WOULD BE WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING RESOURCES. WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE PROGRAMS. WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE VERY
ORGANIZED NONPROFIT NETWORKS THAT WE RESPECT AND WORK SO WELL WITH IT. IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT PLACE. OKAY. >> UH, SECOND ROUND UH ONE QUESTION. YEAH, YEAH. UH, I'LL GIVE YOU 45 MINUTES.
UM, YEAH. SORRY TO KEEP YOU GUYS. I KNOW EVERYONE'S BUSY, UM, I GUESS WELL, WITH WITH THE GRO BOSTON TESTIMONY THAT WE'VE HEARD HERE TODAY AND I APOLOGIZE THAT I DIDN'T GET IT EARLIER HOW MUCH IS BEING
DECREASED FROM FROM BOSTON? UH, $430,000 TOTAL UM. DECREASE ABOUT FOUR BOSTON GRANTS UM, LEAVING $320,000 IN OF CITY FUNDING.
BOSTON ALSO GETS UM CDBG FUNDING FOR THEIR UM PRIMARILY FOR THEIR GRASSROOTS PROGRAM WHICH CREATES AND COMMUNITY GARDENS FOR VARIOUS OTHER OPEN SPACE PROJECTS. OKAY. >> SO THEY HAVE 320,000 LEFT
FOR THE YEAR SO IT'S OVER 50% BUDGET REDUCTION. THAT'S TOUGH. UM, I HAVE MADE IT A PRIORITY THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE LENS OF TRYING TO HAVE URBAN GARDENS EVERYWHERE.
AND I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN TO THE BMC ROOFTOP GARDEN AND HAVE SEEN THE IMPACT THAT IT'S MADE AND JUST WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR CARBON NEUTRALITY GOALS EVEN TO HAVE WHOLE NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO PEOPLE.
SO UM THAT IS A THAT IS A TOUGH CUT. UM, AND WHAT IS THE UM WHAT IS THE MAKEUP OF THE CUT THE 430,000. IT IT WAS THREE. THREE GRANT PROGRAMS ALTHOUGH AND YOU KNOW SHANI FLETCHER
WHO'S THE DIRECTOR OF ROBUST AND SITTING SITTING RIGHT OVER THERE UM I'LL CONFESS I, I CHATTED HER RIGHT AFTER I GAVE MY LAST ANSWER TO COUNCIL A LOUIJEUNE AROUND I WORK WITH LAND TRUST BECAUSE I FAILED TO MENTION A LOT OF THE WORK THAT
YOU HEARD ABOUT THAT WE DO WITH LAND TRUST ON THE ROBUST BOSTON FRONT AS WELL. I FOCUSED ON HOUSING. UM, BUT UH, THERE WERE THREE GRANT PROGRAMS THAT WERE OSTENSIBLY INCLUDED IN THAT REDUCTION UM EDUCATION
EDUCATION GRANTS, CAPACITY BUILDING AND A DESIGN A DESIGN FUND. SHANI AND HER TEAM EVERY YEAR LOOK AT THE FUNDING THAT THEY HAVE AVAILABLE AND TRY TO, YOU KNOW, ENSURE THAT IT'S BEING USED FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE PURPOSE.
SO UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT TO SAY LIKE WE LOOKING AT IT FOR 27 THEY MAY HAVE DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENT WITH THOSE WITH THOSE GRANT FUNDS BASED ON WHAT THEY WERE HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY AND FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT THEY WORK WITH. UM, BUT YEAH, IT IS A REDUCTION
WE ARE GOING TO LOOK IF IF YOU KNOW, AGAIN WE UNDERSTAND THE SITUATION THAT THE CITY IS FACING. UM, AND UH, YOU KNOW THAT THE BELT TIGHTENING THAT HAD TO HAPPEN TO BALANCE THE BUDGET UM ,IF THESE REDUCTIONS, YOU KNOW, STAY IN THE BUDGET WE
WILL LOOK WITHIN OUR OWN BUDGET. WE WILL LOOK AT PHILANTHROPY, WE WILL LOOK AT EXTERNAL SOURCES TO SEE IF WE CAN FREE UP OTHER FUNDS OR GENERATE OTHER REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE ROBUST UM PROGRAM. WE UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE TO THE TO TO THE
COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR THAT AND I APPRECIATE THE PHILANTHROPY. UM FOR UM PERSPECTIVE I KNOW THE BOSTON FOUNDATION IS IS VERY MUCH LOOKING INTO FOOD ACCESS AND I'M WONDERING IF
THERE'S WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN DOVETAIL WHAT THEY'RE DOING WITH THE OFFICE OF FOOD. JUSTICE JUST. >> TO TRY TO HELP AS MUCH AS WE CAN. BUT I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE ADVOCATES THAT SHOWED UP AND UM, TALKED ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT IS SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO ALL OF US. RIGHT? IT'S WE'RE JUST IN TOUGH TIMES
RIGHT NOW. UM, I THINK MY LAST QUESTION IS JUST ABOUT THE PERCENTAGE OF THE UM, FUNDING SHARE BUILDING BOTH RENTAL AND HOMEOWNERSHIP. UH, WHAT SHARE OF THAT A CITY
VERSUS STATE FUNDING, HOW THAT LANDSCAPE HAS CHANGED FOR FOR THE OFFICE UM, OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS IF IT HAS CHANGED SORRY CAN YOU. JUST LIKE. PERCENTAGE I'M SORRY. SHOULD THE UM THE SHARE OF HOW
MUCH MONEY WE'RE GETTING FROM FROM THE STATE TO HELP WITH. LIKE FOR. HOMEOWNERS TO. >> MONITOR HOMEOWNERSHIP. AND UM, AND RENTAL IF WE GET THOSE OFF. SO I THINK WE MIGHT HAVE TO
FOLLOW UP ON LIKE THE LAST YEAR OR TWO YEARS, YOU NAME IT, WE WE CAN GET YOU ON EACH PROJECT WE CAN TOTAL LIKE HOW MUCH WE'RE PUTTING IN VERSUS THE STATE AND OTHER RESOURCES.
WE LOOK AT THAT A LOT. I JUST DON'T HAVE IT HERE BUT WE CAN. UM IT'S UM HOMEOWNERSHIP IS CERTAINLY MORE EXPENSIVE TO FOR US BECAUSE THERE'S FEWER RESOURCES FOR HOME AFFORDABLE
HOMEOWNERSHIP IT'S IT'S MORE WAGE AND THE STATE UM SO AND UM WE DID JUST GET UH I IT'S ON PUBLIC YET BUT WE JUST UH THEY JUST HAD AROUND AND WE WE
RECEIVED THE MAJORITY OF OF THAT FUNDING ROUND SO IT'S GOOD SO WE WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH THEM ON HOMEOWNERSHIP. BUT I WILL GET YOU CERTAINLY A BREAKDOWN OF LIKE WHAT WE'RE PUTTING IN BOTH HOMEOWNERSHIP
AND RENTAL AND THEN WHAT THE STATE IS PROVIDING. THANK YOU THANK YOU CHAIR OKAY. UH AND FOR THE OTHER UH ADVOCATES WHO SHOWED UP, I HAD SOMEBODY WHO HAD A PLOT AT 60 PAUL GORE STREET FOR YEARS AND
IS LOOKING TO GET BACK IN THERE. I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT AND THESE COMMUNITY GARDEN SPACES ARE AND THE GOOD THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH FOR FOR EVERYONE.
SO I, UH, YOU KNOW, I I I IT'S HARD TO HEAR THAT THOSE PROGRAMS ARE BEING CUT AS WELL. UM UH. NOBODY OKAY. UM UM SO I GUESS THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
UM, SEE ANYONE ELSE? UH. AND SO. OH, NO. YEAH. UH, I JUST WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO SHOWED UP TODAY, UH, AND GAVE THEIR TESTIMONY AND FOR THE PANELISTS FOR FOR
BEING HERE AND FOR THE REALLY, YOU KNOW, VITAL WORK THEY'RE DOING FOR THE PEOPLE OF BOSTON . SO UH, WITH THAT SAID, UH, THIS AFTERNOON'S HEARING IS NOW ADJOURNED. THANK YOU.
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