AMERICAN RESCUE

PLAN ACT:

ANNUAL RECOVERY

PLAN

State and Local Fiscal

Recovery Funds

August 31, 2021
CONTENTS

1. General Overview 3

I. Executive Summary 3

II. Use of Funds 4

III. Promoting Equitable Outcomes 10

IV. Community Engagement 13

V. Labor Practices 15

VI. Use of Evidence 16

VII. Table of Expenses by Expenditure Category 16

2. Project Inventory by Expenditure Category 19

I. Public Health 19

COVID-19 Vaccinations 19

COVID-19 Testing 21

Personal Protective Equipment 23

Digital Infrastructure for City Services 25

Boston Public Health Commission Staffing Support 

Mental Health Services (Part 1) 28

Mental Health Services (Part 2) 30

Substance Use Services (Low Threshold) 32

Substance Use Services (Target Areas) 35

Substance Use Services (Workforce Development) 37

Substance Use Services (Harm Reduction) 40

Substance Use Services (HIV) 42

II. Negative Economic Impacts 44

Food Access Community Grants 44

Boston Food Sovereignty Program 48

Boston School Food Distribution Without Cost 51

Public Housing Food Assistance 54

Mortgage Relief Program 57

Basic Needs Assistance for Families Not Eligible for Previous COVID-19 Benefits 

Cash Assistance to Individuals Facing Housing Insecurity 62

Digital Equity in Public Housing 65

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Workforce Digital Literacy 67

Young Adult Job Opportunities (19-24) 70

Green Jobs Program 74

Workforce and Career Development for Creative Workers 78

Direct Support for Creative Workers 80

Commercial Rental Relief Fund 83

Small Business Relief Fund 2.0 86

High Roads Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund (Restaurant Revitalization Fund) 89

All Inclusive Boston Campaign 92

Reopen Creative Boston Fund 95

III. Service to Disproportionately Impacted Communities 97

Boston Public Schools Student Behavioral Health Supports 97

Boston Public Schools Family Mentoring and Leadership 100

Childcare Business Development 103

Workforce Hiring and Retention for Childcare Sector 106

Acquisition Opportunity Program 109

Additional Land Acquisition Opportunities 112

Credit Booster Program 115

First Generation Marched Saving Homebuyer Program 117

Housing Search and Stabilization Services for BHA Vouchers 120

Housing Pilot for Families Impacted by Violence 122

Green Residential Building Retrofits 1

Social Determinant of Health Community Grant Program 126

Traffic Calming and Street Safety Improvements 1

Community Violence Intervention Program (Part 1) 131

Community Violence Intervention Program (Part 2) 135

IV. Premium Pay 137

V. Infrastructure 137

VII. Administrative and Other 137

Creating Language Access for Federal Funding 137

Evaluation and Data Analysis 140

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1. GENERAL OVERVIEW

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Mayor Kim Janey envisions an equitable and resilient recovery for Boston from the COVID-19

pandemic, and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) is a critical resource to help make that a

reality. As of August 31, 2021, the City of Boston has suffered 1,406 deaths from COVID-19 and

over 76,036 infected cases. In addition, widespread economic losses have occurred across

multiple sectors, with nearly 100,000 jobs lost at the height of the pandemic. Working families

with children have been deeply affected by the disruption to in-person public schooling. The

impacts of these losses have disproportionately impacted low-income families, communities of

color, and communities of primarily foreign born residents.

Overall, the City of Boston can expect to receive $558 million from ARPA State and Local Fiscal

Recovery Funds. To date, $136.5 million has been budgeted to help catalyze recovery for all

Boston residents.

An initial $81.5 million in funding has been allocated to meet the urgent needs of Boston

residents. Roughly 83% of this allocation has been used to provide immediate relief, split between

combating the negative economic impacts of COVID and providing services to disproportionately

impacted communities. An additional 17% of the funds has gone directly to public health. Overall,

the greatest investment of funds at this time has been used to keep Boston residents in their

homes, directing $22 million to preserve affordable housing. Our second largest investment has

been $16.5 million to provide economic assistance to the City’s small businesses. The City has also

addressed other social determinants of health, provided COVID-19 vaccination and testing

services, and assisted Boston residents facing the combined crisis of substance use disorder and

the pandemic, among other uses of funds.

In addition to the health and economic losses experienced by our residents, the City of Boston

experienced a significant loss of revenue largely driven by the declines in the tourism a

hospitality industries. These declines resulted in the loss of excise tax revenue from hotel room

occupancy, meal taxes, and aircraft fuel. Revenue losses were also driven by a reduction in

building permits and parking fines. To address some of these losses $55 million was allocated f

revenue replacement. The revenue replacement will be transferred to the City’s general fund to

provide for government services and prevent public-sector lay-off, as well as allow for

investments in post-covid recovery efforts such as sector-specific job training efforts, expandi

public transit options, and bolstering food and homelessness prevention programs

While directing the use of revenue replacements and the $81.5 million in funding to meet urgent

needs, the City concurrently began developing a transformative plan for the use of the remaining

dollars over the next four years, recognizing that this funding represents a once-in-a-generation

investment capable of transforming our City’s future. This process began with a steering

committee of City leaders who are working together with Mayor Kim Janey to identify the gaps

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and inequities worsened by COVID-19 and identify goals, strategies, and focus areas to combat

these inequities. The three key gap areas identified were (1) public health, (2) wealth, and (

wages. Broad goals and focus areas were then identified for each of these three gap/inequi

areas.

For public health, the overall goal is to strengthen the health and well-being of residents. This

begins first and foremost with the City’s continued efforts to combat the pandemic but al

addresses other public health crises that were pre existing in Boston and deeply exacerbated by

the pandemic. Thus, our three focus areas are (1) food insecurity, (2) the opioid crisis, and (3)

violence prevention.

To address the wealth gap, our goal is to close Boston’s wide racial wealth gap, which was

exacerbated by the disproportionate unemployment experienced by communities of color at the

height of the pandemic. The focus area here is to expand access to capital for both

homeownership and business ownership.

To address gaps and inequities in wages, our third key gap identified, the City is investing in t

workforce of the future by focusing on the expansion of digital access and digital literacy

training, creating more family living wage opportunities, and developing career training

programs specifically geared towards emerging technologies and industries in our City. J

training will include green jobs that will provide good paying jobs for residents and equip the City

with the workforce Boston needs to meet our ambitious climate resiliency goals for both

adaptation and mitigation.

Across investments that address one of these three gaps, the City will prioritize solutions that

either help those industries hardest hit during this pandemic and / or are critical to Boston’s long

term health and recovery. For example, projects that boost climate resiliency and the arts are key

priorities across all goals in order to ensure a resilient recovery.

To ensure that our strategy to address these gaps is best informed by the needs of our residents,

the City has designed a comprehensive community engagement plan through our “Let’s Go

Better” active listening campaign. The City will host at least eight public meetings on focus areas

representative of our gaps and goals, including the opioid epidemic, violence and trauma

prevention, food insecurity, small business support, home ownership, childcare, career training,

and internet access. In addition to the listening sessions the City will utilize digital tools including

online surveys and feedback through our 311 service. The listening campaign is supported in part

by a group of community leaders who the City has gathered to help inform our decision making.

These leaders form “Boston’s Equitable Recovery Taskforce”, a group of over 30 community

leaders representing organizations from sectors including, community health, education,

non-profit services and private industr

To request additional translation, please contact noreily.cirino@boston.gov and LCA@boston.gov.

II. USE OF FUNDS

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The City of Boston is taking a holistic approach and using a variety of funding sources to support

a strong and equitable recovery. To date $136.5M has been allocated across 41 projects. This fir

portion of allocated funds was used to address the gaps that were identified early on in t

pandemic. The funds were rapidly put to use to stem off some of the urgent health and economic

impacts over the past year. To see how these funds are being put to work, please visit our

American Rescue Plan Projects public dashboard on boston.gov/recover. A snapshot of the

dashboard is below in FIgure 1.

Figure 1: American Rescue Plan Act Projects Dashboar

Now, the City is looking to use the remaining funds to address the Health, Wealth, and Job gaps

that have widened during the pandemic. To further understand these gaps, the City is

undertaking an extensive community engagement process called the “Let’s Go Better: Listening

Campaign” to incorporate feedback from individuals and communities within Boston. Ultimately,

this feedback will be used to develop several plans that can address these gaps, with a particular

emphasis on equitable outcomes. The goal is to use the remaining funds most effectively by

identifying intersectional solutions to these problems. Additionally, these investments won’t be

considered in isolation, but will be part of broader investments that will be made from a variety of

funding sources, including the City’s operating budget, other federal, state and private resources.

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Public Health (EC 1):

Public Health has been and will continue to be a primary focus on how to use the American

Rescue Plan Act recovery funds. To date, $14 million has been allocated towards Public Health.

Initiatives funded by this allocation include $6.45 million in COVID testing and vaccinations, $5M

in substance use services, $1 million in Mental Health Services, $1 million in Digital Infrastructure,

and hundreds of thousands of dollars in PPE and additional Public Health Staffing. The

investments were made to address the immediate needs facing Boston during the COVID crisis.

More details on the two largest allocations in this category are below:

COVID Testing and Vaccinations

Funding services and programs to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19, including

additional mobile vaccination efforts, vaccine ambassador program, outreach and communication

efforts, and vaccine incentive programs. Additionally, funding will also be used for continued

COVID-19 testing.

Substance Use Services

Services to address substance use disorder exacerbated by the pandemic, including Mass & Cass

expenses related to direct outreach and expansion of service hours, and specific outreach 

vulnerable populations on substance use disorder.

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

COVID-19 had a significant impact on Boston’s local economy. To address this, the City of Bost

has already allocated $33.6M in initiatives to support an economic recovery. The initiatives

funded are; $8M for Small Business Fund 2.0, $7.5M in Commercial Rental Relief, $1M for the

all-inclusive Boston campaign and $500K for the High Roads Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund.

More details on each initiative are below:

Small Business Fund 2.0

The proposed grant program (SBRF 2.0) would reopen the Small Business Relief Fund and issue

grants up to $15,000 to at least 500 businesses. These grants would be designed to help small

businesses in the hardest hit industries cover all business expenses to help their recovery and

growth. To date, the Small Business Fund has issued $6.7 million in grants to 1,850+ businesses.

Commercial Rental Relief Fund

The Commercial Rental Relief Fund was designed to stabilize small businesses and prevent

commercial displacement due to the pandemic. An additional $7.5 million investment from the

City would meet existing demand and support an additional 700 businesses and landlords. To

date, the Commercial Rental Relief Fund has issued $3.7 million to 350+ businesses.

All-Inclusive Boston Campaign

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This additional investment in Boston’s All-Inclusive Campaign will accelerate the recovery of the

tourism, travel, and hospitality sectors, with a focus on a more “All-Inclusive Boston,” through

advertisements, creative development and community outreach.

High Roads Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund

The COVID-19 High Road Kitchens Restaurant Relief Fund helps restaurant owners to retain or

rehire their employees or other foodservice employees who have lost employment or been

underemployed due to COVID-19. To date, the Fund has issued $555,000 to 38 restaurants.

Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities (EC 3):

An equitable recovery means targeting our services to Boston’s disportionately impacted

communities. For our immediate recovery needs, the City has allocated $33.4 million to our

hardest hit communities, with a strong focus on preserving affordable housing, addressing key

social determinants of health, and supporting our childcare entrepreneurs, students and

neighborhoods with critical safety interventions.

Acquisition Opportunity Program

A $20 million investment into this program will allow City partners to acquire and preserve

occupied buildings as affordable housing in our hardest hit neighborhoods. This will help to

increase affordable housing inventory, protect rental housing stock, and prevent displacement

across Boston neighborhoods.

Social Determinants of Health

To build on the Health Inequities Task Force’s Health Equity Now Plan, the City is dedicating $2.5

million for a community grant program to tackle the social determinants of health and the

systemic health and economic inequities that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. This will

be focused on low-income families and communities of color disproportionately impacted by the

pandemic.

Childcare Workforce & Entrepreneurship

The City and its partners will expand our Childcare Entrepreneur Fund and other childcare

supports through a $2 million investment for the hardest hit neighborhoods and families across

the City. This will help promote healthy childhood environments, including new or expanded

child care, by supporting family child care providers in reaching full enrollment through

improved marketing and recruiting and in expanding their capacity as the economy reopens.

Student Behavioral Health Supports

Boston Public Schools will expand student and family support with a $1.6 million investment to

ensure a full-time social worker can be hired in every school and another $400,000 investment to

support family mentoring and leadership programs.

Neighborhood Slow Streets Program

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The Boston Transportation Department will expand the existing Slow Streets program with a $2

million investment that focuses on improving street safety at the neighborhood level, with an

emphasis on long-lasting improvements for safety and quality life in the most vulnerable

neighborhoods.

Premium Pay (EC 4) and Water, Sewer, and Broadband Infrastructure (EC 5):

To date, the City of Boston has not allocated any funds to Premium Pay or Water, Sewer, and

Broadband Infrastructure.

Revenue Replacement (EC 6):

The City of Boston has calculated a significant loss in general fund revenue due to the COVID-

pandemic, much more than the $55 million initially allocated for revenue replacement. City

general fund revenue closely aligned with the tourism and hospitality industries was dramatically

impacted, including excise taxes for hotel room occupancy, meals taxes and aircraft fuel.

Additionally, overall COVID-19 operational disruptions and stay at home orders significant

reduced revenue for building permits and parking fine

The revenue replacement will be transferred to the City’s general fund to provide for government

services and prevent public-sector lay-offs but also allows for investments in post-covid recovery

efforts such as sector-specific job training efforts, expanding public transit options, bolster fo

and homelessness prevention programs.

Other Federal Recovery Funds

Figure 2: Available Resource

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While the $558 million investment in Boston expected from the American Rescue Plan Act is a

once-in-a-generation opportunity, it is not the only available resource for an equitable recovery.

Other recovery funds include the FY22 operating budget, bolstered by $55 million in revenue

replacement through the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds will be transferred to the City’s

general fund to provide for government services and prevent public-sector lay-offs but also

allows for investments in post-covid recovery efforts such as sector-specific job training effort

expanding public transit options, supporting food and homelessness prevention programs.

Starting in FY20 with the creation of an emergency overflow hospital at the Boston Conventi

Center (temporarily rebranded as Boston Hope Medical Center), Boston began tracking costs for

reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided through the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts for costs related to COVID-19 such as emergency feeding,

homeless sheltering and personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders. FEMA cos

are currently estimated at $14 million.

In March 2020 the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) provided $121

million for the Coronavirus Relief Fund used for public safety payrolls, economic support for new

unbudgeted youth jobs, emergency food, unemployment costs, distance learning technology and

curriculum, public health measures, COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, vaccination programs,

PPE and small business support. CARES also provided $32 million in K-12 education aid through

the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER I) program. The Coronavirus

Relief Bill in December 2020 provided an additional $123 million for ESSER II for K-12 education

and $20.7 Million for Emergency Rental Assistance. In addition to ARPA State & Local Fiscal

Recovery Funds (SL-FRF), APRA provides an additional $276 million for ESSER III for K-12

education and an additional $30 million for Emergency Rental Assistance.

Remaining ARPA Funds

For the ARPA funds that have not yet been programmed, the City is currently conducting a

community engagement campaign (detailed in Section IV below) in order to understand how

Boston can best close the gaps in our recovery. Mayor Janey has empowered an external

taskforce to utilize public feedback and advise the City on the final ARPA recommendation

which she will announce later this fall.

The intended use of the these funds will be to help the City of Boston make significant progre

on closing the public health disparities exacerbated by COVID-19, closing the racial wealth gap

that impacts how communities can weather a financial crisis, and training our workforce for t

future jobs and industries that will help them earn a stable and living wage.

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Figure 3: Mayor Janey’s Vision for Federal Fundin

For public health, the overall goal is to strengthen the health and well-being of residents. This of

course includes continued efforts to combat the pandemic but also addresses other public health

crises that were pre existing in Boston and deeply exacerbated by the pandemic. Thus, our three

focus areas are (1) food insecurity, (2) the opioid crisis, and (3) violence prevention.

To address the wealth gap, our goal is to close Boston’s wide racial wealth gap, which was

exacerbated by the disproportionate unemployment experienced by communities of color and

frontline workers at the height of the pandemic. The focus area here is to expand access to

capital for both homeownership and business ownership.

To address gaps and inequities in wages, our third key gap identified, the City is investing in t

workforce of the future by focusing on the expansion of digital access and digital literacy

training, creating more family living wage opportunities, and developing career training programs

specifically geared towards emerging technologies and industries in our City. Job training will 

specifically focused on the green jobs that will provide good paying jobs for residents and equ

the City with the workforce Boston needs to meet our ambitious climate resiliency goals for both

adaptation and mitigation.

The City will prioritize solutions that boost climate resiliency and the arts across all goals in order

to ensure a resilient recovery. This is to ensure the City targets funding to the people & industries

(e.g. Arts & Culture) most impacted by COVID and those issue areas most aligned with future city

crises (e.g. climate resiliency & carbon neutrality).

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III. PROMOTING EQUITABLE OUTCOMES

From the beginning of the pandemic, the City of Boston has prioritized equity in responding to

the immediate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the long term effects and recovery.

The City has closely analyzed health and economic impacts by age, race, ethnicity, immigration

status, gender, neighborhood, and industry. The City has also sought input and listened to

impacted communities, area experts and stakeholders through surveys, the Health Inequities

Task Force, the Food Access Agenda, and the Boston Resiliency Fund. Based on both the data

analysis and community input, the following areas have been identified as focus areas for AR

funds since they were the most impacted:

● Health Impacts: The Latinx/Hispanic population experienced the highest rate of illness

while the Black/African American population suffered the highest rate of death;

● Economic Impacts: The Retail trade and accommodations/food services industries were

heavily impacted by the shutdowns and shifts in economic activity during the pandemic.

The Black/African American and Latinx/Hispanic populations suffered the greatest

unemployment and East Boston, Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester suffered the

greatest neighborhood economic impact; and

● Other Hardships: Female headed households increased their financial and childca

burdens while Black/African-American and Latinx/Hispanic households were more likely

to lack internet access, have children, and have a single parent -therefore harder hit by

remote schooling.

Underlying all of these impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of lower

income residents to both the economic and healthcare shocks so our approach to the funding, as

outlined above will prioritize financial stability for all of the groups outlined above. As Bost

both designs interventions and measures their impact, the City will continue to disaggregate

both inputs and outcomes by age, race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, neighborhood, and

industry.

While many programs funded by ARPA will specifically target disproportionately impact

communities, the City of Boston knows that program design and measurement alone will not be

sufficient to reach our hardest hit residents. Many of our residents face differing levels of acce

to government resources and some face significant barriers in learning about potential reli

programs due to:

● Language and Communications challenges, including persons who speak a Language

Other Than English (LOTE) and persons with a disability such as persons who identify as

blind or have low vision and persons who are deaf or hard or hearing;

● The Digital Divide and lack of access to the internet;

● Being foreign born and lacking a formal immigration status which limits qualification f

some programs and fear of unintended repercussions; and

● The multitude of news and trusted information sources for our most impacted

communities.

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Additionally, due to immigration status, many of our hardest hit residents were not able to qualify

for PPP and other government relief programs despite the fact that immigrants make up a large

percentage of our essential workers and suffered some of the greatest impacts from the

pandemic. The City plans on developing programs that can promote household and

neighborhood stability without jeopardizing anyone's safety or immigration process.

Communicating with and hearing from our hardest hit residents has been central to our

approach thus far and will continue to be a priority to ensure that Boston residents can easily

access resources that they desperately need. Given all of these considerations the City has

designed a layered approach to overcoming the barriers outlined above. The City has provided

translation and interpretation for programs rolled out to date and the Mayor also offers frequent

COVID response and recovery press conferences that offer ASL interpretation. Additionally the

City works with trusted community leaders and local media outlets to ensure key information is

reaching far and wide. Lastly, for our upcoming community engagement campaign the City has

created multilingual paper flyers and have provided an option for call-in numbers to ensure 

internet-enabled device is not required for participation. Our community engagement plan for

ARPA specifically is outlined more fully in the following sectio

During the pandemic, the City of Boston had to mobilize a large number of initiatives to get

funding to a number of individuals struggling with issues such as back rent, food and food

access. The City also made funding available to small businesses that needed to pay their

commercial rent, and needed to obtain personal protective equipment (PPE). Since the

distribution of funds was often based on applications, the City wants to ensure that Boston is

maximizing our outreach and asking the right questions to facilitate equitable distribution and

representation so that the funding goes to the most impacted residents in ways that are equitable

and measurable.

Language and Communication Accessibility

Throughout the pandemic, language and communication accessibility was prioritized. With ARPA

funding, the City intends on continuing to elevate the needs of our communities whose primary

language is other than English and residents that are unable to see or hear. Being able to

communicate how the ARPA funds are being spent and how residents can access ARPA funding in

real time is a goal that the City seeks to achieve and maintain.

Geographic and Demographic Distribution of Funding

From the Boston Resiliency Fund to the Rental Relief Fund, the City has tracked geographic and

demographic distribution of funds and resources throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, as

the city and its residents begin to recover, the City is building on the lessons learned from that

past experience to improve our outreach to disproportionately impacted communities. Already,

$33.4 million of the allocated funds to date are reserved for disproportionately impacted

communities, which the City is considering through the lenses of neighborhood, race/ethnicity,

gender, business sector, socioeconomic status, and place of birth. In addition, all City projects

with ARPA funding will be required to submit information on how they will promote equitable

CITY OF BOSTON 12
outcomes (language access plans, etc.) before implementation and then report publicly on

demographic and geographic distribution of funds.

Building on Existing Initiatives

Health Equity Now Plan

The pandemic highlighted already existing inequities and unfair burdens that some residents

were already facing prior to COVID-19. In particular, COVID-19 exacerbated health inequities that

exist when looking at the social determinants of health. With the convening with community

stakeholders the Health Equity Now Plan was developed and provides a community led roadmap

towards addressing the existing health and social inequities. The City seeks to take this plan, align

it with existing initiatives that are focused on addressing and increasing equity, and use the plan

as a guide to develop new programming to help alleviate and prevent inequities

Digital Equity Fund

Being able to access reliable broadband, especially during the pandemic, is a crucial component

of our recovery efforts. During the pandemic it became apparent that there would be heavy

reliance on the internet and that broadband access and equipment would be a necessity. The City

seeks to increase access for our most vulnerable populations, including senior citizens, as well as

school-aged children. The City also recognizes that digital literacy is an important component of

digital equity and seeks to ensure that resources are provided towards this.

Food Access Agenda

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing food security issues, especially among

communities of color, highlighting a need to reassess any changes in food security needs in

Boston. In fall of 2020, a community-led process resulted in the Mayor’s Food Access Agenda,

which provides recommendations and implementation strategies for the future. The City will

leverage these recommendations to address food insecurity in Boston.

IV. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

From the very beginning of the pandemic, the City has directly engaged with residents and

stakeholders, through the Health Inequities Task Force, the Boston Food Access Council, and the

Small Business surveys and weekly calls.

In addition, BPDA Research’s data analysis confirms what the City heard from residen

throughout the pandemic. East Boston, Mattapan, Roxbury, Dorchester and Hyde Park had the

highest estimated rates of unemployment of residents and the highest rates of confirm

COVID-19 infections. Boston’s Black and Latino residents experienced disproportionate health

and economic impacts, and Asian residents suffered due to language barriers, immigration status

and hateful discrimination. These findings plus engagements conducted by various departmen

within the City of Boston allowed the City to move swiftly in identifying gaps in services and

develop the first allocations of funds as described in Section I

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For the remaining funds, the City of Boston is actively seeking diverse feedback from constituents

and stakeholders through our active listening campaign, “Let’s Go Better”. As part of this

engagement process, there will be at least eight public meetings on various focus areas including,

opioid epidemic, violence and trauma prevention, food insecurity, small business support,

homeownership, childcare, career training, and internet access. In addition to these community

meetings, the City of Boston will utilize digital tools including capturing written and oral

feedback through 311 and online surveys. The City of Boston will also seek to capture input by

meeting people where they are. Conversations at community events including coffee hours,

existing community meetings, vaccine drives, and back to school events (just to name a few) will

be incorporated into the decision process.

Figure 4: Let’s Go Better Flye

To ensure that there is significa

participation in the “Let’s Go Better”

campaign, the City will work with local

community leaders to publicize events.

There will be a particular focus on driving

engagement from communities that were

disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as

described above. Translation services will be

available to residents at community

meetings and documents/fliers are availab

in multiple languages to ensure every voice

can be heard. Additionally, for each topic

stakeholder groups (experts, activists,

communities most impacted by the topic)

will be specifically invited to provide inpu

The feedback that is gathered from

community events, survey responses,

conversations, and 311 calls will be shared

with Boston’s Equitable Recovery Taskforce,

a group of over 30 community leaders

representing organizations from sectors

including, community health, education,

non-profit services and private industr

The task force members include:

● Aisha Francis, CEO, Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology

● Andrea Swain, Executive Director, Yawkey Club of Roxbury

● Ayele Shakur, CEO, BUILD

● Bob Giannino, CEO, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley

● Bob Luz, CEO, Mass Restaurant Association

● Catherine D’Amato, President and CEO of Greater Boston Food Bank

● Corey Thomas, CEO, Rapid7

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● Daniel J. Hunt, State Representative, 13th Suffolk District; Chairperson, House Committee

on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight

● Denella Clark, President, Boston Arts Academy Foundation

● Darlene Lombos, Executive Secretary and Treasurer, Greater Boston Labor Council

● Elsie Taveras, Pediatrician and Chief Community Health Equity Officer, Mass Gener

Brigham

● Emilio Dorcely, CEO, Urban Edge

● Emily Ruddock, ED, MASSCreative

● Frederica Williams, CEO, Whittier Street Health Center

● Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director, Foundation for Business Equity

● Gustavo Quiroga, Director of Neighborhood Strategy and Development, Graffi

● Jacquetta Van Zandt, Vice President of Engagement-The Partnership, Inc

● Jaimie McNeil, General Agent, UNITE HERE Local 26

● Jim Rooney, President and CEO, GB Chamber of Commerce

● Joel Sklar, Board Chair, Boston Main Streets; Principal, Samuels and Associates

● Kalila Barnett, Program Officer, Climate Resilience, Barr Foundati

● Karen Chen, Executive Director, Chinese Progressive Association

● Lew Finfer, Co-director, Massachusetts Communities Action Network

● Manny Lopes, President and CEO, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center

● Michael Curry, President and CEO, Mass League of Community Health Centers; Co-Chair,

COVID 19 Health Inequities Task Force

● Michael Flaherty, Boston City Councilor, At-Large

● Pam Kocher, President, Boston Municipal Research Bureau

● Quincy Miller, President, Eastern Bank

● Sam Acevedo, Executive Director, Boston Higher Education Resource Center

● Segun Idowu, Executive Director, Black Economic Council of MA (BECMA)

● Stacy Thompson, Executive Director, Liveable Streets

● Suzanne Lee, Former Principal, Josiah Quincy School; President Emeritus, Chinese

Progressive Association

● Symone Crawford, Director of Homeownership Education, MAHA

● Tomas Gonzalez, COO, Core Cannabis

● Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, CEO, Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion

● Willie Broderick II, Senior Pastor, Twelfth Baptist Church

The task force will use public feedback to inform recommendations for a plan that will be

presented to the Mayor. The Mayor will use the Task Force’s input to put forth a comprehensive

plan for the remaining funds. That plan will be followed by a comment period with further

community meetings. The final plan will be updated to incorporate feedback from the communi

that is gathered during the comment period. The goal is to have a final plan by the end of th

calendar year.

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Figure 5: Community Engagement Proces

V. LABOR PRACTICES

To date, the City of Boston has not allocated ARPA funds for any infrastructure projects in

broadband, water, and/or sewer (EC 5). On future projects, the City is committed to using strong

labor standards to promote effective and efficient delivery of high-quality infrastructure projec

while also supporting the economic recovery through strong employment opportunities for

workers.

VI. USE OF EVIDENCE

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the City has actively evaluated and collected evidence on

the health and economic impacts and which subsets of our population have been most deeply

impacted by both the virus and the circumstances that were created by the public health

measures taken to protect our City. This evidence has informed the use of the first allocation 

emergency funds, our revenue replacement, and our planning for the remaining use of the funds.

For each expenditure the City has developed specific metrics that will be tracked to evaluate t

effectiveness programs in achieving our three primary goals to address gaps in public health,

wealth, and wages.

CITY OF BOSTON 16
VII. TABLE OF EXPENSES BY EXPENDITURE CATEGORY

As of July 31, 2021

Definition

Authorized funds: Total amount of funds that City Council has voted to accept and expend and

are available for spending.

Obligated funds: Total amount of authorized funds the City has contracted to spend through

procurements and purchase orders but has not paid for to date.

Expenditures: Total amount of authorized funds that the City has spent to date.

Category Authorized

Funds ($)

Obligated Funds

($)

Expenditures ($)

Total $136,500,000.00 $55,000,000.00 $996,677.20

1 Expenditure Category: Public Health

1.1 COVID-19 Vaccination $4,000,000.00

1.2 COVID-19 Testing $3,450,000.00

1.3 COVID-19 Contact Tracing

1.4 Prevention in Congregate

Settings (Nursing Homes,

Prisons/Jails, Dense Work Sites,

Schools, etc.)

1.5 Personal Protective Equipment $400,000.00

1.6 Medical Expenses (including

Alternative Care Facilities)

1.7 Capital Investments or Physical

Plant Changes to Public Facilities

that respond to the COVID-19

public health emergency

$1,000,000.00

1.8 Other COVID-19 Public Health

Expenses (including

Communications, Enforcement,

Isolation/Quarantine)

1.9 Payroll Costs for Public Health,

Safety, and Other Public Sector

Staff Responding to COVID-19

$150,000.00

1.10 Mental Health Services

1.11 Substance Use Services $5,000,000.00

1.12 Other Public Health Services

2 Expenditure Category: Negative Economic Impacts

2.1 Household Assistance: Food

Programs

$3,000,000.00

2.2 Household Assistance: Rent,

Mortgage, and Utility Aid

$1,300,000.00

2.3 Household Assistance: Cash

Transfers

$1,800,000.00

CITY OF BOSTON 17
2.4 Household Assistance: Internet

Access Programs

$3,000,000.00

2.5 Household Assistance: Eviction

Prevention

2.6 Unemployment Benefits or Ca

Assistance to Unemployed

Workers

2.7 Job Training Assistance (e.g.,

Sectoral job-training, Subsidized

Employment, Employment

Supports or Incentives)

$4,000,000.00

2.8 Contributions to UI Trust Funds*

2.9 Small Business Economic

Assistance (General)

$16,500,000.00 $996,677.20

2.10 Aid to nonprofit organizatio

2.11 Aid to Tourism, Travel, or

Hospitality

$1,000,000.00

2.12 Aid to Other Impacted Industries $3,000,000.00

2.13 Other Economic Support

2.14 Rehiring Public Sector Staff

3 Expenditure Category: Services to Disproportionately Impacted Communities

3.1 Education Assistance: Early

Learning

$22,000,000.00

3.2 Education Assistance: Aid to

High-Poverty Districts

3.3 Education Assistance: Academic

Services

3.4 Education Assistance: Social,

Emotional, and Mental Health

Services

$1,600,000.00

3.5 Education Assistance: Other $400,000.00

3.6 Healthy Childhood Environments:

Child Care

$2,000,000.00

3.7 Healthy Childhood Environments:

Home Visiting

3.8 Healthy Childhood Environments:

Services to Foster Youth or

Families Involved in Child Welfare

System

3.9. Healthy Childhood Environments:

Other

3.10 Housing Support: Affordable

Housing

3.11 Housing Support: Services for

Unhoused persons

3.12 Housing Support: Other Housing

Assistance

$1,400,000.00

3.13 Social Determinants of Health:

Other

$5,000,000.00

CITY OF BOSTON 18
3.14 Social Determinants of Health:

Community Health Workers or

Benefits Navigato

3.15 Social Determinants of Health:

Lead Remediation

3.16 Social Determinants of Health:

Community Violence

Interventions

$1,000,000.00

4 Expenditure Category: Premium Pay

4.1 Public Sector Employees

4.2 Private Sector: Grants to other

employers

5 Expenditure Category: Infrastructure

5.1 Clean Water: Centralized

wastewater treatment

5.2 Clean Water: Centralized

wastewater collection and

conveyance

5.3 Clean Water: Decentralized

wastewater

5.4 Clean Water: Combined sewer

overflo

5.5 Clean Water: Other sewer

infrastructure

5.6 Clean Water: Stormwater

5.7 Clean Water: Energy conservation

5.8 Clean Water: Water conservation

5.9 Clean Water: Nonpoint source

5.10 Drinking water: Treatment

5.11 Drinking water: Transmission &

distribution

5.12 Drinking water: Transmission &

distribution: lead remediation

5.13 Drinking water: Source

5.14 Drinking water: Storage

5.15 Drinking water: Other water

infrastructure

5.16 Broadband: “Last Mile” projects

5.17 Broadband: Other projects

6 Expenditure Category: Revenue Replacement

6.1 Provision of Government Services $55,000,000.00 $55,000,000.00

7 Administrative and Other

7.1 Administrative Expenses $250,000.00

7.2 Evaluation and data analysis $250,000.00

7.3 Transfers to Other Units of

Government

CITY OF BOSTON 19
7.4 Transfers to Nonentitlement

Units

(States and Territories only)

2. PROJECT INVENTORY BY EXPENDITURE

CATEGORY

I. PUBLIC HEALTH

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.1 COVID-19 Vaccinations

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9501-9035

Funding Amount Allocated:

$3,000,000 - $2,975,000 to BPHC, $25,000 to HHS

Contact Phone Number for Project:

857-324-0148, 617-635-1455

Contact Email for Project:

jlo@bphc.org, marta.rivera@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

https://bphc.org/whatwedo/infectious-diseases/Infectious-Diseases-A-to-Z/covid-19/covid-19

-vaccine/Pages/default.aspx

Description:

ARPA funds will be utilized to support ongoing COVID-19 vaccination efforts throughout the fisc

year. This includes funding vaccine clinics for operations including staff and clinic infrastructure.

Funding will also be used for incentives and/or stipends to encourage residents to be vaccinated.

Funds will primarily be distributed to clinical partners who will host vaccination efforts. A small

CITY OF BOSTON 20
amount will be used internally by BPHC to host vaccine sites. Intended outcome is to increase

overall vaccination rates in the city of Boston.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Throughout the pandemic, we have utilized COVID-19 infection and vaccine data to determine

where to focus efforts. At this time, our primary focus is on serving the Mattapan neighborhood

and youth across all neighborhoods. Initially, we saw clients identifying as Latinx and/or Black lag

in vaccination uptake; we may see a similar lag in these populations as more populations are

eligible to become vaccinated (ages 6-11) and when booster shots become available. We will shift

efforts as needed to ensure equitable outcomes.

We will fund outreach ambassadors, partnerships with community based organizations and media

strategies (SM, billboards, ethnic radio) to reach these populations, strategies that have been

successful in the past. This effort will also be complemented and informed by an evaluation

process that is being funded separately.

By focusing vaccine efforts on neighborhoods, age groups and populations that have lower vaccine

rates than the City average, we hope to close racial/ethnic gaps.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

At least 1 Vaccine clinic per

neighborhood identified 

having a vaccine rate below

the City average

Quarterly

6 Contracts or MOUs with

CBOs partnering around

outreach

Quarterly

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

80% City of Boston residents

fully vaccinated across all

neighborhoods and all age

groups

Weekly (tracking)

CITY OF BOSTON 21
COVID-19 TESTING

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.2 COVID-19 Testing

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9502-9034

Funding Amount Allocated:

$3,450,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

857-324-0148

Contact Email for Project:

jlo@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

ARPA funds will be utilized to support ongoing COVID-19 testing efforts throughout the fiscal yea

This includes funding test sites for operations including supplies, staff, and clinic infrastructure

(sites, set-up, tent rentals, etc.). Funds will primarily be distributed to clinical partners who will

host testing efforts. A small amount will be used internally by BPHC to host test sites. Intended

outcome is to provide equitable access to testing sites for all Boston residents across the City.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

● Throughout the pandemic, we have utilized COVID-19 infection data to determine where

to focus efforts. COVID-19 infection and death rates have impacted those identifying as

black/African American and Latinx. In addition, we have seen higher COVID-19 positivity

rates in East Boston, Dorchester (all 4 zip codes), Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Roxbury. We

will focus on ensuring access to testing for these populations and in these neighborhoods.

● Outreach efforts will include partnerships with CBOs, FBOs, and CHCs. We will also

utilize the Mayor's Health Line to inform residents about services. This effort will also be

complemented and informed by an evaluation process that is being funded separately

● By focusing testing efforts on neighborhoods and populations that have had higher

CITY OF BOSTON 22
COVID-19 infection rates, we hope to reach universal levels of service across the City

based on need.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

1 Test site in each zip code quarterly

5 Partnerships with CBO, FBO

or CHC for testing sites

annually

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

4000 Tests completed daily across

the City

Weekly

4 or less % Positivity for City of

Boston

Weekly

4 or less Neighborhoods with

positivity over 8%

Weekly

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.5 Personal Protective Equipment

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9505-9036

Funding Amount Allocated:

$400,000

CITY OF BOSTON 23
Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-343-1165

Contact Email for Project:

skokaram@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

N/A

Description:

As part of performing public safety services during COVID-19, a critical responsibility of BPHC has

been to ensure the safety of its employees and the constituents which they served. One critical

component has included providing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and hygiene

supplies to both staff as well as the community partners served through the work of BPHC’s

department bureaus.

The Office of Public Health Preparedness maintains a storeroom of PPE supplies for these need

The storeroom is maintained by a dedicated staff member of the department who oversees

inventory, distribution, and restocking. Items are restocked as needed with typical 2-3 orders per

month being placed, with values of each month’s orders being roughly $100,000 depending on the

needs. (Needs may increase or decrease due to surge infection periods, vaccination clinics being

held, or other community needs that require large purchases of items such as masks, or

sanitizers.)

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The purchase of PPE is for two primary groups:

1. Internal Staff: Most internal requests for PPE come from the BPHC’s Homeless Services, and

Recovery Services department staff. A key mission of the BPHC Homeless Services is to improve

the quality of life of Boston's homeless citizens by providing emergency shelter, social services,

and housing search services. The homeless population is among the most vulnerable to both

direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals experiencing homelessness are

uniquely vulnerable to contracting the virus and experiencing its worst effects. The State

considers these to be a high-risk population. Due to this high-risk designation, shelter and

recovery service providers need to take various precautionary measures to outfit themselves wi

appropriate PPE thus preventing devastating outbreaks among the homeless population of

Massachusetts.

2. External Partners: We have partnered with various external agencies to assist historically

underserved and/or marginalized populations including homeless services, recovery services, and

various community agencies serving our communities of color, to obtain vital PPE. Each of these

communities have been heavily impacted by COVID 19, in addition to the burdens they already

bear as marginalized populations. It is within our ability to lessen the negative impact of COVID 19

on these communities by assisting with providing protective materials to limit the spread of

COVID 19 within the population.

CITY OF BOSTON 24
The BPHC’s mission statement’s most salient point is to serve and support all residents of Boston,

to ensure equitable health for all, particularly these most vulnerable individuals within the Boston

population. Due to the demand and high cost of these crucial PPE items our continued ability to

assist in providing PPE is crucial to preventing COVID spread in these key populations we wish to

serve.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

8000 Masks distributed 6 weeks

2000 Hand sanitizers distributed 6 weeks

1500 Surface Disinfectants &

cleaning supplies

distributed

6 weeks

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

1900 Staff and guests protected Weekly

TBD External partners provided

needed PPE at no cost

Weekly

TBD Vulnerable community

members protected from

COVID 19 transmission

Weekly

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CITY SERVICES

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Innovation and Technology

Project Expenditure Category:

CITY OF BOSTON 25
EC 1.7 Capital Investments or Physical Plan Changes to Public Facilities that respond to the

COVID-19 public health emergency

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9507-9011

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-2737

Contact Email for Project:

mike.lynch@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

https://www.boston.gov/departments/innovation-and-technology/how-wicked-free-wi-fi-wor

Description:

This project will invest in the expansion of Wicked Free Wifi through an investment in inside wirin

including rooftop propagation at City buildings.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Prior to the expansion, DoIT will be conducting a broadband study to better understand where the

need is. From there, we will target the locations with the most need for connectivity.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

#1 Broadband Study &

Analysis

Geolocating what we have to

fill in with WickedFree W

Starting in September, will

last around a month until

October.

#2 Putting the work out to

bid

Contract signing Minimum three months,

expected to be executed

February 2022.

#3 Begin inside and vertical Each building will cost an FY23

CITY OF BOSTON 26
riser wiring for wireless

access point placement

average of $18,000, so $1M

will get us ~50 buildings.

#4 Install the access points

and test/configure t

wireless signal

The completion of access

point installations and

completion of successful

testing.

End of FY23

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

TBD Coverage of WickedFree Wi

in City buildings

October 2021

BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION STAFFING SUPPORT

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

1.9 Payroll Costs for Public Health, Safety, and Other Public Sector Staff Responding to COVID-19

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9509-9037

Funding Amount Allocated:

$150,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-534-3160

Contact Email for Project:

tharrington@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

CITY OF BOSTON 27
This funding was requested to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 at BPHC sites to

protect guests, clients, staff, and visitors. Approximately $50,000 will be utilized to provide

quarterly deep cleaning of the 112 Southampton men’s shelter and the Woods Mullen women’s

shelter.

The additional $100K will be used to extend 3 public health nurses, 1 COVID safety officer, and

epidemiologist through December 2021. Services provided include testing and immunization

delivery, contact tracing, safety orientations, policy updates, etc. This support is even more crucial

as we implement the vaccine/testing policy.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The cleaning services will help protect some of our most vulnerable residents who come to our

shelters for services. Regular deep cleanings help keep the environments more hygienic and also

provide a more respectful environment for guests and staff.

The contract staff positions provide services to staff and thus protect City of Boston residents and

their families and friends. More than 1⁄2 of current BPHC permanent staff reside in 3

neighborhoods (Dorchester, Hyde Park, Roslindale) and providing testing and vaccine availability

also protects employees’ family members and neighborhoods.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

4 Deep cleaning of 112 shelter Quarterly

4 Deep cleaning of WMS shelter Quarterly

1200 BPHC employees protected Weekly

600 Shelter guests protected Daily

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

TBD Guest and employee satisfaction with

shelter cleanliness

Quarterly

TBD Increase in # of employees vaccinated No less than monthly

TBD Increase in # of employees tested No less than monthly

TBD Reduction in exposure of guests and No less than monthly

CITY OF BOSTON 28
employee to COVID and other illnesses

in shelter sites

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES (PART 1)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health & Human Services

Project Expenditure Category:

1.10 Mental Health Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9501-9039

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000 - $750,000 to HHS

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-1455

Contact Email for Project:

marta.rivera@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Health and Human Services is launching a Mental Health Initiative which is a three-pronged

approach to strengthen these services as the City recovers from COVID. The three pronged

approach includes an anti-stigma campaign to encourage a breakdown of barriers in addressing

mental health issues in the community, increasing access to mental health services for our hardest

hit communities through a resource guide and web portal and a grant program to support

strengthen access to clinicians of color in partnership with community-based organizations

working in neighborhoods hardest hit by COVID. This three prong approach will be managed by

HHS and will use these funds to strengthen the overall system over the course of the next 12

months. Half of the funds will be spent by HHS and the other half will be used in the grant program

to nonprofits. The overall intended outcome of the project is to increase awareness of mental heal

issues in the City and increased access to mental health services in targeted communities.

CITY OF BOSTON 29
Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

With COVID inequitably impacting communities and neighborhoods of color in Boston, HHS is

intentionally looking to strengthen access to mental health resources in these communities. Access

to clinicians of color in communities of color is very limited and not enough services exist to

support that need for mental health recovery support. This project will focus on services and

resources that reach these targeted communities and build upon efforts of partnering departments

to advance the overall mental health wellness for Bostonians of color. In order to measure this

impact, HHS will assess the number of applicants for the grant program from diverse entities and

track the number of partners aligned with these efforts in the communities of Roxbury, Dorchester,

Mattapan and East Boston specifically but focus on all communities where immigrants and people 

color reside.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

At least 15 organizations Number of organizations

receiving funds to expand

mental health services for

communities of color

Yearly

# of impressions Impressions hit through

public awareness campaign

regarding mental health and

stigma

Monthly

# visits to website Unique number of visitors to

boston.gov website on

mental health supports and

services

Monthly

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

1000 people # of people reached by non

profit partners wi

additional mental health

supports

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

CITY OF BOSTON 30
To increase awareness of mental health issues in the City of the Boston.

To increase access to mental health services in targeted communities.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES (PART 2)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

1.1 Mental Health Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9501-9039

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000 - $250,000 for BPHC

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-872-1720

Contact Email for Project:

amchugh@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Creation and implementation of a LOSS Team (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivor)

- Hire consultant to complete services with BPHC reps and community partners

- Recruit a team of Boston residents who have loss friends, family members, or neighbors to

death by suicide.

CITY OF BOSTON 31
- Provide training for the BOSS Team

- Provide clinical support for the BOSS Team

- Provide compensation for BOSS Team members

- Build a culture of care for members of the BOSS Team

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Access to behavioral health services is difficult at best for the average Boston resident. Cultural

and linguistically competent services are even more difficult to access. Building on existi

partnerships with community and clinical organizations that address behavioral needs addressing

outreach to youth

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

1 Partner organization to

direct program including

development,

implementation, and

outreach

Annual

100 Youth reached regarding

suicide education and

prevention

Annual

4 Partners identified 

collaborate on creating

LOSS team

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

75% Participants know where to

access BH resources,

especially related to suicide

Annual

I. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

Ultimate goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 32
- Promote a healthy grief process and protection from trauma for Boston residents who are

impacted by suicide.

- Increase education on resources regarding suicide prevention and behavioral concerns

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES (LOW THRESHOLD)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health and Human Services / Office of Recovery Servic

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.11 Substance Use Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9511-9038

Funding Amount Allocated:

$2,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-534-2730

Contact Email for Project:

JTracey@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

www.boston.gov/recovery

Description:

Low-Threshold

CITY OF BOSTON 33
● Expand services to address housing stability including funding for short-term and

transitional housing for individuals awaiting housing placements. Additional staff hours that

are dedicated to support pre-overdose response for newly housed individuals.

● Expanding technological supports such as iPads, laptops and hotspots that will allow access

for newly housed individuals to attend recovery meetings and telehealth along with

navigators and case managers to conduct placements, assessments and complete telehealth

appointments while mobile. This will increase access to services, and helps individuals

sustain housing.

● Investment in sustainable recovery support services for people in early recovery. Empower

the recovery community through methods such as pro-social activities, social gatherings,

workshops, peer-to-peer activities, recreation, and celebrating diversity in recovery.

● Day and night respite centers in neighborhoods across the City.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

These funds will be used to promote equity through targeting at-risk populations who are in need

of housing, without support or access to traditional housing options. We will prioritize unhoused

individuals of color, as they are the most impacted by the current substance use and housing

crises. We will also create new, low-threshold spaces that will target the most vulnerable and at

risk individuals in the City, most often being individuals with co-occurring disorders, who are

people of color.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 Increase number of people

accessing housing services

Annual

50 Increase number of

placements into transitional

housing

Annual

1 New low-threshold day or

night time drop-in space

Annual

20 New devices to be used for

telehealth, treatment and

housing services

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

5% Increase number of housed Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 34
individuals

25% Increase number of

individuals accessing

housing support services

Annual

5% Increase in individuals

accessing low-threshold

spaces

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To increase the number of housed individuals, with a focus on individuals of color who are most

impacted by the substance use and housing crises.

To increase the number of individuals accessing housing support services and low-threshold

spaces.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES (TARGET AREAS)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health and Human Services / Office of Recovery Servic

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.11 Substance Use Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9511-9038

Funding Amount Allocated:

$750,000

CITY OF BOSTON 35
Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-534-2730

Contact Email for Project:

JTracey@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

www.boston.gov/recovery

Description:

Coordinated Public Health Responses in Target Areas

● Expand medical and behavioral health supports in the target areas, including: LICSW support

for people in crisis, expanding medical and psychiatric supports for unhoused individuals in

the area, and expanding medical and psychiatric support for newly housed individuals.

● Increase cleaning efforts, targeting the cleaning of encampments, as well as in the collection

of needles. This funding will expand the needle collection efforts, lowering the amount of

improperly discarded syringes, therefore lowering the amount of calls placed to 311 and the

street team.

● Storage service to address the collection and storage of personal belongings for unsheltered

individuals for up to 60 days. The service will be provided by a vendor chosen by the City who

will provide a space for storage, a vehicle for transportation of belongings, and logistics for

how property will be sorted, collected, stored and returned to individuals.

● Enhance transportation to treatment and services outside of Boston. This funding will allow

more individuals to be transported to SUD treatment services, medical services, mental

health care and more. Transportation remains a key barrier for people entering into

treatment, this expansion will meet that need.

● Enhance engagement between the task force and the community by creating funding

opportunities to support targeted efforts.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

These funds will be used to promote equity through targeting at-risk populations:

● Expand medical and behavioral health supports in the target areas

● Improve quality of life outcomes in the target areas

● Provide storage opportunities to unhoused individuals

● Increase transportation to treatment and medical care and housing services

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 36
Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 Increase number of people

accessing medical services

Annual

2 Increase hours of cleaning

services by 2 hours

Daily

2 Increase nursing staff

available to assist

Weekly

500 Transports to care Annual

50 Individuals belongings stored Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

25% Increase in people accessing

services due to

transportation

Annual

5% Decrease in 311 trash pick-up

calls

Annual

5% Decrease in calls to 311 for

public defecation

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

Goal 1- Expand medical and behavioral health supports in the target areas

Goal 2- Improve quality of life outcomes in the target areas

Goal 3- Provide storage opportunities to unhoused individuals

Goal 4- Increase transportation to treatment and medical care and housing services

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

CITY OF BOSTON 37
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES (WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health and Human Services / Office of Recovery Servic

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.11 Substance Use Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9511-9038

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-534-2730

Contact Email for Project:

JTracey@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

www.boston.gov/recovery

Description:

Workforce Development

● Increase syringe collection efforts and cleaning through incentive programs for individuals

on the street or in shelter.

● Expand opportunities to engage with community members, businesses, and the City to

create a more coordinated approach to dealing with the unique challenges of specif

neighborhoods. This peer-led team will develop relationships with individuals spending time

on the street during the day- time hours and be a resource to the businesses/residents and

create consistent communication to address needs and challenges as they arise.

● Add peer-led street cleaning services in the Mass/Cass area. This additional funding will

expand these services by expanding the number of days they can operate and will add

additional cleaning shifts to their schedule.

CITY OF BOSTON 38
Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

These funds will be used to promote equity through targeting at-risk populations:

● Targeting unhoused individuals with mental health and substance use disorders to provide

them with low-threshold workforce development opportunities.

● Targeting neighborhoods that have been disproportionately been impacted by the War on

Drugs

● These individuals are found and employed in their community

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 Provide paid workforce

opportunities to individuals

Annual

20 Provide on-the-job training

to individuals returning from

incarceration and/or

experiencing homelessness

Annual

10 Provide full-time

employment to individuals

returning from incarceration

and/or experiencing

homelessness

Annual

100 Workforce development

workshops training on basic

job readiness skills

Annual

75 New treatment, medical or

wellness referrals

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

50% Sustained supervised

employment for 6 months

Annual

50% Engaged treatment, medical Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 39
or wellness services

100% Individuals introduced to

community partners and

resident groups

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project

Evaluation Design:

Collect data on number of interactions, successful program completion rates, number of

individuals with sustained employment, quantity of services received and type, qualitative

interviews with participants and community members

Research question(s):

n/a

Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics:

Yes

Estimated date of completion:

July 2022

SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES (HARM REDUCTION)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health and Human Services / Office of Recovery Servic

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.11 Substance Use Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9511-9038

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-534-2730

CITY OF BOSTON 40
Contact Email for Project:

JTracey@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

www.boston.gov/recovery

Description:

Harm Reduction

● Provide services to address substance use disorder exacerbated by the pandemic, including:

Mass & Cass specific expenses related to direct outreach and expansion of services hour

and specific outreach to vulnerable populations on substance use disorder. Specificall

expand syringe service hours into the evening to meet the need for additional skilled

providers.

● Adding harm reduction vending machines in high use areas will allow individuals to access

safer use supplies (syringes, condoms, Narcan, etc.) at any time of the day or night. Putting

these machines in areas that have high overdose rates will expand access to key services

outside of operating hours for syringe services.

● Sterile syringes and supplies.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

These funds will be used to promote equity through targeting at-risk populations:

● Outreach to reach unhoused individuals with mental health and substance use disorders

● Outreach to communities that are lacking resources or access to care

● Increase syringe services to address lack of resources in communities of color, and

overnight

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 Increase number of people

accessing syringe services

Annual

50 Increase number of

placements into transitional

housing

Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 41
100,000 Increase number of syringes

collected

Annual

25 New interactions from

engagement teams

Monthly

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

5% Increase number of doses of

Narcan given

Annual

10% Increase number of people

receiving HIV/STI testing

Annual

10% Reduction in 311 calls for

needles

Annual

5% Increase in people accessing

services

Annual

5% Increase number of needles

collected

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project

All data being collected through direct service programs are driven by evidence-based solutions and

strategies. For example, regular HIV testing has shown to decrease transmission of HIV, and increase

HIV medication treatment received.

Evaluation Design:

● E.g. randomized or quasi-experimental

Outreach, HIV, SSP and nursing services are tracked through several databases, collecting data on

a daily and weekly basis on the number of services being accessed, or services referred to, number

of syringes given/collected, number of HIV/STI tests, etc.

Research question(s):

n/a

Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics:

Some

Estimated date of completion:

CITY OF BOSTON 42
July 2022

If completed, link to the public evaluation:

n/a

SUBSTANCE USE SERVICES (HIV)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 1.11 Substance Use Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9511-9038

Funding Amount Allocated:

$5,000,000 total - $250,000 to BPHC

Contact Phone Number for Project:

857-383-8913

Contact Email for Project:

ssanchez@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

ARPA funds will be utilized to support a pilot program to provide testing services, harm-reduction

services, and connection to care at the 112 Southampton Shelter and the Woods Mullen Shelter

after standard business hours. In the past, access to these services overnight has been limited,

thus increasing risk of exposure to HIV. The Infectious Disease Bureau will issue an RFP by the end

of the first quarter to identify and fund community-based organizations that can provide the

services starting in the 2

nd quarter of this fiscal year. Intended outcome is to increase HIV testi

and rapid connection to care for those who test positive.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

CITY OF BOSTON 43
BPHC receives funding to support people living with HIV (PLWH) in the Boston EMA, which

includes 7 counties in Massachusetts and 3 counties. 38% of the 6.5 million individuals covered in

this grant reside in Suffolk County. Although Black residents make up 7% and Hispanics make up

11% of the population, they accounted for 31% and 25%, respectively, of newly diagnosed HIV

infection in 2018. The proportion of White PLWH (43%) was much lower than that of White

residents in the general population (73%). Although Black and Hispanic PLWH had slightly higher

rates of retention in care, they experienced lower rates of achieving viral suppression compared

with White PLWH. In addition, the majority of women living with HIV infection are Black,

non-Hispanic or Hispanic, and are more likely than men to have a detectable viral load.

BPHC Homeless Services Bureau has already identified a need for increased overnight resourc

for shelter guests including access to recovery services. Additionally, HIV testing access has

reduced dramatically during COVID-19 across all providers. By placing access to these services

directly within or in close proximity to these Woods Mullen and 112 Southampton Street shelters,

relationships already established between shelter guests and staff can be utilized to increase

awareness. In addition, the presence of these services within the facility or very close to shelter

premises will provide universal levels of service to these populations.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

1 CBO contracted to provide

services

December 1, 2021

10 HIV tests performed daily on

average

Monthly

20 Harm Reduction Supply packs

distributed daily on average

Monthly

5 Referrals to support services

completed per week

Monthly

30 - 40 Encounters and outreach with

People Experiencing

Homelessness

Monthly

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for

Metric

95% Newly diagnosed HIV positive

patients connected to care within 24

Monthly

CITY OF BOSTON 44
hours

III. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

B. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To increase HIV testing and rapid connection to care for those who test positive for HIV

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

II. NEGATIVE ECONOMIC IMPACTS

FOOD ACCESS COMMUNITY GRANTS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Office of Food Acce

Project Expenditure Category:

2.1 Household Assistance:Food Programs

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9513-9016

Funding Amount Allocated:

$2,110,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-1456

Contact Email for Project:

catalina.lopez-ospina@boston.gov

CITY OF BOSTON 45
Link to Website (optional):

https://www.boston.gov/departments/food-access

Description:

Community Grants

The Mayor’s Office of Food Access (OFA) endorses a just, resilient, and robust food community 

Boston that supports the wellbeing of all Boston residents. We recognize that root causes of food

insecurity are complex and that addressing food access issues requires multi-dimensional solutions.

We believe that communities facing these challenges best know how to address their unique needs.

These two community grant opportunities seek to remove barriers and empower

community-sourced approaches to increase food access and food security in the City of Boston.

$1.9 Million of the American Rescue Act Funding will be available through two differents grant

opportunities for the Boston community:

1. Food Safety Net Destigmatization and Outreach: This grant seeks to increase use,

awareness and access to the different programs and food resources available for Bostonians

and empower community-sourced approaches to destigmatize the food access safety net

and facilitate conversations around food assistance.

2. Equity in Food Access: This grant will fund community-based solutions to foster a more just

food system in Boston.

Application Timeline

● Application posted/Release Date:Friday August 13th, 2021

● Informational Sessions:Wednesday August 18th, 2021 at 12 PM-1:30PM and Wednesda

August 25th, 2021 at 6PM-7:30P

● Office Hours: Wednesday August 25th, 2021; Thursday August 26th, 2021, Tuesday Augu

31st, 2021, Thursday September 2nd, 2021, Thursday September 9th, 2021.

● Proposals due: 5:00PM EST Friday September 10th, 202

● Review Period : Monday September 13th, 2021 - Friday September 24th, 2021

● Notifications to Award Recipients: Week of September 27th, 20

In addition, $200,000 of the funding allocated for this initiative will be used on a City-wide

campaign to destigmatize food assistance. In fall 2021, the Office will be releasing an RFP for

vendor to develop a public campaign.

Finally, $10,000 will be used to hire a contractor that can oversee the creation and implementation

of the campaign and launch a system of multilingual messages (ChatBot) citywide that will connect

Boston residents with food resources and programs 24/7. The System is set up to receive and send

3,000 messages in a year.

CITY OF BOSTON 46
Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Grants: Grants have been published in seven different languages. We invite residents and nonprofi

to submit proposals for community projects located within Boston. It is open to any person or entity

that wishes to respond. The City encourages the participation of small Boston-based and minority

and / or women-led entities. News of the opportunity has been published on social media and

newsletters from the city and OFA. We are also partnering with different city departments, and they

are sharing with their networks.

Informational training and presentation hosted in different languages or with subtitles. The grants

are intended to provide services and solutions that increase access to food in neighborhoods that

have historically been affected by racist policies, and have been disproportionately affected by

COVID 19.

ChatBot: The automated message system is available in seven languages. We are working in

partnership with other departments that provide direct services to Boston residents in order to

connect this communication system with the individuals they serve.

Public Campaign: Will target communities disproportionately affected for COVID 19 in OFA's target

neighborhoods (Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury and East Boston). The bell will be designed to

represent the cultural and language diversity of Boston.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

10-20 Number of nonprofit

Community-Based

Organizations receiving

Community Solutions grants

Annual

9-18 Number of nonprofit

Community-Based

Organizations receiving Food

Safety Net Destigmatization

grants

Annual

3,000 Messages sent and received Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Grants awarded to

nonprofits and CBO’s servi

people in priority

neighborhoods and low

income residents

Annual

3,000 Messages sent to Boston Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 47
residents seeking

information related to safety

net and emergency food

programs

100% Low income residents

connected with emergency

and safety net programs

through the Food Safety Net

De-Stigmatization and

Outreach grant

Annual

100% Low income communities

benefit from the Equity 

Food Access grant proposals.

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

● Goal 1: Increase use, awareness and access to the different food resources available i

Boston and in their community.

● Goal 2: Reduce or address the stigma associated with food insecurity and asking for foo

assistance, and normalize conversations about it.

● Goal 3: Enhance the outreach efforts around the food safety net network in thei

neighborhoods or communities.

● Goal 4: Support community-driven solutions to create a more just food system tha

empowers communities to grow, sell, and eat healthy foods.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

CITY OF BOSTON 48
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

BOSTON FOOD SOVEREIGNTY PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Office of Food Acce

Project Expenditure Category:

2.1 Household Assistance: Food Programs

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9513-9017

Funding Amount Allocated:

$300,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617 635 1456

Contact Email for Project:

catalina.lopez-ospina@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

https://www.boston.gov/departments/food-access

Description:

This program will increase growing spaces for low-income families of color. In Boston, there are no

more spaces available for community gardens and the waiting list is years for most. During the Food

Access Assessment, we heard low-income residents asking for available space to grow their own

food, especially ethnic vegetables that are difficult to locate in the Caucasian markets. This initiati

CITY OF BOSTON 49
also seeks to create space that helps them cope with the stress, create links between neighbors, and

pass farming and cooking knowledge between generations. We will partner with local Boston

farmers to build, install and provide supplies to low-income families in Boston including the BHA

locations and the Boston Public Schools

Application Timeline

● Application posted/Release Date: August 2nd, 2021

● Office Hours: Tuesday, August 3, 10 and 13, 20

● Proposals due: 5:00PM EST Friday August 16th, 202

● Notifications to Award Recipients: August 23, 20

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

To reach minority and immigrant communities, we have released the grant in seven different

languages through the city of Boston and OFA’s social media and other communication channels.

For outreach we are working with organizations that are providing direct services to the immigrant

population and low income communities.

OFA used targeted advertising on social media in priority neighborhoods with the highest rate of

food insecurity.

Raised beds will be awarded to households that self-identify as low-income residents prioritizing

applications from Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

500 Raised beds distributed to

low income households

Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

500 Households receiving the

raised beds and TA from

Boston local farmers or

gardners

Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

10

Farmers, gardeners or CBOs

building raised beds and

providing TA

Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

20 Gardening workshops Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

CITY OF BOSTON 50
Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Raised beds installed at low

income households

Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

80% Households trained grow

food in a raised bed

Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

Goal 1. The goal of this program is to increase growth spaces for low-income families of color.

Goal 2. Support low-income households disproportionately affected by COVID 19 through a

subsidized Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 51
BOSTON SCHOOL FOOD DISTRIBUTION WITHOUT COST

Project Name:

Boston School Food Distribution without Cost

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health and Human Services Cabinet/ Office of Food Acce

Project Expenditure Category:

2.1 Household Assistance:Food Programs

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9513-9018

Funding Amount Allocated:

$90,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617 635 1456

Contact Email for Project:

catalina.lopez-ospina@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

https://www.boston.gov/departments/food-access

Description:

This project will support BPS families and community members by offering Culturally Relevant Food

Distribution at No Cost. This project seeks to complement schools meals and increase food access

to BPS families, keeping dignity, the freedom of choice, and cultural relevance front and center of

solutions:

● Objective 1: Increase access to healthy and culturally relevant foods that is provided at n

cost for BPS students and families at 14 BPS Community Hub Schools. Lack of access due to

affordability, physical accessibility, and cultural connectedness all contribute to high rates of

food insecurity in Boston. With schools returning to in person, alongside the attitude

towards school food, and the status of food insecurity described above, OFA seeks to offer

students and families additional resources and access to food outside of lunches and

breakfast offered at the school.

CITY OF BOSTON 52
● Objective 2: Increase awareness and education of safety net and emergency programs t

students and families: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants,

and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), Universal Free School Meal among other programs

available to families to increase access to food.

● Objective 3: Increase power and dignity for people to choose the food they want or need

Many food distribution methods during the pandemic gave families a fixed amount and ty

of food. These methods were necessary during the pandemic in order to efficient

distribute food and ensure people who could not afford food, had to isolate/quarantine,

were immunocompromised could still have food. However, these methods did not allow for

choice and power from the individuals.

The City will seek a vendor to execute this program through a request for proposal (RFP).

Application Timeline

● RFP posted/Release; Fall 2021

● Notifications to Award Recipients: Fall 20

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Food distribution will take place in the 14 BPS community schools. These schools are located in

neighborhoods with low-income residents, majority black, people of color, and immigrant

communities.

We will use BPS communication channels to inform BPS families. We will utilize the city's social

media and target outreach in the neighborhoods where schools are located.

We will partner with community members to lead the food distribution effort and guide OFA on best

practices for reaching their community.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

14 Schools providing culturally

appropriate food without

cost

Fall 2021 through Summer

2022

1,500 Households receiving

culturally appropriate food at

the BPS Community Hub

locations

Weekly bases through the

2021-2022 School year

Outcome measures/goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 53
Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

75% Families who received

culturally appropriate food

who are part of the BPS

community

One year Winter 2021- Fall

2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

● Goal 1: Increase access to healthy and culturally relevant foods that is provided at no cost fo

BPS students and families at 14 BPS Community Hub Schools. Lack of access due to

affordability, physical accessibility, and cultural connectedness all contribute to high rates of

food insecurity in Boston. With schools returning to in person, alongside the attitude

towards school food, and the status of food insecurity described above, OFA seeks to offer

students and families additional resources and access to food outside of lunches and

breakfast offered at the school.

● Goal 2: Increase awareness and education of safety net and emergency programs t

students and families: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants,

and Children Nutrition Program (WIC), Universal Free School Meal among other programs

available to families to increase access to food.

● Goal 3: Increase power and dignity for people to choose the food they want or need: Man

food distribution methods during the pandemic gave families a fixed amount and type 

food. These methods were necessary during the pandemic in order to efficiently distribu

food and ensure people who could not afford food, had to isolate/quarantine, were

immunocompromised could still have food. However, these methods did not allow for choice

and power from the individuals.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 54
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

PUBLIC HOUSING FOOD ASSISTANCE

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Housing Authority

Project Expenditure Category:

2.1 Household Assistance:Food Programs

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9513-9020

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

(978) 697-0361

Contact Email for Project:

joel.wool@bostonhousing.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

The BHA, a subgrantee of the City of Boston, will address food security at targeted public housing

communities through outreach from its management staff, through its resident-facing programs,

and through resident task force leaders. Means of distribution may include a combination of:

delivery of groceries; delivery of prepared meals; coordination with or subsidy or expansion of

mobile service providers who bring fresh produce to underserved neighborhoods; distribution of

gift cards; and distribution of coupons to facilitate discounted purchasing of healthy food. The BHA

is currently in the process of auditing food resources across and adjacent to its housing portfolio

and will make programmatic decisions based on how funds can effectively be leveraged to fill gaps 

access.

CITY OF BOSTON 55
The BHA will execute a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Boston in Fall 2021 and

subsequently expend resources during Fall 2021 and Winter 2022. The BHA will align expenditures

with existing efforts, expanding or replicating existing proven programs or delivery mechanisms

where feasible and allowable under local, state and federal procurement law. Due to the phased

nature of emergency food programs serving public housing tenants, which have been supported by

HUD, FEMA, USDA, the City of Boston, private donations, and other sources, the BHA will update its

timeline and spending plans to ensure resources complement and do not duplicate other programs

and funding streams.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The BHA is a Public Housing Authority and its tenants are predominantly extremely low-income

residents. The majority of BHA renters hail from underserved and/or historically marginalized

communities. BHA’s communities are diverse in ethnicity, origin and language. A significant porti

of BHA’s portfolio specifically houses elderly and disabled residents, many of whom may 

physically challenged in accessing adequate healthy food options away from their home.

BHA housing communities have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 due to illness,

unemployment, social isolation, reductions in public transportation and other factors. Statistically,

they suffer negative health outcomes at higher rates than the general population. Expanding food

access at BHA sites and through BHA programs helps mitigate the harm of racial and environmental

health disparities. In some cases, BHA supported activities also bolster social and mental health by

creating safe, socially distanced opportunities for residents to convene.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

6 Maintain or expand food

distribution services at 6 or

more public housing

communities

Fall 2021 / Winter 2022

500 Improve food security for at

least 500 residents during

grant period

Fall 2021 / Winter 2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

75%+ BHA public housing

communities served by meal

or grocery program,

below-market or subsidized

Fall 2021 / Winter 2022

CITY OF BOSTON 56
produce, congregate meal

program, or other

intervention during grant

period.

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To reduce food insecurity in BHA public housing communities

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

MORTGAGE RELIEF PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Neighborhood Development

Project Expenditure Category:

2.2 Household Assistance:Rent, Mortgage, and Utility Aid

CITY OF BOSTON 57
ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9514-9025

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,300,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-0458

Contact Email for Project:

maureen.flynn@boston.g

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

This program will help Boston homeowners at risk for foreclosure remain in their homes, providing

stability for those homeowners and neighborhoods which have historically experienced high

foreclosure rates, all of them majority minority neighborhoods. We expect to begin the program in

early September. Funding will likely be added to existing contracts with foreclosure counseling

providers and may be supplemented with State funding. Approximately 50 homeowners will be

assisted with ARPA funds. An additional 150 homeowners will be assisted with other City

(Neighborhood Development) sources.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The target population for BHC’s Foreclosure Prevention and Intervention services are all Boston

owner-occupants who are experiencing difficulty with their mortgage payments and/or oth

housing expenses or who anticipate difficulties with these payments due to life events. We al

target some of our marketing efforts to city neighborhoods with lower income areas that have

experienced higher petition numbers and rates of foreclosures, in particular Dorchester, Mattapan,

Hyde Park, Roslindale, Roxbury and Jamaica Plain. The highest levels of foreclosures continue to

occur in these low/moderate income census tracts where household income is less than 80% of the

median income. Eighty nine percent (89%) of our closed cases are generally in these

neighborhoods of Boston which historically experienced high foreclosure rates and 83% of these

clients had incomes less than 80% of the median income. Eighty four percent of the clients assisted

were homeowners of color and the mortgage relief program will prevent foreclosures in these

neighborhoods.

The contractored non-profit agencies who provide our foreclosure prevention services are in the

Boston neighborhoods and offer multilingual services. The program will be marketed to Boston

Homeowners who are experiencing delinquencies and who are working with counseling agencies.

In addition, we will market these foreclosure prevention and intervention services as follows: 1)

postcards to homeowners in high-foreclosure neighborhoods; 2) in partnership with Assessing,

CITY OF BOSTON 58
insert information in tax bills; 3) promote information through social media, web pages, universal

hub & newspaper ads.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

50 Homeowners assisted with

mortgage relief funds

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Foreclosures prevented by

homeowners receiving

mortgage relief assistance.

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

Prevent foreclosures among low/mod Boston homeowners who have been impacted by the COVID

crisis. We believe that more than 75% of these homeowners will be low/mod households of color.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

We estimate that over 6,000 Boston households (seven percent of all homeowners) are “not caught

up on mortgage payments.” Of these households, 41 percent are Black, 29 percent are White, 17

percent are Hispanic or Latino, and ten percent are Asian. According to a study by the Urban

Institute, and cited by the Biden/Harris Administration, post-pandemic, households of color are

more likely to be behind on mortgages because they were more negatively economically impacted

by the pandemic. In addition, according to national data, there is a FHA crisis brewing in that the

rate of delinquencies among FHA borrowers remains high as compared to market borrowers. Given

that households of color are overrepresented in FHA loans, this means that the FHA crisis may affect

a disproportionate amount of homeowners of color.

A repeat of the 2007-2008 foreclosure crisis, which had a disproportionate impact on households of

color and low and moderate income households, would be devastating for homeowners and the

communities in which they live and it would create chaos for lenders and servicers.

CITY OF BOSTON 59
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$1,300,000

I. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

Household Assistance & Support (EC 2.2, 2.5, 3.10 - 3.12):

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention service:

Not Applicable

Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed:

Not Applicable

BASIC NEEDS ASSISTANCE FOR FAMILIES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PREVIOUS COVID-19 BENEFITS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Equity and Inclusion/Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advanceme

Project Expenditure Category:

2.3 Household Assistance: Cash Transfers

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9515-9014

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000

CITY OF BOSTON 60
Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-1963

Contact Email for Project:

renato.castelo@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

N/A

Description:

Mayor Kim Janey, the City of Boston Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, and the Mayor’s Office f

Immigrant Advancement are awarding $1 million dollars of ARPA funds to the Massachusetts

Immigrant Collaborative (MIC) to support Boston residents who were not eligible for federal

COVID-19 relief benefits. MIC will distribute the funds as cash assistance to families in nee

regardless of immigration status. Eligible Boston households can apply for up to $1,000 in cash aid

until funding is exhausted (the program will run from September 2021 to February 2022).

Approximately 1,200 households in need will benefit from this pandemic relief grant to help pay f

rent, utilities, food, school supplies or other basic needs.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

This program is intended to serve immigrant families facing economic struggles that have not been

able to access certain social safety-net programs for financial relie

The non-profit group selected to administer this $1 million cash assistance program, MIC, has 

partner organizations located in Boston serving multiple neighborhoods. Their past emergency

relief efforts have benefitted immigrant communities in Dorchester, Hyde Park, East Bosto

Mattapan, Roslindale, Brighton, West Roxbury, Charlestown, South Boston, Jamaica Plain, and

Allston, among others. All organizations in the collaborative are currently working with immigrant

communities and serve populations with different age groups, nationalities and ethnicities, and

immigration status. They have expertise in supporting immigrant youth, immigrant workers,

Temporary Protected Status recipients, the undocumented, as well as Haitian, Muslim, Cape

Verdean, Latinx, Brazilian, Afro-Caribbean, and Asian immigrants.

All organizations have intake processes both for providing services and cash or food assistance,

which help communicate with the communities directly. Partners are also trained and

well-equipped to serve undocumented immigrants who are not eligible to receive emergency relief

from other funding sources or programs.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 61
Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

$1 million granted to

program administrator to

disburse cash to immigrant

households that have not

had access to other state or

federal safety-net programs

Approximately 1,200

immigrant households

receive financial relief f

basic needs

September 2021 - February

2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

Approximately 1,200

households receive up to

$1,000 each for assistance

with basic needs

Households are able to use

the funds to pay for critical

expenses such as rent,

utilities, food, school

supplies, etc.

6 months (Sept 2021 - Feb

2022)

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

By providing up to $1,000 in direct cash assistance, this program aims to support approximately

1,200 Boston households who were not eligible for direct federal COVID-19 relief benefit

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

● “The COVID-19 relief package excludes most immigrants in the country without legal

permission, as did the two previous packages that passed under the Trump administration.”

○ https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-afs:Content:998272588

● “U.S. citizens in mixed families were denied stimulus payments, provided by the CARES Act,

solely because an ITIN filer was listed on their tax returns. The CARES Act withhol

economic relief from all families who identify a spouse or claim any dependent using an ITIN

number, including children and other dependents, such as a parent.”

● Approximately 16.2 million people in the United States live in a mixed status family. These

families house an estimated 6.1 million U.S. citizen children.

○ https://immigrationforum.org/article/mixed-status-families-and-covid-19-econom

ic-relief/

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

90%

CITY OF BOSTON 62
III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

CASH ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS FACING HOUSING INSECURITY

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Housing Authority

Project Expenditure Category:

2.3 Housing Assistance:Cash Transfers

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9515-9019

Funding Amount Allocated:

800,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

(978)697-0361

Contact Email for Project:

joel.wool@bostonhousing.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

The Boston Housing Authority (BHA), a subgrantee of the City of Boston, will conduct a cash

CITY OF BOSTON 63
assistance pilot. The BHA will identify a subset of its tenants, voucher holders, or, in partnership

with the Supportive Housing team at the Department of Neighborhood Development, Rapid

Rehousing clients to deliver cash assistance. The BHA will target several hundred households for

either one-time or short-term recurring cash payments based on economic factors, existing

benefits programs and housing-related needs. One likely target population is formerly homele

residents who are housed at BHA public housing, a project-based voucher site, or through BHA-run

mobile voucher programs, with cash assistance beginning at time of placement or move-in to

ensure basic needs are met. Based on data known to the BHA, the BHA will structure payments to

avoid interference with other benefit programs or excessive assistance/subsidy to a particul

household.

The BHA houses extremely low-income residents, including many seniors, persons with disabilities,

formerly homeless residents, immigrants, people of color and Limited English proficiency resident

The BHA administers both state- and federally-funded housing programs and its residents range in

eligibility for other benefit programs and public assistance. The BHA also houses both large famili

as well as elderly/disabled residents who are living alone or with a spouse or partner.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The BHA is a Public and Local Housing Authority, administering federally- and state-funded rental

housing as well as the Section 8 Voucher program, and its tenants are predominantly extremely

low-income residents. The majority of BHA renters hail from underserved and/or historically

marginalized communities. BHA’s communities are diverse in ethnicity, origin and language.

BHA housing communities have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 due to illness,

unemployment, social isolation, reductions in public transportation and other factors. Statistically,

they suffer negative health outcomes at higher rates than the general population. Cash assistance to

residents facing extraordinary expenses, housing instability, or to those who have been ineligible or

partially ineligible for other assistance programs, may mitigate the disparate impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities including protected classes of residents.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

300 Public housing households,

Section 8 Voucher Holders,

and/or Rapid Rehousing

Clients assisted

September 2021 - June 2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Enrolled households facing

extreme financial burde

attain basic needs during

September 2021 - June 2022

CITY OF BOSTON 64
pandemic recovery

0% Impact on existing benef

enrollment

September 2021 - June 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To reduce housing insecurity and ensure basic needs are met, particularly among formerly homeless

residents who are housed at BHA public housing, a project-based voucher site, or through BHA-run

mobile voucher programs.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence.

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

DIGITAL EQUITY IN PUBLIC HOUSING

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Housing Authority

CITY OF BOSTON 65
Project Expenditure Category:

2.4 Household Assistance:Internet Access Programs

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9516-9021

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

(978)697-0361

Contact Email for Project:

joel.wool@bostonhousing.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Support internet access and digital literacy for City of Boston residents negatively impacted by the

pandemic, by expanding free public wifi in public housing and/or supporting digital literac

internet connectivity and access to modern technology.

According to an August 2020 survey by the BHA, one in three seniors and one in three Limited

English Proficiency residents whose first language is Spanish do not have internet access at h

BHA’s public internet initiatives, coupled with digital literacy efforts and purchase of equipment

brings digital equity to residents’ doorstep, overcoming financial, technological and education

barriers. BHA will support residents in accessing internet services in common spaces in their

developments, as well as through distribution of devices and by enhancing access to digital literacy

efforts.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The BHA is a Public Housing Authority and its tenants are predominantly extremely low-income

residents. The majority of BHA renters hail from underserved and/or historically marginalized

communities. BHA’s communities are diverse in ethnicity, origin and language. A significant porti

of BHA’s portfolio specifically houses elderly and disabled residents, many of whom may 

physically challenged in leaving the home.

BHA housing communities have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 due to illness,

unemployment, social isolation, reductions in public transportation and other factors. Statistically,

they suffer negative health outcomes at higher rates than the general population.

CITY OF BOSTON 66
I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

15 Buildings Wired for Free

Public/Community Internet

Access

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022

3+ Digital Literacy Class

Cohorts

Fall 2021

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

67% BHA Public Housing

Communities Wired for Free

Public Internet Access

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022

60 Seniors, persons with

disabilities enrolled in digital

literacy classes

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To expand free public wifi in public housing and/or support digital literacy, internet connectivi

and access to modern technology.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”).

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

CITY OF BOSTON 67
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

WORKFORCE DIGITAL LITERACY

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Office of Economic Development, Office of Workforce Development (

Project Expenditure Category:

2.4 Household Assistance:Internet Access Programs

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9516-9001

Funding Amount Allocated:

$2,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-918-5252

Contact Email for Project:

trinh.nguyen@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

https://www.boston.gov/departments/workforce-development

Description:

CITY OF BOSTON 68
The proposed project will provide funding, on-site training, and technical assistance to a cohort of

occupational training providers with the aim of enhancing their capacity to bridge the digital divide

within the communities they serve. Through intensive and holistic engagement, the initiative will

support organizations seeking to modernize operational models and pedagogical competencies to

reflect the needs of the modern economy. The four key areas of support that will be covered by t

grant include:

1. Organizational ICT infrastructure

2. Digital literacy and technology skills instruction delivered through discrete activities and by

embedding digitally-enabled pedagogical practices into core learning systems

3. Tech and high-speed internet access for customers

4. High-quality technology-mediated training and service delivery models.

The funds will be distributed through a competitive RFP grant opportunity open to existing OWD

grantees. Additionally, a portion of the grant funds will be dedicated to identify a consultant team

that will assist the selected organizations.These funds will be distributed via a competitive RFQ

process.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Workforce development plays a powerful role in promoting equitable outcomes. Equity has long

been at the center of OED/OWD’s work, and this project will equip training providers with the

digital literacy related knowledge, resources and tools to better serve their clients. OWD education

and training providers serve low and moderate income clients of all races and backgrounds, usually

with multiple barriers to employment or post-secondary education. We will survey them to assess

their needs, and guided by standards developed by the State’s Department of Elementary and

Secondary Education (DESE), provide digital literacy and skills curriculums, instruction for staff and

clients, internet access, hardware and software.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

21 Number of current Providers

of ABE and ESOL programs

to be surveyed and assessed

for digital literacy capacity

and needs.

Year 1

28 Number of current ABE (12)

and ESOL (16) programs that

will receive survey/be

assessed

Year 1

2,750 Number of provider ABE

(750) and ESOL (2,000)

Year 2

CITY OF BOSTON 69
seats/clients to benefit fr

new or enhanced

curriculums, access to

hardware/software, access

to wifi, and better train

provider staff.

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

50 Provider staff to be trained

at programs

Year 2

2,750 Clients trained Year 2

1 Evaluation Year 3/4

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project

Evaluation Design:

OWD will conduct a bundled evaluation of grantees that are implementing the digital literacy grants.

The evaluation will examine program design, implementation, and outcomes using pre/post

surveys, interviews, and focus groups with grantee staff and participants. Additionally, the funding

will support a continuation of existing research efforts that examine digital transformation in the

workforce development sector. This research is intended to assist OWD in establishing locally

relevant workforce services and defining funding priorities. In addition to informing our strateg

direction, findings are also being used to reassess monitoring and evaluation principles in light 

changing skills needs and new digitally-enabled program models.

Research question(s):

To what extent have digital literacy interventions increased the digital literacy levels of workforce

development customers?

Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics:

Yes

Estimated date of completion:

2024

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

CITY OF BOSTON 70
Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

YOUNG ADULT JOB OPPORTUNITIES (19-24)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Youth Engagement & Employment

Project Expenditure Category:

2.7 Job Training Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9519-9015

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000 (alongside $300,000 in the Operating Budget)

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-4202 ext. 2390

Contact Email for Project:

Rashad.Cope@Boston,gov

Link to Website (optional):

CITY OF BOSTON 71
Description:

Young Adult Workforce Development Grant

The Young Adult Workforce Development grant is aimed at strengthening workforce training and

development opportunities for underrepresented young adults ages 19-24, that will lead to job

placements across labor markets or entrance into pathways, job readiness or post-secondary

programs.

This funding will be awarded to 5-8 local Boston-based nonprofit organizations to support 

expanding their existing programming, with the expectation that young adults will be connected to

an array of employment opportunities that offer an opportunity to explore career pathways through

vocational training, internships, and/or apprenticeships or accredited programs that directly

correlates to local jobs in the private or public sector.

Intended Outcomes

● Closing skills gaps to ensure young adults are prepared to compete for new and existing

jobs.

● Expand academic credentials, certification and/or educational attainmen

Request for Application Timeline

● Application Release Date | October 11th, 2021

● Information Session for Potential Applicants | Thursday, October 21st, 2021 & Tuesday,

October 26th, 2021

● Applications Due Date | November 5th, 2021

● Application Review Period | November 8th, 2021 - November 19th, 2021

● Award Notification | November 30th, 20

● Funding Award Released | January, 14th, 2022

● Grant Partner Convening | March, 17th, 2022

● Grant Partner Mid-Season Report Due | April, 15th, 2022

● Grant Partner Final Report | July 29th, 2022

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

CITY OF BOSTON 72
Equity Lens

This Young Adult Workforce Development grant funding is intended to further City of Boston equity

goals through the lens of creating fair, accessible and timely access to equitable workforce readiness

opportunities for all of Boston's young adult's (specifically young adults of color and historical

marginalized populations).

The grant funding will target Black and Latinx young adults, proven risk young adults,

court-involved young adults, LGBTQ+ young adults, and immigrant young adults.

Selected non-profit organizations will be required to provide demographic and other releva

reporting data as evidence that they serve the target youth population of the grant and will conduct

the appropriate outreach to connect more young adults who meet the grant funding requirements.

Engagement + Outreach

DYEE will work with fellow city departments, local youth and young adult workforce development

agencies, schools, nonprofits and CB0s who engage young people in purposeful and meaningf

employment and career readiness opportunities. We will work with state and local elected official

DYS, public safety agencies and youth advocates to spread the works about the grant opportunity.

We will use our newsletter platform, Everbridge text and communication platform, and develop

flyers and informational

We will publish information on our webpage youth.boston.gov. There will also be a strong push

around social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc)

We will work with City Hall to publish a press release (per guidance from the Mayor’s Office) 

announce the launch of the Young Adult Workforce Development grant.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

5-8 Nonprofi

Community-Based

Organizations (Grant

Recipients)

Annual

75-100 Target Young Adult

Participants Across Grantees

Annual

5 Minimum workforce/job Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 73
training, coaching or

workshop sessions

completed

50 Minimum workforce/job

training, coaching or

workshop service hours

completed

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Young adults are connected

to workforce development

program that leads

long-term employment

Annual

85% Young adults will increase

awareness and improve

confidence about care

options and pathways

Annual

75% Young adults will transition

into a desired career track

Annual

70% Young adult participants will

receive certificate, crediant

and educational attainment

at the end of the program.

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Evaluation Design:

● E.g. randomized or quasi-experimental

Pre and Post Surveys

Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics:

Yes

Estimated date of completion:

July 2022

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

CITY OF BOSTON 74
Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

0, Project Not Started

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

0, Project Not Started

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

0, Project Not Started

GREEN JOBS PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Environment

Project Expenditure Category:

2.7 Job Training Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9519-9012

Funding Amount Allocated:

3,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-4946

Contact Email for Project:

katherine.eshel@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

CITY OF BOSTON 75
The City of Boston will develop programs to support expansion of green job training opportunities

for Boston residents, with a particular focus on women, people of color, immigrants and returning

citizens. Our intent is to support the Boston community’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic

and to connect unemployed and underemployed residents to quality employment opportunities in

the green jobs sector. This includes both grantmaking for external organizations that are training

and connecting residents to green jobs, and building further pathways for green jobs with the City

of Boston’s workforce (e.g., horticulture and tree maintenance, green stormwater infrastructure,

building management). We also intend to conduct targeted outreach to improve the efficacy 

programs to conduct green jobs training and hire residents into green job opportunities. We

expect job placement rates in the range of 70-80% for mature programs, but want to also support

emerging programs where there is high potential, but which may have lower placement rates early

on.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

As the City expands green job training opportunities for Boston residents, we will focus in

particular on the following populations of service:

● women,

● people of color,

● immigrants, and

● returning citizens.

Our initiatives will also support both helping unemployed or underemployed residents return to

the workforce, as well as upskilling incumbent workers. In order to reach these groups, we are

partnering with key partner agencies in the Mayor’s Office, including the offices of immig

advancement, women’s advancement, returning citizens, and equity and inclusion. We have

engaged a community advisory board to partner with organizations in higher education,

community-based organizations, labor, and workforce development experts to advise and support

implementation of green job initiatives. We will also work to integrate green jobs training with

financial education and awareness programs offered by the Mayor’s Office of Finan

Empowerment and the Economic Mobility Lab in order to help otherwise close racial wealth gaps.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

4 Partnerships with job

training programs

Annual

100 Number of people enrolled in

training programs

Annual

50 Number of people

participating in summer

youth employment programs

Annual

75% Workers completing sectoral Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 76
job training programs

50% Unemployed or

underemployed trainees

Annual

40% Women enrolled in training

programs

Annual

40% People of color enrolled in

training programs

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

60% Graduates placed into jobs Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The goal of the project is to train and connect Boston residents, particularly women, people of

color, returning citizens, and immigrants, to opportunities in green jobs.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”): :

Upskilling Incumbent Workers / Connecting unemployed and underemployed residents to quality

employment opportunities in the green jobs sector

- Sector focused training programs increase average earnings in the sector

A study on the WorkAdvance program in the Bronx New York, a targeted occupational

training program, found that participants in the program earned significantly high

average weekly earnings than their non-participant counterparts. (Moderate Causal

Evidence)

- Reentry programs reduce the rate of recidivism and increase likelihood of employment

after release

A study of Minnesota Dept of Correction’s EMPLOY work release program found that

returning citizens who participated in the program were significantly less likely to convi

new crimes and more likely to secure employment than those who did not participate in

the program (Moderate Causal Evidence)

Building further pathways for green jobs

- Formal apprenticeship programs

A study on Registered Apprenticeship (RA) programs in 10 states found that employment

rates and annual earnings were significantly higher for RA participants than those who d

not participate in RA programs.

(Moderate Causal Evidence)

CITY OF BOSTON 77
- Building Coalialitions with local employers

The Accelerating Connections to Employment (ACE) program created a formal partnership

between Workforce Investment Boards and community colleges. A study at nine sites

across four states (Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland and Texas) found that participants in

the ACE program had significantly higher employment rates and higher average earnin

than their counterparts who did not participate in the program. (High Causal Evidence)

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

80%

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

0, Project not started

WORKFORCE AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT FOR CREATIVE WORKERS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Arts and Culture

Project Expenditure Category:

2.7 Job Training Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9519-9008

Funding Amount Allocated:

500,000

CITY OF BOSTON 78
Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-3914

Contact Email for Project:

naida.faria@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Workforce and Career Development for Creative Workers is a project to fund technical assistance

and professional development programs for creative workers and artists who have been negatively

economically impacted by COVID-19. We will release a Request for Proposals for providers who can

assist with a variety of immediate needs for workers, including: financial and business workshop

financial wellness and business development, building working capital, asset-buildin

microenterprise development, pricing work, marketing and fundraising strategies, and legal

technical assistance for sole proprietors. We will launch an RFP in fall 2021 with programming

running in calendar year 2022.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

This project builds on an existing program that focused both on low income workers and workers of

color. We will build requirements into the RFP to ensure that populations hardest hit by COVID-19

are prioritized with these services, and will also rate providers more favorably if they have language

access programs.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

150 Artists served through the

program

Calendar year 2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

Increase in working capital

for creative workers

Amount accrued in savings

during program

Calendar year 2022

Increased financial stabili

for creative workers

Growth of earned income in

2022 compared to 2021

Calendar year 2022

CITY OF BOSTON 79
II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

Goals of the project are to help artists and creative workers stabilize their financial health by helpi

them grow their business, build a savings practice, and participate in workshops and training.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

There is strong evidence for this intervention based on previous years of a similar but smaller

program. Artists graduated from the program with an increase in their savings and with working

business plans. Artists who participated in the program were surveyed about their experience and

they have overwhelmingly spoken to the importance of the program in their own business

development, learnings, and ultimately in their ability to be more financially proactive a

organized. We will be tailoring the RFP to respond to changes in creative industries resulting from

COVID-19, which is a newer approach and so has not been as thoroughly tested. For example, we

anticipate needing to provide services around pricing and engaging audiences through digital work.

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

80%

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

DIRECT SUPPORT FOR CREATIVE WORKERS

CITY OF BOSTON 80
Cabinet/Department Owner:

Arts and Culture

Project Expenditure Category:

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9521-9007

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-3914

Contact Email for Project:

naida.faria@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Direct Support for Creative Workers will fund remaining applications for relief from the 2020 City of

Boston Artist Relief Fund as well as support payments to artists for artist-driven projects. For all

direct artist payments we will prioritize funding for populations hardest hit by COVID-19. Funding

for artists takes into account the financial impact of COVID-19 on gig workers particularly 

performing arts and live events businesses who lost significant portions of their income continue 

have difficulty returning to pre-COVID-19 income level

Additionally, funds will be used to support artist demonstration projects resulting from the Art Train

/ Creative Corps program, which supports City departments in learning how to incorporate artists

into their recovery and reopening work. This program will create new kinds of civic jobs for artists

and creative workers who can use their skills to be a part of COVID-19 recovery while the

arts/events industry continues to recuperate.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

We will prioritize creative communities in populations that have been identified by the Bost

Public Health Commission’s (BPHC) Health Equity Task Force as being disproportionately impacted

by COVID-19

● BIPOC/ALAANA populations, especially Black and Hispianic/Latino populations

Neighborhoods of Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park and Mattapan

CITY OF BOSTON 81
● Native Spanish speakers and the neighborhood of East Boston

Our applications for artist support already ask for demographic information and we have a strong

track record of reaching and contracting with BIPOC artists in particular.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

150 Artists receiving COVID-19

relief funds

Calendar year 2021

15 Jobs/projects for

artists/creative workers

FY22

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

Increase in number of artists

who are able to pay for basic

needs

Artists receiving COVID-19

funds who identify spending

the funds on rent, food,

insurance, and childcare

Calendar year 2021

Increased understanding of

civic jobs for artists and

creative workers

Number of City staff who

want to fund artist-driven

projects

FY22

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The goals of the program are to provide financial relief for individuals in the creative economy w

have lost substantial income due to COVID-19 as well as create job opportunities for those

individuals that help them restart projects that were stalled due to COVID-19 closures and

disruptions.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

Based on City of Boston surveying, local artists and creative workers lost over $4M of income in the

first 2 months of the state of Massachusetts shut down as a result of COVID-19. Hardest hit areas 

CITY OF BOSTON 82
creative work were those relying on in person events and gatherings including:

● Music (DJs, music tech/engineering, musicians, composers)

● Teaching artists (K-12, creative youth development)

● Theater and performance (directors, stage production, playwrights)

Artists reported earning income mostly from:

● Performances/shows (53%)

● Teaching, including arts instruction/lessons (49%)

● Sale of artwork/crafts/products (34%)

● Speaking engagements/workshops/trainings (22%)

The top reasons for loss of income due to the pandemic were:

● Cancellation of classes, residencies, gigs, performances or events (87%)

● Closure of spaces to create and present work, including: rehearsal spaces, studios, venues,

and galleries (75%)

● Reduction or cancellation of hours and/or pay from “day jobs,” side gigs, or part-time

employment (53%)

At the same time, 58% reported being unable to make up lost income (i.e. gigs or opportunities were

not replaced) and we find that even one year later artists are still struggling to make up f

opportunities as earned income by venues, booking agencies, theater companies, and presenting

organizations is still far below FY20 numbers. Additionally, artists reported relying on schools and

creative youth development programs for teaching jobs, and local schools and organizations have

not finalized plans for re-engaging teaching artists or third party arts providers as a part of t

school year.

Given these numbers and the anticipated multi-year negative economic impact to arts industries,

we feel there is more than enough evidence to continue direct support to artists at this time.

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

100%

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 83
COMMERCIAL RENTAL RELIEF FUND

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Economic Development, Small Business Unit

Project Expenditure Category:

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance (General)

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9521-9004

Funding Amount Allocated:

$7,500,000

Link to Website (optional):

boston.gov/commercial-rent-relief

Description:

Due to the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, the City of Boston will reopen the Commercial

Rent Relief Fund for businesses and new landlord applications until end of day on December 31,

2020 for applicants needing support for rent for January, February, and March of 2021, as well as for

those with rent owed from April 1- December 31, 2020. Applicants will be reviewed on a first-com

first-served basi

The COVID-19 Commercial Rent Relief Fund will work with business owners and their landlords as

a partnership to ensure their survival through, and growth beyond, the pandemic.

● This Fund will support small businesses through a direct payment to landlords.

● The Commercial Rent Relief Fund will seek to serve at least 250 small business owners.

● Landlords can receive up to $15,000 in the form of a grant to cover rent between April 1,

2020 and March 31, 2021.

● Landlords will agree to work with business owners so they may remain in their commercial

space for a minimum of 12 months from the date of the grant.

Conditions:

● Applicants cannot have a past-due balance of rent prior to April 1, 2020.

● Grant will cover rent from April 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020.

● Commercial property must be located within the City of Boston.

● Businesses and landlords must be in good standing with the City of Boston.

CITY OF BOSTON 84
● Landlords must provide a legal contract to indicate a commitment to maintain the

business’ tenancy for at least 12 months and establish a payment plan for the

businesses.

○ A contract template will be provided to the landlord by the City of Boston

● Businesses will provide a payment plan and updated business strategy to the City of

Boston’s Small Business Unit and their landlord.

● The Small Business Unit will case-manage and provide technical assistance to each

of these businesses to support businesses’ continued viability and ability to uphold

the payment plan.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Only businesses in the following categories and industries will be able to apply:

○ Businesses with commercial space within the City of Boston

○ Businesses with designated commercial space in the following industries:

1. Food Service

2. Retail Trade

3. Services (repair, maintenance, personal services)

4. Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation.

● Businesses must be in dedicated commercial space within a neighborhood commercial

district.

● Business owners must have been in good standing with their landlord prior to March 31,

2020.

● Businesses must demonstrate sound business practices and a proactive business strategy

for 2021.

● Business owners must have demonstrated a desire to be in good standing with their

landlord, including outreach, partial payments, payment plans and agreements, or letters of

intent.

All of the materials associated with this grant are translated into 10 languages in addition to English

to ensure equitable access to immigrant-owned business.

Finally, we will target additional outreach and marketing to businesses in historically underserved

and disproportionately impacted business districts.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

250 Small businesses funded through this

fund in an agreement with Landlords

By December 31, 2020

CITY OF BOSTON 85
Outcome measures:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

70% Funded businesses remain open By March 31, 2022

80% Minimum vacancy-rate in neighborhood

commercial districts

By March 31, 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To reduce and/or maintain vacancy rate in neighborhood commercial districts.

To ensure that funded small businesses remain open in their neighborhoods and are financial

healthy.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 86
SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND 2.0

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Economic Development, Small Business Unit

Project Expenditure Category:

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance (General)

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9521-9003

Funding Amount Allocated:

$8,000,000

Link to Website (optional):

boston.gov/business-relief

Description:

The SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND 2.0 is designed to help small businesses with business

expenses to help in their recovery and will assist businesses that seek to grow beyond the

pandemic.

Businesses will be able to apply for two types of grants:

1. Relief Grant: Up to $10,000 to support outstanding debts for rent/mortgage, inventory,

payroll, or fixed expenses, and/

2. Growth Grant: Up to $10,000 to support business growth through tools, technology,

materials, personnel, or other costs associated with investing in the growth of their

business.

All applicants will be considered for either one or both grants. Grants will be allocated primarily

according to the budget included in this application. Businesses will be able to apply for a Relief

grant and/or a Growth grant.

Relief grants must be used to help businesses address fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable, lo

sales, lost opportunities, and other working capital expenses that could have been recognized had

the COVID-19 pandemic not occurred.

Growth grants must be used on tools, materials, or personnel to invest in the growth of the

business.

CITY OF BOSTON 87
Proper documentation of proof of use of these funds will be required within 90 days of the issuance

of the grant.

This fund will serve up to 400 businesses.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

We will prioritize funding businesses in industries most directly affected by closures, policies, or

general loss of revenue related to the COVID-19 pandemic and are looking to expand their

businesses in 2021 and beyond.

These include but are not limited to:

- food service and production; restaurants;

- bed and breakfasts, small hotels, short-term rentals;

- house cleaners;

- laundromat or dry-cleaners;

- car repair/garage;

- funeral homes;

- barber shops/beauty salons;

- arts, entertainment, creative economy;

- tourism including travel and lodging;

- fitness, wellness, and recreatio

- transportation and warehousing;

- childcare; or

- retail

Additionally, all applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a grant.

1. Must have a valid Vendor ID from the City of Boston

2. Less than thirty-five (35) employe

3. Proof of a Boston business address (e.g., a signed lease, business permit / license / title,

utility bill in which the business is named directly, or other home office documentation

4. Business and business owner must be in good-standing with the City of Boston

5. Business must provide a copy of its up to date Business Certifica

6. Businesses with more than two (2) employees must provide proof of payroll (e.g., recent pay

/ wage statement, bank statement, proof of paystubs).

All of the materials associated with this grant are translated into 10 languages in addition to English

to ensure equitable access to immigrant-owned business.

Finally, we will target additional outreach and marketing to businesses in historically underserved

and disproportionately impacted business districts.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

CITY OF BOSTON 88
Output measures:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

400 Businesses Funded By December 31, 2021

$8M Funds expended By March 31, 2021

Outcome measures:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

70% Funded businesses are still in operation March 31, 2022

25% Funded businesses report business growth

(revenue, employee, etc.) as measured by

OED survey

March 31, 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To ensure that funded small businesses remain open in their neighborhoods, are financially healt

and even grow.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 89
Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

HIGH ROADS KITCHEN RESTAURANT RELIEF FUND (RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Economic Development, Small Business Unit

Project Expenditure Category:

2.9 Small Business Economic Assistance (General)

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9521-9005

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000 (alongside $1.4 million from Operating Budget)

Link to Website (optional):

boston.gov/restaurant-relief

Description:

The Office of Economic Development, in partnership with the Office of Workforce Development

launched the Restaurant Revitalization Program (RRP), a 3-month pilot program to provide a much

needed life line to restaurants as they recover from COVID-19.

● This Fund will support restaurants located in the City of Boston

● Businesses will receive $5,000 to cover any business-related expense (these funds are not

required to be tied to rent or payroll)

● This grant will also provide a retention bonus to new/existing employees during the

3-month pilot period for a total of $900 per worker and 100 B-Local Points for each month,

at the conclusion of the three-month pilot ($300 @ 3 months = $900)

● At the end of the three-month period, employees will be eligible for free tuition towards

their Associate’s degree at BHCC, RCC, or BFIT, replicating the Mayor’s Tuition Free

Community College initiative or at an occupational skills training program with an existing

partnership with OWD.

● Restaurants that have tipped employees are eligible to receive an additional $15,000 grant if

they:

○ Pay the One Fair Wage ($12.75 per hour) to tipped employees for one month.

○ Complete High Road Kitchens’ Equity Toolkit and Training program within nine

months of receiving grant funds

○ Complete City of Boston OED survey completion

CITY OF BOSTON 90
○ Share a written plan for achieving full wage parity for tipped and non-tipped

employees within five years (by August 2026

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

All applicants must meet the following criteria to be considered for a grant.

1. Must be a current food business in the City of Boston

2. Must have a valid Vendor ID from the City of Boston

3. Less than twenty-five (25) employe

4. Proof of a Boston business address (e.g., a signed lease, business permit / license / title,

utility bill in which the business is named directly, or other home office documentation

5. Business and business owner must be in good-standing with the City of Boston

6. Business must provide a copy of its up to date Business Certifica

7. Businesses with more than two (2) employees must provide proof of payroll (e.g., recent pay

/ wage statement, bank statement, proof of paystubs).

All of the materials associated with this grant are translated into 10 languages in addition to English

to ensure equitable access to immigrant-owned business.

Finally, we will target additional outreach and marketing to businesses in historically underserved

and disproportionately impacted business districts.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

25 Businesses Funded By December 31, 2021

100 Employee retention bonuses awarded By December 31, 2021

25 Employee tuition awards granted By August 31, 2022

$1.4M Funds expended By August 31, 2022

Outcome measures:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Funded businesses will go through Gender

& Equity Training

By December 31, 2021

50% Employees retained beyond end of pilot By March 31, 2022

50% Employees who received the tuition By Spring 2025

CITY OF BOSTON 91
incentive graduate with a degree or

occupational certifica

70% Funded businesses are still in operation By March 31, 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To ensure that funded small businesses remain open in their neighborhoods, are financially healt

and retain their employees.

To provide workforce development opportunities for restaurant employees through Mayor’s Tuition

Free Community College initiative or at an occupational skills training program with an existing

partnership with OWD.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

0, Project not started

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not applicable

ALL INCLUSIVE BOSTON CAMPAIGN

CITY OF BOSTON 92
Cabinet/Department Owner:

Office of Economic Developme

Project Expenditure Category:

2.11 Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9523-9002

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-3911

Contact Email for Project:

kate.davis@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

www.allinclusivebos.com and www.colu.com/b-local/

Description:

All Inclusive Boston is a branding and marketing campaign first launched in April 2021 with a goal 

increase awareness and active promotion of the City of Boston as a tourist destination and to

increase drive visits to our city from diverse local and national visitors. An RFP for consulting

services to extend Boston’s “All Inclusive” marketing campaign will be released on August 30, 2021

and the consultant is expected to be selected on September 20, 2021. The goals of the campaign

include drawing a more diverse audience of visitors, driving economic growth to Boston’s most

ethnically diverse neighborhoods and communities, which have been disproportionately impacted

by the pandemic and spotlighting cultural and commercial assets in areas of Boston that have long

been marginalized. This campaign is about building an equitable recovery.

This campaign will continue to include print, radio, video and social media components that

spotlight neighborhoods, businesses, eclectic cultural offerings and diverse communities across

Boston. The extension of the All Inclusive Boston campaign will include integration with B-Local,

the city’s new app that encourages users to shop locally at small businesses in the City of Boston.

The app was launched in April 2021. The campaign will drive new B-Local users, both among

residents and visitors; encourage more businesses to register for the app; and highlight diverse local

businesses to drive local spending.

The goals of the campaign include drawing a more diverse audience of visitors, driving economic

growth to Boston’s most ethnically diverse neighborhoods and communities, which have been

disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and spotlighting cultural and commercial assets in

CITY OF BOSTON 93
areas of Boston that have long been marginalized in the realm of destination marketing. This

campaign is about building an equitable recovery and shifting the narrative about Boston while

investing in the communities, businesses, and employees who need our help the most. A successful

marketing campaign will also continue to attract new users to download the B-Local app, attract

new redeeming businesses, encourage users to redeem points, and will integrate the program with

the All Inclusive Boston campaign to encourage residents and visitors to shop and dine across all of

Boston’s neighborhoods.

The City of Boston envisions the marketing of All Inclusive and the B-Local app to be

complementary and integrated as appropriate. The marketing campaign is designed to safely

welcome visitors, particularly local and regional visitors, in accordance with public health guidance,

invest in tourism promotion as a vehicle to get our residents back to work and drive growth to our

neighborhood commercial districts, and showcase all that Boston has to offer as a tourist

destination in a timeless way. From this initiative, we can drive growth to Boston ‘s neighborhood

main streets – the small businesses, cafes, restaurants, galleries, and local artisans that have

flourished across Boston’s diverse neighborhoods. Business owners, particularly Black a

Brown-owned entrepreneurs, have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, we annually hosted over 19 million domestic and 1.7 million

international visitors in Boston. The travel and hospitality sector has been devastated by the

pandemic. This initiative showcases Boston’s diverse tourism assets, across all Boston

neighborhoods, as part of an equitable recovery initiative. Tourism and hospitality is the third

largest industry in Boston and the Commonwealth. The sector employs a large percentage of

workers of color, making it critical to have an inclusive economic recovery. This campaign aims to

renew and reimagine how Boston is perceived locally and across the globe. As we pursue this

engagement, we want to make sure that we are intentionally and safely welcoming people from

diverse backgrounds to Boston.

When first launched in April 2021, a diverse mix of small businesses worked on this projec

including a significant number of MBEs/WBEs and companies with LGBTQ+ ownership. Given th

70% of those who work in the hospitality industry come from BIPOC communities, this campaign

was an opportunity to change the narrative about Boston and to showcase the rich diversity and all

that our neighborhoods have to offer. With the travel and hospitality sector devastated by the

pandemic, this initiative showcases Boston’s diverse tourism assets, across all Boston

neighborhoods, as part of an equitable recovery initiative. Media buys were placed with locally

owned ethnic and community newspaper companies. Videos were captioned and the website was

updated with new accessibility functions.

This marketing campaign will continue to spotlight cultural and commercial assets in areas of

Boston that have long been marginalized. By extending All Inclusive Boston, we hope to showcase

additional businesses and neighborhoods as well as create media components in different

languages.

The B-Local app was launched to highlight neighborhood commercial districts, as well as woman-,

Black-, minority-, and immigrant-owned businesses in Boston. Reward incentives are offered to

support these businesses and drive an equitable local economic recovery. While the B-Local app is

only offered in English, we offer multilingual guides for business owners who would like to sign up

their business at boston.gov/b-local. We have also advertised to Chinese and Spanish media during

an initial marketing campaign and would look to grow language capacity through this marketing

campaign extension.

CITY OF BOSTON 94
I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

455,000 Redeemed B-Local Boston

Points Rewards

Redeemed by users by

December 31, 2021

10,000 B-Local User Downloads Reach by December 31, 2021

500 Redeeming B-Local

Businesses

Registered by December 31,

2021

1.8 million Social media impressions Reach by December 31, 2021

750,000 Video views on social media

platforms

Reach by December 31, 2021

3 Boston threshold languages

used to translate

Reach by December 31, 2021

150,000 Pageviews on the microsite Reach by December 31, 2021

Outcome measures/goals:

By extending the All Inclusive Boston campaign, we expect cultural and commercial assets from all

neighborhoods of Boston will be showcased and engaged, media ad buy are made on Boston’s ethnic

media outlets, vital documents are translated in at least the top three threshold languages (Spanish,

Mandarin and Haitian Creole) and accessibility tools are provided on any media created by the

consultant team.

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

$1 Million B-Local Economic Activity

Generated (Redeemed

amount + Total Transactions;

Current: $425,509.94)

By December 31, 2021

II. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 95
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

REOPEN CREATIVE BOSTON FUND

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Arts and Culture

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 2.12 Aid to Other Impacted Industries

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9524-9006

Funding Amount Allocated:

3,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-3914

Contact Email for Project:

naida.faria@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Reopen Creative Boston fund is a $3M grant program to cover expenses related to reopening the

arts and culture sector and resuming cultural programming and services. The Arts and Culture

sector has been identified as one of the hardest hit industries due to the cancelation of all li

events and venue closures in 2020. As a result of the industry shut down, cultural organizations and

venues do not have the revenues required to resume business at FY2019 levels. Additionally, there

continues to be uncertainty around the economics of live events both in terms of successfully

CITY OF BOSTON 96
booking full seasons of artistic content as well as consumer’s comfort level returning to in-person

activities.

In order to mitigate these negative economic impacts, Reopen Creative Boston will offer two grants.

Grants will be made up to $50,000 to cover costs for restarting programs and reopening facilities.

Eligible costs include payroll, facilities expenses, and costs related to ongoing organizational shifts

in response to the negative economic impact of COVID-19 such as consulting services and new

technology costs. Arts and Cultural organizations that operate and own cultural facilities will be

eligible for an additional grant up to $50,000.

We are working to launch Reopen Creative Boston at the same time as our Boston Cultural Council

(BCC) grants, on Sept 1, 2021. By tying in the Reopen Creative Boston fund with the BCC grants we

will create a level playing field for organizations applying so that they only have one application f

multiple funding sources. Applicants will have the option of completing additional questions for the

ARPA funds in order to be eligible for grants of $50,000. Applications will close on October 15th and

we will aim to make payments before the end of the calendar year.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

MOAC is addressing equity concerns by using the Boston Cultural Council application as the

baseline questions for Reopen Creative Boston. The Boston Cultural Council application is focused

on equity, and includes questions on: the demographics served and represented by the grantee, the

amount of funding going to artists directly, and the grantee’s demonstrated commitment to DEIB

(diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging). All applications will be scored on these questions in

addition to their financial need as a result of COVID-19. The Boston Cultural Council grant is al

only available to organizations with budgets under $2M and includes many first time grantee

BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) organizations, and organizations that serve areas hardest

hit by COVID-19. By leveraging that application and outreach process for ARPA, we hope to make it

that much easier for those small and historically underserved organizations to access these federal

funds. Lastly, we will be offering translations of the application in the top 10 languages spoken in

Boston.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

75 Organizations supported by

Reopen Creative Boston

By 2022

10 Facilities/Venues supported

by Reopen Creative Boston

By 2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

CITY OF BOSTON 97
Increase in organizations

and venues that are able to

serve the public in FY22

Arts and culture offerings By FY2023

Increase in rehires or new

positions of artists and

creative workers

Hiring of artists and creative

workers

By FY2023

II. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Negative Economic Impacts (EC 2):

Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs:

Not Applicable

Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs:

Not Applicable

III. SERVICE TO DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SUPPORTS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Schools

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.4 Education Assistance: Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Services

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9530 9009

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,600,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

857.389.6766

CITY OF BOSTON 98
Contact Email for Project:

itabora@bostonpublicschools.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Expand student and family support in the Boston Public Schools for behavioral health, including

additional dollars to ensure a full time social worker in every school.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

This project will support BPS in ensuring that every Boston Public School has at least a 1.0 Social

Worker, or equivalent in their school building and builds upon the district’s investment priorities.

This project recognizes the complexity of trauma and the various modes of healing that must

integrate the collectivist, indigenous, african and eastern cultures of our students. Social Workers

will be providing both individual student and family support, while working to address racist and

harmful structures and conditions in schools, and contributing to the design and implementation of

school-wide culturally and linguistically sustaining practices.

BPS Students, families and school communities will be immediately affected by this change and have

been involved in the following ways:

● Schools are involved in directly hiring their social worker from a pool of vetted and qualifi

candidates. Social workers report directly to the School Leader, who evaluates them. School

team members will work collaboratively with the Social Worker in structures/processes

such as SST, in the development of PD, and building school climate.

● Families & Students: Family participation is required in hiring processes at the school-level,

therefore parents would have been a part of selecting a social worker for the schools. Social

workers will work directly with students and families, either through their caseload work, or

in whole-school community settings as needed. Beyond the direct connection, it is our goal

to have students and families experience the impact of social workers in the shift of school

culture, structures and practices towards those that are inclusive, culturally and

linguistically sustaining and affirmin

Schools received notification immediately upon the district learning that funds would be direct

towards this project. At the school community level, we will be sure to work with our SW and their

school leaders on how to best introduce/communicate the SW and their role to parents and

students.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 99
Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

13

Full time social worker or social worker

equivalent positions hired and placed in

schools

Annual

TBD Social Work Counseling Sessions Annual

TBD Students Served and rate of service Annual

TBD Warm hand off referrals to

services/supports

Annual

TBD Home visits (virtual and in person) Annual

TBD Social work co-facilitating SSTs Annual

TBD

Classrooms using restorative practices in

daily classroom culture (i.e. opening and

closing circles for community building)

Annual

TBD

Restorative Justice circles kept to resolve

harm or infractions

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

TBD Increase in Tier 1

instructional support to

mitigate need for more

intensive/targeted supports

and services; requires

collaboration with

Instructional Leadership

Teams (ILTs)

TBD Increase consistent

understanding of SST within

and across schools as

measured in survey (baseline

data obtained in SY20-21)

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The goal of this project is to provide at least a 1.0 social worker, or social worker equivalent at all

Boston Public Schools. Social Workers will be providing both individual student and family support,

while working to address racist and harmful structures and conditions in schools, and contributing

to the design and implementation of school-wide culturally and linguistically sustaining practices.

CITY OF BOSTON 100
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Education Assistance (EC 3.1 - 3.5):

Number of students participating in evidence-based tutoring programs:

Not Applicable

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS FAMILY MENTORING AND LEADERSHIP

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Schools

Project Expenditure Category:

3.5 Education Assistance: Other

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9531 9010

Funding Amount Allocated:

$400,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-756-3646

Contact Email for Project:

mroberts@bostonpublicschools.org

Link to Website (optional):

CITY OF BOSTON 101
Description:

This project will support us in strengthening school-based engagement efforts while at the same

time expanding community-based access for families. The Pandemic highlighted for many schools

the need for increasing their ability to effectively engage families as partners. To support schools in

implementing high impact engagement efforts that support student achievement and school

improvement, this project will expand the district's parent ambassador and cultural broker pipeline

work. The model seeks to support linguistically and culturally diverse families that often face

barriers to serving in leadership roles at the school and district level, or being effectively engaged as

partners in educating their children. The district will work with partners to recruit families whose

first language is not English. When parents gain leadership skills, they can be powerful advocates f

equity. Therefore, parent ambassadors will help redesign and improve district recruitment efforts

around parent leadership such as School Parent Councils and School Site Councils to ensure better

representation. Additionally, parent ambassadors can help facilitate and support the district's Parent

University expansion efforts within schools and the community. They also can support

school-based efforts to engage families around student learning.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The district will work with partners to recruit families whose first language is not English. This is

population that has been historically marginalized. Parent surveys through the Office of Family a

Community Advancement Staff, school feedback during the pandemic, and School Committee and

the EL Task Force Parent Engagement Subcommittee’s historical feedback have contributed to this

proposal. Additionally, the Office of Family and Community Advancement has participated 

community engagement beginning with the Superintendent's 100 day tour through this year's

Return, Recover and Reimagine public engagement sessions. In every session, including those with

parents regarding use of ESSER funds, families, students and staff have shared the need for strong

family engagement at the school level, and for the effective recruitment and support of families

whose first language is not English as parent leaders on school and district decision-making a

advisory bodies.

The outreach efforts will be conducted through partners serving specific linguistic communitie

the district’s Community Engagement Advisory Council, the Mayor’s Office of Immigra

Advancement, and 124 school-based liaisons. Additionally, the district intends to leverage ethnic

media to expand its reach to families and ensure awareness of the opportunities.

English learners and immigrant students represent over 40% of the district’s student population,

and are impacted by the achievement and opportunity gaps. By engaging families as partners in

education, schools will better serve and educate students. Research by Tony Bryk (Organizing for

School Improvement) and Maria Paredes of West Ed (Academic Parent Teacher Teams)

demonstrates the lasting impact of effective engagement of parents as parents in education. Part of

this work is ensuring that parents have the access and skills to effectively advocate for their children

in an organization and environment shaped by dominant culture.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 102
Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

TBD Parents enrolled that

transition be the parent

ambassador roll

Annual

TBD Parents trained as facilitators

and recruiters for SSC, SPC

or Parent University

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

TBD Improved parent

representation on SSC and

SPC

Annual

TBD Self efficacy and satisfacti

of parents participating in

classroom based

programming

Annual

TBD Parent ambassador self

effica

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

This project will support us in strengthening school-based engagement efforts while at the same

time expanding community-based access for families.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

According to the research, family engagement programs improve and support student achievement.

Specifically, it was found that students earn higher grades and test scores, are less likely to 

retained, attend school regularly, like school and adapt well to it, have better social skills, have fewer

negative behavior reports, and graduate and go on to postsecondary education (Henderson & Mapp,

2002).

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

90%

CITY OF BOSTON 103
III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Education Assistance (EC 3.1 - 3.5):

Number of students participating in evidence-based tutoring programs:

Not Applicable

CHILDCARE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advanceme

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.6 Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9532-9032

Funding Amount Allocated:

430,000.00

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-3138

Contact Email for Project:

Bostonwomen@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Boston.gov/women

Description:

This project includes training and grants for Family Child Care (FCC) businesses. FCCs are small

businesses that offer childcare in the provider’s home. This project intends to focus on training

these small business owners in technology and marketing and conducting developmental

screenings. The training will take place in cohorts of 30 or fewer participants and is intended to

enhance the provider’s skill in the training area while also providing the provider with a

community of similarly situated entrepreneurs to support them.

Entrepreneurs in the technology and marketing workshop cohort will receive a chromebook or

CITY OF BOSTON 104
laptop and a grant in order to support their efforts to expand their childcare businesses.

MOWA plans to issue RFPs for these workshops in early 2022, with workshop cohorts taking place

over the following two years. The intended outcomes of this program are to 1) improve FCC

marketing and technology skills to help 50 Boston childcare providers serve more children and 2)

teach 200 FCC providers how to conduct developmental screenings and follow up with families if

additional intervention is warranted.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The childcare industry in Boston is largely represented by women, specifically women of color a

immigrants. Along with these intersections, the average salary of an early childcare educator is

$26,000, showing a need to support the providers. This effort will assist in not only closing

economic gaps for this industry, but will increase more opportunities for working families to have

accessible child care options.

Outreach to family child care providers will primarily focus on direct outreach to past applicants

and grantees of the Childcare Entrepreneur Fund. MOWA will also rely on its network of

community organizations and advocacy groups to share this opportunity in a number of languages

that reflect Boston’s residency. Targeted outreach efforts will be executed with the help of oth

departments (Language and Communication Access, Office of Neighborhood Services, Immigra

Advancement) to directly engage populations in-person and digitally (social media and email).

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

3 Proposals submitted in

response to RFP for

technology and marketing

workshops

By June 30, 2022

5 Proposals submitted in

response to RFP for

developmental screening

workshops

By June 30, 2022

75 FCC applicants for the

workshops

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

CITY OF BOSTON 105
50 FCC operators completing

marketing and technology

workshops

By June 30, 2023

200 FCC operators completing

developmental screening

workshops

By June 30, 2024

10% Increase in family childcare

businesses in Boston

conducting developmental

screenings

Annually

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To increase the number of Family Childcares in Boston conducting developmental screenings by

10%

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”): :

As documented in Boston’s Child-Care Supply Crisis, the Continued Impact of a Pandemic, during

COVID fewer children were screened and referred to services. Between March 2020 and 2021, the

United Way DRIVE system reports a 15% drop in the annual number of screens. Early Intervention

(EI) referrals are down 12% with central Boston, Roxbury and Hyde Park seeing the steepest drops

(-25%, -25% and -21%, respectively). These are also among the communities that have been

hardest hit by the pandemic.

This decrease in developmental screening is concerning for young children. Developmental

delays, learning disorders, and behavioral and social-emotional problems are estimated to affect

one in every six children, but only 20–30 percent of these children are identified before they ent

school. By using a validated screening tool, 70–80 percent of children needing support can be

identified and connected to services to support their success. The more children we identify earl

the less stress on families as some children’s developmental delays can be addressed and resolved

prior to entering school. Developmental screening and connection to support services does not

eliminate the need for special education but does mitigate that need by getting resources to

children and their families to build developmental skills earlier.

The developmental screening tool that childcare providers will be trained to use, the Ages and

Stages Questionnaire (“ASQ”), is a validated tool. In research published by the American Academy

of Pediatrics, one study found that the ASQ-3 had 75% sensitivity and 81% specificity. Bo

“improved with testing age and in children who were born extremely premature.”

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

CITY OF BOSTON 106
70%

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Healthy Childhood Environments (EC 3.6 - 3.9):

Number of children served by childcare and early learning (preschool/pre-K/ages 3 - 5):

0, Project hasn’t started

Number of families served by home visiting:

0, Project hasn’t started

WORKFORCE HIRING AND RETENTION FOR CHILDCARE SECTOR

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advanceme

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.6 Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9532 Subclass 9033

Funding Amount Allocated:

1,570,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-3138

Contact Email for Project:

Bostonwomen@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Boston.gov/women

Description:

CITY OF BOSTON 107
The Childcare Sector, already a low-paying sector before the pandemic, has a severe workforce

shortage. This workforce shortage limits childcare programs’ ability to serve the number of

children they are licensed to care for. In order to incentivize hiring, the Mayor’s Office of Women

Advancement will provide direct grants to childcare businesses in the City who have hired new

childcare staff (or rehired previously laid off staff) since July 1, 2021. Part of the grant will be for the

hiring organization and part of the grant will be intended as a bonus for the employee themself.

Applications will open in late 2021 and be collected via google form; applications will be accepted

on a rolling basis until 140 new hire grants have been distributed. Grants will be renewable

annually in 2022 and 2023 for recipients still employed by the same organization in order to help

bolster the pay in this sector and encourage retention. Childcare organizations may apply for up

to two new employees per site in the first year. The intended outcomes of this program are 

draw qualified caregivers back into the childcare workforce with better pay, help childca

workers remain in the field with augmented pay, and to help childcare businesses retain the

workers with annual bonuses.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

In Boston, the childcare workforce is more than 40% immigrant, 60% people of color, and 90%

women. These workers provide critical infrastructure to our economy and society but are among

the lowest-paid employment sectors. This project helps increase pay for the childcare workforce,

a highly racially/ethnically diverse, predominantly female sector.

This project also supports women’s engagement in the workforce as a whole, since women are

more likely than men to leave the workforce to care for their own children. When childcare is

accessible and affordable, more women are able to work.

The outreach and engagement efforts we will use to target childcare businesses are 1) direct

outreach via email, utilizing the contact lists we have already developed in our other childcare

grant work, 2) reaching out to nonprofits and other government bodies in the childcare space 

ensure they know about the program, 3) social media outreach, utilizing MOWA and the City’s

broad groups of social media followers, 4) mailings to all licensed childcare providers in the City of

Boston and 5) providing outreach materials in at least 5 languages. MOWA will continue its

partnership with the office of Immigrant advancement to assure equal representation amongst a

communities and ethnic groups.

By utilizing our relationships with community partners, diversifying our outreach methods into

both digital and paper, and building on our existing contacts with childcare providers we expect

to garner a grantee pool that reflects the diversity of the current childcare workforc

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

15 Organizations share

information about the hiring

and retention program on

social media

In the first ye

CITY OF BOSTON 108
200 Recipients open email blast

about grant program

Within 1 week of sending

20 Individuals reach out to

MOWA with questions about

the program

Within first 6 months 

program

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 Childcare businesses apply

for grants

In the first ye

140 Newly hired childcare

employees in the City of

Boston

In the first ye

110 Retained childcare

employees hired in the fir

year and receiving retention

grants

In the second year

80 Retained childcare

employees hired in the fir

year and receiving retention

grants

In the third year

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project

Evaluation Design:

Quasi-experimental design

Research question(s):

Can hiring bonuses help alleviate staffing shortages in the childcare field? Can annual reten

bonuses incentivize childcare workers to remain at a workplace longer than the average childcare

worker? Do hiring and retention bonuses help alleviate the burden of low worker pay in the

childcare sector?

Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics:

Yes

Estimated date of completion:

January 1, 2024

CITY OF BOSTON 109
IV. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Healthy Childhood Environments (EC 3.6 - 3.9):

Number of children served by childcare and early learning (preschool/pre-K/ages 3 - 5):

0, Project hasn’t started

Number of families served by home visiting:

0, Project hasn’t started

ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Neighborhood Development

Project Expenditure Category:

3.10 Housing Support:Affordable Housing

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9527-9026

Funding Amount Allocated:

$20,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-0100

Contact Email for Project:

jessica.boatright@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

https://www.boston.gov/housing/acquisition-opportunity-program

Description:

The City has a rolling RFP for qualified nonprofit and for-profit developers to purchase units 

the private market and create long term income-restrictions for low- and moderate-income

tenants. With the new ARPA funds in place, the City will issue an updated RFP based on the

successful experience with the existing AOP, with the goal of accelerating acquisitions with ARPA

funds. Developers have a choice to pre-qualify as AOP buyers or to apply on a

CITY OF BOSTON 110
property-by-property basis. To qualify developers must keep the tenancies of residents in good

standing, keep affordable rent levels for the units in the property long-term, agree to set aside at

least 40 percent of the units for low- and moderate-income families, have investor-owned rental

properties that are fully or partially occupied, and agree that no tenant in good standing will be

displaced from their unit.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

DND encourages developers to apply who have not previously worked with DND, and offers

assistance in supporting these developers to succeed. Also, this project is, at its core, an

anti-displacement tool, and therefore seeks to keep people in their communities of choice by

income-restricting their current homes. Developers often work with tenant organizations in

identifying properties that might be a good match for AOP, and DND requires that developers

engage with tenants to prevent displacement.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

7 Developers actively

participating in AOP

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

6 Buildings Acquired through

the AOP

Annual

150 Units Acquired through the

AOP

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The goal of this project is to increase affordable housing inventory, protect affordable rental housing

stock, and prevent displacement across Boston neighborhoods through the acquisition of occupied

buildings.

CITY OF BOSTON 111
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

Boston’s Acquisition Opportunity Program helps buyers of unsubsidized housing purchase the

property and income restrict it, providing an opportunity to both save existing tenants from

displacement and create a long term source of affordable housing. In 2020, Enterprise released

Preserving Affordability, Preventing Displacement: Acquisition-Rehabilitation of Unsubsidized

Affordable Housing in the Bay Area. This study provides case studies of efforts in San Francisco, San

1

Mateo County, and Oakland to purchase existing, unsubsidized rental housing and convert these

properties into income.restricted housing. Given that both the Bay Area and Greater Boston have

high cost housing, and high development costs, this study is instructive to our efforts in Boston,

where existing housing that is affordable to low- and moderate-income households are being lost

due to rising rents.

This report outlines the benefits of “acquisition-rehabilitation” as 

● Direct anti-displacement strategy that advances racial and economic equity through a

place-based approach;

● Fast and cost-effective strategy [the per unit costs are cheaper than new construction];

● Flexible strategy that expands housing choices; and

● Long-term, environmentally sustainable strategy.

2

In addition, Among anti-displacement strategies, Chapple and Loukaitou-Sideris state that the

acquisition of unsubsidized affordable housing has a high potential for preventing displacement.

3

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$20,000,000

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Household Assistance & Support (EC 2.2, 2.5, 3.10 - 3.12):

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention service:

Not Applicable

3 Chapple, Karen and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris (2021) White Paper on Anti-Displacement Strategy Effectiveness.

Prepared for the California Air Resources Board. Page 1. Accessed August 17, 2021, at

https://www.urbandisplacement.org/sites/default/files/images/carb_anti-displacement_policy_white_pap

_3.4.21_final_accessible.pdf page 

2Yelen, James (2020). Page 2.

1Yelen, James (2020). Preserving Affordability, Preventing Displacement: Acquisition-Rehabilitation of Unsubsidized

Affordable Housing in the Bay Area. Enterprise. Accessed August 16, 2021 at

https://www.enterprisecommunity.org/resources/preserving-affordability-preventing-displacement-acquisitio

n-rehabilitation-unsubsidized

CITY OF BOSTON 112
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed:

448

ADDITIONAL LAND ACQUISITION OPPORTUNITIES

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Neighborhood Development

Project Expenditure Category:

3.10 Housing Support:Affordable Housing

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9527-9027

Funding Amount Allocated:

$2,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-0100

Contact Email for Project:

jessica.boatright@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Through development partners or direct City acquisition, DND will secure key vacant or

underutilized property for affordable housing or commercial development. Funding can be

prioritized for community land trusts or other community ownership models.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

DND’s housing development efforts are aimed at creating opportunities for lower-income

Bostonians to stay in and live in our City. In order to engage in funding opportunities, development

teams must report on their equity & inclusion strategies, outlining how minority and women-owned

businesses and minority and women workers will benefit from the economic developme

opportunities the projects create throughout the lifecycle of a project. Additionally, DND seeks to

prioritize projects and/or properties in neighborhoods that do not currently meet (or exceed) the

city-wide average of % of housing in a neighborhood that is income-restricted.

Too often, mission-oriented buyers seeking to increase housing affordability are unable to compete

CITY OF BOSTON 113
for land because the speculative market drives up the price of land. Additionally, speculative buyers

are able to adhere to short closing timelines that disadvantage buyers who depend on complex

public funding sources. This acquisition-focussed funding will allow buyers aligned with our

affordable housing and equity goals to compete with these buyers by streamlining public processes

specifically for acquisitions. Over time, this will support Boston’s growth as a more equitable a

inclusive city by distributing affordable housing across the city’s neighborhoods.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

4 Developers actively engaged

in property-specif

acquisitions

End of FY 2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

2 Parcels purchased for

affordable housing

development

End of Calendar Year 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

1) Support developers to acquire at least two parcels of land for future affordable housing

development

2) Create a system for flexible and quick deployment of city resources for land acquisition th

is replicable for future purchases

3) Develop a fund to continue the program after initial funds are expended.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

Among anti-displacement strategies, Chapple and Loukaitou-Sideris state that land acquisition that

is placed within community control (such as a community land trust) has high potential for

preventing displacement, largely because the future use of such properties is for income restricted

CITY OF BOSTON 114
housing production. We do not have to look any further than the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury

4

for an example of the effectiveness of a community land trust. Chapple and Loukaitou-Sideris

summarize an evaluation of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative as:

The most prominent and well-studied example of a CLT is the Dudley Street Neighborhood

Initiative (DSNI) in Boston, which had notable stabilizing effects on the residents of the

neighborhood. DSNI is a CLT that covers 225 permanently affordable housing units,

commercial and nonprofit space, as well as community amenities like a playground, urb

farm, and more. Because of the CLT’s presence in the neighborhood, its residents were less

hard hit by the Great Recession of 2007-2009 (Louie, 2016) . DSNI, which owned the land

5

and leased out the housing to the residents, had ensured that no subprime mortgages were

sold in the neighborhood; therefore, foreclosures during that time were minimal. Compared

to a similar sized area nearby that had 85 foreclosures in 2008 and 2009, DSNI only had 1

(Louie, 2016).

6

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$2,000,000

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Household Assistance & Support (EC 2.2, 2.5, 3.10 - 3.12):

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention service:

Not Applicable

Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed:

40

CREDIT BOOSTER PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Neighborhood Development

Project Expenditure Category:

3.12 Housing Support:Other Housing Assistance

6 Chapple, Karen and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris (2021). Page 61.

5Louie, M. (2016). Community Land Trusts: A Powerful Vehicle For Development without Displacement. Page

31.

4Chapple, Karen and Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris (2021) White Paper on Anti-Displacement Strategy

Effectiveness. Prepared for the California Air Resources Board. Page 1. Accessed August 17, 2021, at

https://www.urbandisplacement.org/sites/default/files/images/carb_anti-displacement_policy_wh

e_paper_3.4.21_final_accessible.p

CITY OF BOSTON 115
ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9538-9023

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-0548

Contact Email for Project:

maureen.flynn@boston.g

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

This program will provide an incentive, in the form of a $5,000 grant, to low and moderate income

homebuyers who can raise their credit score by at least 20 points to a minimum score of 680 by

taking a credit bootcamp or counseling program at an approved non-profit partner agency. Fun

will be distributed through an RFP process to qualified non-profit partner agencies, who curre

conduct credit boot camp type counseling programs. The intended outcome is to have 70 percent

of enrollees increase their credit score to 680 within two years. The program will be up and running

by January 2022.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

We intend to serve low and moderate income, primarily BIPOC first time homebuyers who ha

been shut out of the homebuying market because of a low credit score.

Our non-profit agencies will use social media, email blasts, and outreach through existing progra

to recruit participants. The City will also use the same to direct participants to the program.

Our project will help close the racial homeownership gap by assisting primarily BIPOC residents to

become homeowners in Boston.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 Individuals enrolled in the

Credit Booster Program

Annual

CITY OF BOSTON 116
Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

70% Enrollees of the credit

booster program who get

their credit score up to 680

within two years

Annual (progress)

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The goal of the project is to close the racial homeownership gap in Boston, primarily for low and

moderate income buyers.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

One of the barriers to home ownership and being able to take advantage of affordable mortgage

products is poor credit. For example, the state’s two main affordable mortgage products offered by

MHP and MassHousing, require at least a 640 credit score. These products are very advantageous

for first time homebuyers and low- and moderate income households because they offer l

interest rates, low fees, and depending on the program, low or no private mortgage insurance costs.

Credit is also an equity issue. The difference in average credit scores in Boston neighborhoods vary

by the racial makeup of the neighborhood. According to a recent Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

report, half of consumers in Roxbury and Mattapan have credit scores below 660 (considered

“subprime”) compared to just eight percent of the consumers in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and

approximately one-third “of the residents of Roxbury and Mattapan have debt collections on their

credit reports, compared to just five percent in several higher-income Boston neighborhoods

7

This program is designed to assist city of Boston residents to overcome barriers to homeownership.

For those residents who have experienced credit or debt issues, more in-depth counseling is

needed and a financial education program will help these residents to continue towards the

financial goal

The bootcamps will consist of 3 hours of financial literacy training, one-to-one counseling, budg

development and a program to incentivize savings.

The goal of the program would be to help Boston residents improve their credit scores by working

with a counselor to budget and remediate debt and credit issues so that by the end of the program

their credit score would see a significant improvement allowing them to open the path 

homeownership. Credit counselors will work with the participants over a two year period,

monitoring their process and providing on-going support and counseling to meet their goals. Our

secondary goal is to have more low- and moderate-income households and households of color be

7 Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Issue Brief | 2018-2 | June 27, 2018 The Concentration of Financial Disadvantage:

Debt Conditions and Credit Report Data in Massachusetts Cities and Boston Neighborhoods

CITY OF BOSTON 117
able to take advantage of the affordable mortgage products and avoid taking mortgage products that

are more costly to them.

Increasing credit scores in majority-minority neighborhoods will increase homebuying

opportunities for households of color, and in-turn, create more wealth for households and in

neighborhoods of color.

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$500,000

I. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Household Assistance & Support (EC 2.2, 2.5, 3.10 - 3.12):

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention service:

Not Applicable

Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed:

Not applicable

FIRST GENERATION MARCHED SAVING HOMEBUYER PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Neighborhood Development

Project Expenditure Category:

3.12 Housing Support:Other Housing Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9538-9024

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-0458

Contact Email for Project:

CITY OF BOSTON 118
maureen.flynn@boston.g

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Funding will be used to supplement our existing partnership with the Massachusetts Affordable

Housing Alliance (MAHA) so that income qualified first generation Boston buyers can be enrolle

MAHA’s current first generation homebuying program called STASH. Enrollees receive finan

literacy and individualized coaching, and a 2:1 grant match of up to $5,000, provided they can sav

$2,500. The grant money can be used by the buyers toward the purchase of a home. The funds will

be distributed to MAHA through an amendment to an existing grant agreement. With these funds,

we expect to have 125 new participants enrolled in the program with approximately 80 (64%) of

those participants purchasing homes.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Our main goal is to serve low- and moderate-income first generation BIPOC buyers who historical

have not had access to familial sources of wealth/cash for a downpayment. MAHA uses social

media, email blasts and outreach to home buying education class participants to recruit participants

into their program. Currently, there is a waiting list to participate. This program will help close the

racial homeownership gap by providing financial support to income qualified predominantly B

first generation buyers. The current program has been in existence since 2019. To date, 97% a

BIPOC buyers and over 82% are women.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

125 Individuals enrolled in the

First Gen program

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

64% Enrollees who purchased a

home in Boston

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

CITY OF BOSTON 119
The goal of the project is to increase the number of BIPOC first generation low and modera

income homeowners in Boston. Funds from ARPA will be used to support and expand an existing

program/project.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

Boston is among the first cities to have a homeownership program focused on first genera

homebuyers. As such, no studies have been completed on this type of program. Research from the

Urban Institute suggests such a program could be very important for overcoming barriers to

homeownership, especially for households of color. According to a 2018 Urban Institute study,

“Having a homeowner parent increases a young adult’s likelihood of being a homeowner by 7 to 8

percentage points.” In a 2021 follow up study, the Urban Insitute found a downpayment assistance

8

program focused on first generation buyers would help to reduce the wealth disparities betwe

white and non-white households, by helping upwards of 2.5 million households nationwide become

homeowners. In August 10, 2021 testimony to the Boston City Council on this topic, Urban

9

Institute's Janneka Ratcliffe outlines the importance of multi-generational homeownership,

“[Homeownership] forms the basis for further wealth by funding businesses, paying for higher

education, and helping children buy their first home. In fact, all else equal, we find that 

parents own a home, their children are more likely to be homeowners as young adults (ages 18–34).”

She went on to add that it’s not enough that someone’s parents owned a home at some point in their

childhood, but that, “Our research shows that only continuous homeownership by parents over the

16-year study period led to statistically higher home ownership for their children. In other words,

parents having a late start to homeownership or intermittent episodes of homeownership does not

have the same wealth-building effect as sustained homeownership.”

10

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

100%

I. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Household Assistance & Support (EC 2.2, 2.5, 3.10 - 3.12):

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention service:

Not Applicable

10 Ratcliffe, Janneka (2021). “Homeownership Assistance, including for First-Generation Homeowners Statement of

Janneka Ratcliffe, before the Committee on Housing & Community Development, Boston City Council).” August 10.

Accessed August 16, 2021 at

https://www.urban.org/research/publication/homeownership-assistance-including-first-generation-homeo

ers.

9 Ratcliffe, Janneka and Jung Hyun Choi (2021). “Down Payment Assistance Focus on First-Generation Buyers

Could Help Millions Access the Benefits of Homeownership.” Urban Wire: The blog of the Urban Institute, (April 7

August 16, 2021 at

https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/down-payment-assistance-focused-first-generation-buyers-could-help-m

lions-access-benefits-homeownershi

8Choi, Jung Hyun, Jun Zhu, and Laurie Goodman (2018). Intergenerational Homeownership: The Impact of Parental

Homeownership and Wealth on Young Adult’s Tenure Choices. Urban Institute, Page V. Accessed August 16, 2021 at

https://www.urban.org/research/publication/intergenerational-homeownership.

CITY OF BOSTON 120
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed:

Not applicable

HOUSING SEARCH AND STABILIZATION SERVICES FOR BHA VOUCHERS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Housing Authority

Project Expenditure Category:

3.12 Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9538-9022

Funding Amount Allocated:

$200,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

(978)697-0361

Contact Email for Project:

joel.wool@bostonhousing.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

The Boston Housing Authority (BHA), a subgrantee of the City of Boston, will stabilize renter

households by expanding programming to support the hardest hit households with housing search

and stabilization services for BHA vouchers.

The BHA will preserve and expand its capacity to support housing search for Section 8 voucher

holders and, as appropriate, tenants in other BHA-administered voucher programs who lack housing

search services. The new and extended staff support will enable BHA to provide housing search

services during a critical period in 2021-2022 when the City of Boston, region and country are

seeking to recover from the multiple impacts of COVID-19.

Given the extreme discrimination faced by voucher holders (as documented by a recent Suffolk

University report), the BHA will also step up efforts to recruit landlords within its service territory

to house voucher holding tenants.

CITY OF BOSTON 121
Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The BHA is a Public and Local Housing Authority, administering federally- and state-funded rental

housing as well as the Section 8 Voucher program, and its tenants are predominantly extremely

low-income residents. The majority of BHA renters hail from underserved and/or historically

marginalized communities. BHA’s communities are diverse in ethnicity, origin and language.

Voucher holders face severe discrimination in Boston’s rental market and typically cannot access

units advertised by real estate brokers. While source of income discrimination is a violation of state

fair housing law, and while the BHA has partnered with fair housing enforcement agencies to deter

discriminatory actions in the real estate market, the problems facing voucher holders persist. As

such, it is appropriate to take additional measures to mitigate the barriers to fair housing choice,

including expanding housing search services for this population.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100 New Landlords taking

Section 8 vouchers

Annual

250 Families provided housing

search.

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

250 Families housed through

expanded housing search

Fall 2021 - Fall 2022

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To preserve and expand its capacity to support housing search for Section 8 voucher holders and, as

appropriate, tenants in other BHA-administered voucher programs who lack housing search

services by adding new staff support.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

CITY OF BOSTON 122
$0

HOUSING PILOT FOR FAMILIES IMPACTED BY VIOLENCE

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Department of Neighborhood Development

Project Expenditure Category:

3.12 Housing Support:Other Housing Assistance

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9538-9028

Funding Amount Allocated:

$200,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-0247

Contact Email for Project:

taylor.cain@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

Through a nonprofit partner, DND will provide support and services to low and moderate inco

households impacted by violence to ensure housing stability. Services will be procured in Q1 of FY21

to start in Q2.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

This project aims to address the housing related needs of households who have been impacted by

community violence. The City of Boston, alongside other key stakeholders, have already established

a bi-weekly Housing Assistance Network for households who have experienced violence to allow

social service providers, medical providers, and other relevant stakeholders to coordinate care for

households who have been impacted by violence in their communities. Many of the households

assisted through this coordination are households of color, oftentimes single female heads of

household, who are caring for children and other loved ones in the aftermath of community

CITY OF BOSTON 123
violence. The City will leverage this existing network to connect with households who are

connected to existing organizations as part of their trauma response and medical care. This project

will enable impacted households to re-establish a sense of safety by facilitating connections to new

housing either within the City of Boston or outside the City of Boston.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

70 Households receiving

housing related assistance

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

75% Households secure new

permanent housing

Annual

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The goals of this project are to secure new housing for households impacted by community violence

to prevent doubling up of households and minimize risk of homelessness.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

III. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR SELECT PROJECTS

Household Assistance & Support (EC 2.2, 2.5, 3.10 - 3.12):

Number of people or households receiving eviction prevention service:

Not Applicable

CITY OF BOSTON 124
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed:

Not Applicable

GREEN RESIDENTIAL BUILDING RETROFITS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Environment

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.13 Social Determinants of Health: Other

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9539-9013

Funding Amount Allocated:

$500,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-1385

Contact Email for Project:

hannah.payne@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

The City of Boston will develop programs to support efficiency, electrification and renew

energy (e.g., solar PV, battery storage, heat pump installation) in residential buildings, including

addressing barriers to such installations, like roof replacement and electrical upgrades. This will

be done in concert with community service providers to leverage existing programs, such as

weatherization incentives. Disbursement of funds will primarily occur in Q1 and Q2 of 2022,

through grants to entities administering such services. By making programs more accessible to EJ

communities, this project is intended to improve air quality and decrease energy cost burden for

residents.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

CITY OF BOSTON 125
This project is intended to bring the benefits of efficient homes powered by renewable energ

Environmental Justice communities. We will partner with trusted local community groups to

conduct outreach to low- and moderate-income residents in Qualified Census Tracts, including 

languages other than English. We will also collect demographic data for program participants to

measure the populations that are benign served by this program.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

65 Households installing some

combination of solar PV,

battery storage, and/or heat

pumps

2022-2023

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

$47,000 Projected average energy

savings per household over

25 years

2022-2023

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

Improve air quality and decrease energy cost burden for residents by supporting efficienc

electrification and renewable energy in residential buildings in Environmental Justi

communities.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”): :

● Reducing energy cost burden

○ A National Renewable Energy Laboratory study on two Colorado low-income

rooftop solar programs resulted in an average $400 annual savings for participants.

○ An ACEEE study estimated that if the low-income housing stock were brought up

to the efficiency level of the average U.S. home, 35% of the low-income ener

burden could be eliminated.

● Improving air quality

CITY OF BOSTON 126
○ A Rocky Mountain Institute report documented the connection between gas

appliances and increased levels of pollutants, including carbon dioxide and

nitrogen oxide, that impact residents’ health. Low-income households are at

higher risk.

○ An analysis appearing in Applied Energy showed that electrification can bri

notable health benefits, especially when coupled with decarbonization of t

power sector.

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$500,000

SOCIAL DETERMINANT OF HEALTH COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.13 Social Determinants of Health: Other

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9539-9041

Funding Amount Allocated:

$2,500,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-794-9868

Contact Email for Project:

mbovenzi@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

These funds will support sustainability of local non-profit community-based organizations

family childcare small businesses (Organizations) that promote and provide resources for food

insecurity, active living, environmental health, healthy housing, and chronic disease prevention in

CITY OF BOSTON 127
lower-income neighborhoods, with a focus on the Boston neighborhoods most adversely

impacted by COVID-19 infections. The funds will address six of the Key Recommendation areas in

the Healthy Equity Now Plan: (Rec 2) Provide Meaningful Employment, (Rec 3) Provide Quality

Housing, (Rec 5) Eliminate Food Insecurity, (Rec 6) Provide Free or subsidized child care, (Rec 8)

Promote Active Living and (Rec 9) Invest in Youth.

We will fund up to 75 Organizations with a sustainability grant to support program operations,

payroll, services, and activities. These organizations provide meaningful employment and provide

services directly to Boston residents. The focus will be on Organizations serving residents who

live in Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Mattapan, and Roxbury. Some examples of possible

funded activities include: supporting payroll and benefits for employees (Rec 2), rental 

mortgage assistance (Rec 2, 3), continuity of food insecurity, active living, or youth programs and

education (Rec 5, 8, 9), improvements to Organization facilities including housing (Rec 3),

childcare scholarships for families (Rec 2, 6, 9.)

We will put out an RFP with a menu of allowable expenses for the project and ask organizations to

tell us who they serve, and describe how they intend to spend the funds. The funds will be

delivered directly to the Organizations through subcontract from BPHC, and will be managed by

the Division of Chronic Disease Prevention and Control. The Division will work in coordination

with related city departments to ensure this effort is in line with related city efforts.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Community-Based Organizations and Family child care small businesses (Organizations) are the

backbone of promoting health in our neighborhoods. They are on the ground and in tune to the

resident's needs. As highlighted in the Health Equity Now Plan, our focal neighborhoods have the

highest number of residents with un and under employment, food insecurity, chronic disease, and

housing instability.

Organizations are both key partners to reaching residents and employers of residents. COVID

amplified the needs of the residents and, in turn, the organizations that serve them. Boston

family childcare small businesses are overwhelmingly owned by lower-income women of color,

immigrants, and people whose primary language is not English. Many childcare programs closed

during the pandemic, and families have lost childcare they rely on to work. These sustainability

grants will support additional programs from closing, ensuring meaningful employment and

services to the community.

Our Bureau has a strong collaborative network, and track record of partnership with CBO and

childcare partners; we will outreach through this network. Many of the Organizations that we will

reach are low-resourced and have suffered during the pandemic. These grants will provide

important sustainability funds and allow them to continue to serve the community during an

enhanced time of need. These organizations are essential to the health, wellness and financi

security infrastructure in our neighborhoods.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

CITY OF BOSTON 128
Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

40 # of FCC programs Annual

320 # of children enrolled in the

40 FCC programs

Annual

35 # of CBOs supported Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% Organizations offering

services that address at

least 1 of the six identifi

Health Equity Now Plan Key

Recommendation areas: 2, 3,

5, 6, 8 and 9.

Annual

IV. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

C. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To ensure fiscal stability of neighborhood-based community organizatio

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

TRAFFIC CALMING AND STREET SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Streets

Project Expenditure Category:

3.13 Social Determinants of Health:Other

CITY OF BOSTON 129
ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9539-9030

Funding Amount Allocated:

$2,000,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-4156

Contact Email for Project:

stefanie.seskin@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

boston.gov/slow-streets/grove-hall

boston.gov/slow-streets/highland-park

boston.gov/slow-streets/roc

Description:

Through our neighborhood-based traffic-calming program, we will construct street design chang

that self-enforce safe driving behaviors. These changes include proven safety countermeasures such

as curb extensions and raised crosswalks, as well as general application of speed humps to slow

speeds to 20 MPH.

Each self-contained zone of traffic-calming interventions will be constructed in 2021 and 202

depending on weather and contractor availability. ARPA funds will pay for the labor and materials

costs of these interventions.

For each neighborhood, we have partnered with the relevant civic association to identify priority

intersections and streets for intervention. All residents in the area were invited to participate in the

design process.

Our primary goal is to reduce the speed of drivers as they travel through these neighborhood

streets. While our default speed limit is 25 MPH, these traffic-calmed zones are designed for 

operating speed of 20 MPH or under. As an outcome, we anticipate fewer crashes that result in

serious or fatal injury.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Our traffic-calming program prioritizes neighborhoods where we expect more vulnerable ro

users: neighborhoods that are home to higher numbers of youth, elders, and people with disabilities

and where people are more likely to travel by foot or bike including public parks, public schools,

libraries, community centers, and bus and rail transit stops. We also give priority to areas where

higher numbers of injury-causing crashes have occurred in the past three years. Research shows us

that elders, youth, and people with disabilities are more likely to be seriously injured or killed in car

CITY OF BOSTON 130
crashes.

By focusing on factors that identify people who are most likely to be impacted by traffic violenc

this prioritization also leads to communities that have higher percentages of racial and ethnic

minorities and areas with higher numbers of households experiencing poverty. This is not a

surprising outcome given what we know about how crises compound against people who have been

marginalized. National research has demonstrated that serious traffic crashes more likely to occ

in areas with higher numbers of non-white residents. Research done in Boston and in Portland, OR

indicate that drivers are less likely to yield to Black pedestrians.

We intentionally partner with a known community resident and organization, which helps us

establish trust at the outset of design. We learn about community members’ needs and their

historical contexts through community walks, in-person drop-by sessions, widely-available surveys,

and public open house meetings. All information is shared in at least English and Spanish, with

additional translation and interpretation provided based on the specific population of t

neighborhood (e.g., Haitian Creole). Ultimately, the constructed designs are in direct response to

the needs stated by community residents during our engagement process.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

98 Constructed speed humps By Summer 2022

4 Raised crosswalks By Summer 2022

9 Intersections with curb

extensions or crossing islands

By Summer 2022

1 Mini Roundabout By Summer 2022

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

85% Drivers travel at or under 25

MPH

1 year and 3 years

post-construction

50% Reduction in number of

drivers traveling 10 MPH or

more over the speed limit

1 year and 3 years

post-construction

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

CITY OF BOSTON 131
● Use built traffic-calming devices to self-enforce safe speeds on neighborhood stree

● Invest in non-white communities, where historical investments may have not been made at

equal levels

● Improve safety and quality of life for residents

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

● FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasures

● Safety Effects of Marked versus Unmarked Crosswalks at Uncontrolled Locations: Final

Report and Recommended Guidelines (FHWA–HRT–04–100)

● FHWA Engineering Speed Management Countermeasures: A Desktop Reference of Potential

Effectiveness in Reducing Speed

● FHWA Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP)

○ Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations

(FHWA-SA-17-072)

○ Raised Crosswalk Countermeasure Tech Sheet

○ Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements Tech Sheet

○ Pedestrian Refuge Island Tech Sheet

● FHWA/ITE Traffic Calming EPrim

○ Speed Humps

○ Speed Table/Raised Crosswalk

○ Median Island

○ Mini Roundabout

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$2,000,000

COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM (PART 1)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Boston Public Health Commission

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.16 Social Determinants of Health: Community Violence Interventions

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9542-9040

Funding Amount Allocated:

$1,000,000 total - $200,000 to BPHC

Contact Phone Number for Project:

CITY OF BOSTON 132
617-534-7721

Contact Email for Project:

undulue@bphc.org

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

This project seeks to expand BPHC’s case management services with a specific focus on addressi

gaps relating to outreach and engagement to proven-risk men over the age of 25 in the city of

Boston. This initiative will perform the following core activities:

● Outreach: Assess and identify “Proven Risk” or affiliates of known “Proven Risk” individua

over 25 years of age to engage them in services. (This may include current Safe and

Successful Youth Initiative clients who are “aging out” of the program.)

● Case Management: Provide case management services to eligible men over the age of 25.

Case management services include Covid-19 related health services and supplies, re-entry

planning, an assessment of social needs, creating a service plan, coordination of services

for clients, and transition planning upon the conclusion of the service plan. PLEASE

NOTE: On a case-by-case basis MHI may enroll individuals outside the targeted age,

race, and gender demographic.

● Connection to Services: Connect MHI clients to health and social resources including

Covid-19 information, vaccinations, education, employment, legal (court

advocacy/probation/parole) behavioral health services and other necessary stabilizing

efforts such as nutritional support & emergency housing referrals.

● Training and Technical Support: The proposed initiative will convene an affinity group 

providers who are actively engaged in City-Wide violence prevention/intervention

activities. The objective of the affinity/training/technical support group is to impro

outcomes, enhance knowledge & skills and to ensure fidelity of programming across a

core providers to collaboratively address challenges and barriers via group case

conferences. These providers are: Inner-city Weightlifting, Youth Options Unlimited

(Y.O.U.), Youth Connect, College Bound Dorchester, ROCA Boston and Boston Medical

Center’s Violence Intervention Advocacy Program (V.I.A.P.).

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

This project seeks to address inequitable rates of Covid-19 infection, vaccinations and community

violence experienced by proven risk males over the age of 25. The target communities of

Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park and Roxbury are populated by majority residents of color and

represent the highest rates of firearm activity and victimization in the city. In 2020-2021, mal

over the age of 25 have been identified via Boston Police data as the highest risk for bei

perpetrators and victims of gun violence in the City of Boston. Additionally, these neighborhoods

have the highest rates Covid-19 infections and lowest rates of vaccination.

CITY OF BOSTON 133
We will outreach to these communities using proven practices of community engagement. Staff

will outreach to clients in multiple venues including prisons, jails, probation, youth services, and

through community-based organizations designed to support proven risk individuals.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

40 Outreach Enrollment &

Case Management

# of Clients enroll in MHI

developmental case

management services and

are retained for a minimum

of 90 days

10 months

40 Covid-19 Education

# Clients receive increased

knowledge and support to

access vaccination/testing

sites. Clients also receive

education about COVID-19

prevention and vaccination

including debunking of

common myths and

misinformation

10 months

40 PPE distribution

# of Clients receive PPE to

prevent COVID-19 infection

10 months

12 Training/Technical

Support

# of convenings of affini

group of (5) providers who

are actively engaged in

City-Wide violence

prevention/intervention

activities

10 months

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

90% Outreach Enrollment &

Case Management

10 months

CITY OF BOSTON 134
Clients are active in

strength based, stabilizing

developmental activities.

80% Race, ethnicity, gender,

income, and other relevant

factors

Clients enrolled in MHI

programming are males of

color from neighborhoods

most impacted by Covid-19

and community violence.

10 months

100% Covid-19 Education

Clients have increased

knowledge of how to access

vaccinations

10 months

100% PPE distribution and

education

Clients receive PPE from

MHI and have increased

knowledge of how to access

additional PPE supplies

10 months

100% Training/Technical

Support

# of Training/Technical

support participants have

increased knowledge and

capacity to enroll and more

effectively serve the

identified M

demographic.

10 months

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

To address inequitable rates of Covid-19 infection, vaccinations and community violence

experienced by proven risk males over the age of 25.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

CITY OF BOSTON 135
$0

COMMUNITY VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM (PART 2)

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Health and Human Services

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 3.16 Social Determinants of Health: Community Violence Interventions

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9542-9040

Funding Amount Allocated:

$800,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-1455

Contact Email for Project:

Marta.Rivera@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

HHS/ OPS will direct funding to the system-involved and proven-risk population in our city that

is mostly responsible for the increase in gun violence which unfortunately did not subside during

the pandemic. The increase in homicides in Boston in 2020 (54% from the previous year by

November 2020) was a shock to many, at a time when most were homebound. As COVID soared,

so did the gun violence in our city. The economic, social and emotional challenges that many of us

have endured during these unprecedented times are made even more difficult for the proven-ri

population- compounded with other challenges like lack of safety and unstable housing.

ARPA funds will be utilized to bolster services and programs for high risk, system-involved and

gang-involved individuals that are unders-served in communities with highest rates of gun and

gang violence in the city. HHS, working with OPS, will award a total of $600,000 in grants to

Boston nonprofits to increase or scale up programs for 2021-2022 that improve economi

education and health outcomes for the participants by providing training, case management,

mental health services, employment opportunities, among other support services.

CITY OF BOSTON 136
Application will be released Thursday, September 5, 2021 and the following will be prioritized:

● Boston entities to expand intentional outreach and engagement for specific high-ris

gang involved and under-served populations

● Nonprofit organizations in Boston neighborhoods that are disproportionately impacted 

gun or gang violence.

● Organizations with a proven track record of successfully delivering community violence

interventions.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

The focus of these funds are the “proven risk” youth; youth who are system-involved or

gang-involved. Most in this population are black or latinx and male.

The project will aim to support services and programs that address employment, academic and

health disparities, particularly among black and latino young men in Boston neighborhoods with

high rates of violence.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

At least 6 Organizations awarded

grants

10 months

150 Participants served through

grants

10 months

150 Clients informed on COVID

19 and vaccines

10 month

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

70% Client retention 10 months

100% Clients have increased

knowledge of how to access

vaccinations

10 months

70% Connected to or enrolled in

health/ mental health

10 months

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services

II. USE OF EVIDENCE FOR SELECT PROJECTS

A. If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project

Goals of the project:

The project will aim to support services and programs that address employment, academic and

health disparities, particularly among black and latino young men in Boston neighborhoods with

high rates of violence.

If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is appropriate

(if not, please write “No strong or moderate evidence”):

No strong or moderate evidence

Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions:

$0

IV. PREMIUM PAY

There are no current projects funded by ARPA under the Premium Pay category.

V. INFRASTRUCTURE

There are no current projects funded by ARPA under the Infrastructure category.

VII. ADMINISTRATIVE AND OTHER

CREATING LANGUAGE ACCESS FOR FEDERAL FUNDING

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Equity/ Language Communication Access

Project Expenditure Category:

EC 7.1 Administrative Expenses

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9031-9031

Funding Amount Allocated:

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$250,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-2662

Contact Email for Project:

LCA@boston.gov or Jeniffer.vivarwong@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

LCA is working with City of Boston departments who received ARPA funds to further increase

access to their projects and ensure collaboration, engagement and participation with persons who

speak a Language other than English and persons with a disability. We will meet with departments

to discuss their projects including their outreach, meetings, documents, etc. and go over the LCA

standards in the City and provide guidance on the accommodations that should be present within

their projects. The goal is to ensure that we are able to have the accommodations already available

to projects based on the department's audience and recorded need and also, providing additional

accommodations as appropriate and needed based on the standards within the Language and

Communications Access Policy and Language and Communications Access Ordinance.

Accommodations may include but are not limited to, translation of documents, presentations, flye

and interpretation at meetings, assistive technology as needed, CART and ASL and much more!

Based on our meetings with departments and LCA standards, we will make an estimate on the

amount of funding departments will need from LCA to support the increase in access.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Our office has determined the accommodations provided for departmental ARPA funded projects, 

three ways:

1. Following the standards for accessibility within the City’s Language and Communications

Access Policy and Language and Communications Access Ordinance

2. Using departments knowledge of their communities/audiences need for language and

disability access.

3. Additional accommodations requested by community members as needed will be fulfill

upon request.

Our goal is to ensure increased access for persons who speak a Language other than English and

persons with a disability. There are currently 112,603 residents in the City of Boston that identify as

LOTE and 84,266 residents that identify as having one or more disabilities.

Our outreach will be a joint effort with both internal and external partners, sharing information via

social media, online, flyering etc. as appropriate for engaging the targeted audience

Increasing access to information and providing a space for active participation for LOTE individuals

and persons with disabilities will ensure that the multitude of voices within our communities are

CITY OF BOSTON 139
heard. It will help the City breakdown the language barriers and increase access for communities to

relief efforts and funding opportunities.

I. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

70% ARPA projects provide ASL &

CART Services

Annual

90% ARPA funded grant

opportunities translated into

the top 5 languages

Annual

80% ARPA funded community

meetings provide

interpretation

Annual

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

50% Increase in involvement from

persons who identify as blind

or low vision and/or persons

who are deaf and hard of

hearing

Annual

60% Increase in LOTE

constituents applying to

grants

Annual

60% Increase in involvement and

engagement from persons

who speak a Language other

than English

Annual

EVALUATION AND DATA ANALYSIS

Cabinet/Department Owner:

Mayor’s Office of Policy and Planni

Project Expenditure Category:

CITY OF BOSTON 140
7.1 Administrative Expenses

ID Number (Program & Subclass):

9564-9029

Funding Amount Allocated:

$250,000

Contact Phone Number for Project:

617-635-4500

Contact Email for Project:

recover@boston.gov

Link to Website (optional):

Description:

The Mayor’s Office of Policy and Planning will work with the Administration and Finance Cabinet 

ensure that we have sufficient capacity for data analysis and evaluation of all ARPA-funded project

For each project, we have developed specific metrics that we will track to evaluate t

effectiveness of programs in achieving our three primary goals to address racial and

socioeconomic gaps in public health, wealth, and wages.

Promoting Equitable Outcomes:

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we have actively evaluated and collected evidence on the

health and economic impacts and which subsets of our population have been most deeply impacted

by both the virus and the circumstances that were created by the public health measures we took to

protect our City. This evidence has informed the use of the first allocation of emergency funds, o

revenue replacement, our planning for the remaining use of the funds and how we will evaluate the

impact of all projects.

II. PERFORMANCE REPORT

Output measures / goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

100% ARPA projects can

disaggregate outcomes by

Annual

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demographics and

geography (where relevant)

Outcome measures/goals:

Number Metric Time Frame for Metric

TBD Percentage of funding going

to disproportionately

impacted communities

Annual

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