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AMERICAN RESCUE
PLAN ACT: ANNUAL
RECOVERY PLAN
STATE AND LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY
FUNDS
July 31, 2024
GENERAL OVERVIEW 7
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
II. USE OF FUNDS 8
Housing 11
Revenue Replacement 12
Economic Opportunity and Inclusion 13
Climate & Mobility 15
Equitable Pandemic Response 17
Behavioral Health 18
Arts & Culture 20
Early Childhood 21
Evaluation & Compliance 23
Remaining ARPA Funds To Be Allocated 23
Looking Beyond 2026 23
Other Recovery Funds 23
III. PROMOTING EQUITABLE OUTCOMES 25
Language and Communication Accessibility 30
Geographic and Demographic Distribution of Funding 30
Building on Existing Initiatives 30
IV. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 32
V. LABOR PRACTICES 35
VI. USE OF EVIDENCE 36
VII. PERFORMANCE REPORT 38
FUNDS AUTHORIZED, OBLIGATED & EXPENDED BY PROJECT AS OF JUNE 30, 2024 42
Definitions 42
Table of Expenses by Priority & Project 42
PROJECT INVENTORY AS OF JUNE 30, 2024 48
Housing 48
Acquisition Opportunity Program 48
Affordable Homeownership Development and Ownership 50
East Boston Blue Line Portfolio 52
Housing Capacity Study for Dorchester YMCA Washington Street 53
People’s Academy Pre-Development 54
BHA Veteran Housing Capacity 55
Substance Use Services/Low Threshold Spaces 56
Mortgage Relief Program 57
Emergency Housing Support Pilot for City Workers 58
Digital Equity in Public Housing 60
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Cash assistance to individuals facing housing insecurity 61
First Generation Matched Savings Homebuyer Program 63
Healthy Housing and Environmental Justice in Public Housing 65
Transforming Publicly-Owned Land into Green, Mixed Income Communities 66
Humphreys Studios 67
Housing Pilot for Families Impacted by Violence 69
Housing Search and Stabilization Services for BHA Vouchers 70
Deep Energy Retrofits for Affordable Housing 71
Create Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Individuals with Substance Use and
Behavioral Health Disorders 73
Rapid Re-Housing for Returning Citizens 74
MOH Admin Payroll Costs 75
Revenue Replacement 75
Revenue Replacement 75
Economic Opportunity and Inclusion 76
Small Business Fund 2.0 76
Commercial Rental Relief Fund 77
Research on Boston's History of Slavery 78
Technical and Trade Education 79
All-Inclusive Boston Campaign 79
Reimagining Boston’s Main Streets 81
Workforce Digital Literacy 82
Commercial Space Supports 85
Commercial Rental Rebate Pilot 86
Basic Needs Assistance for Families Not Eligible for Previous COVID-19 Benefits 87
Young Adult Job Opportunities (19-24) 88
Life Sciences Job Hub 91
YouthBuild Boston Grant 93
Newmarket Business Association Workforce Development 94
High Roads Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund 95
Credit Booster Program 96
Small Business Technical Assistance 98
Creating an Ecosystem to Grow BIPOC-Owned Employer Firms 100
Supports for Immigrant-Owned Businesses 101
Immigrant Economic Resilience Initiative 102
Supporting Small Businesses in Digital Commerce 104
Expanding Tuition Free Community College 105
Climate & Mobility 106
Fare Free Bus Pilot 106
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Green Jobs Program 108
Traffic Calming and Street Safety Improvements 110
Green Residential Building Retrofits 111
Walkable City 112
America’s Best Biking City 113
Electrification of BPS School Buses 115
Growth & Maintenance of Boston’s Tree Canopy 116
Chinatown Microgrid Pilot 117
Center for Hard to Recycle Materials 118
East Boston O’Donnell Playground 119
District 4 Parks and Green Spaces 119
Mission Hill Last Mile Transportation 120
Farmers Market Coupon Program 121
Building New Neighborhood Food Systems 123
Equitable Pandemic Response 125
COVID-19 Testing 125
COVID-19 Vaccination 125
COVID-19 Wastewater Prevalence Tracking 126
Food Rescue and Distribution 127
CHC COVID Recovery Support 128
Food Access Community Grants 129
Halal Food for Refugees 131
Social Determinants of Health Community Grant Program 132
Community Violence Intervention Program 133
Digital Infrastructure for City Services 135
Public Housing Food Assistance 136
Personal Protective Equipment 137
Creating Language Access for Federal Funding 138
Emergency Assistance for Haitian Asylum Seekers 140
Emergency Assistance for Migrants 141
Boston Food Sovereignty Program 142
BPHC Staffing Supports 144
Boston School Food Distribution without Cost 145
Tech Goes Home Grant 146
South Boston Community Health Center Grant 147
Villa Victoria Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion Grant 148
The Phoenix Grant 148
NamaStay Sober Grant 149
St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children Grant 150
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Gavin Foundation Grant 151
Support for Families of Victims of Violence 151
East Boston Community Soup Kitchen Grant 152
Harvest on the Vine Food Pantry Grant 153
Arts & Culture 154
Reopen Creative Boston Fund 154
Support for Cultural Ecosystem 155
Elevating and Investing in BIPOC-led Cultural Organizations 156
Creative Neighborhood and Downtown Activations in our Public Spaces 157
Arts Corridor 158
Allston-Brighton Community Spaces 159
Active Engagement for Seniors 160
Nazzaro Community Center Senior Programming 161
Workforce and Career Development for Creative Workers 162
Direct Support for Creative Workers 163
Behavioral Health 164
BPS Student Behavioral Health Supports 164
Mental Health Services/Suicide Response 165
Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness/Workforce & Pipeline 166
Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness/Capacity & Resilience 168
Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness/Communications 170
Mental Health Crisis Response Pilot 171
Neighborhood Investments to Reduce Violence 172
Substance Use Services/Coordinated Public Health Response in Target Areas 173
Substance Use Services/Exploring Additional Engagement Centers 174
Substance Use Services/Recovery Services Encampment Responses 175
Substance Use Services/Community Engagement to Address Substance Use and
Unsheltered Residents 176
Substance Use Services/Workforce Development 178
Substance Use Services/Harm Reduction 179
Substance Use Services/HIV 180
BPS Family Mentoring and Leadership 182
Early Childhood 183
Workforce Hiring and Retention for Childcare Sector 184
Childcare Business Development 186
Stimulus Funds for Childcare Centers 188
Growing the Early Education and Care Workforce 191
Streamlining Access and Enrollment 194
Non-Standard Work Hours Childcare Pilot 196
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GENERAL OVERVIEW
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) plays a critical role in realizing Mayor Michelle Wu’s
vision for Boston’s equitable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. These federal
resources have laid a foundation for a prosperous and sustainable future for Boston. Alongside
the Operating and Capital Budgets, these investments have helped the City jumpstart solutions
to long-term challenges; deliver equity, climate resiliency, jobs, and health across departments
and sectors; and have established the foundation for long-term financial sustainability. Overall,
the City of Boston received $558.7 million from ARPA State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds.
As of June 30, 2024, more than 1,600 people in Boston have died from COVID-19, and over
220,000 have been infected, according to the Boston Public Health Commission. During the
height of the pandemic, businesses sustained heavy losses, with nearly 100,000 jobs lost.
Working families with children were especially impacted by the disruption to in-person public
schooling. The weight of these challenges has disproportionately fallen on low-income families,
immigrant households, and many communities of color.
In listening sessions, multilingual surveys, and City Council hearings, the City heard from
residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the needs that COVID-19 exposed or
exacerbated, and how ARPA funds should be prioritized to tackle those challenges. Across
forums, the City heard that affordable housing and opportunities for homeownership are the
top priority for most Boston households. Other important challenges included climate
resiliency, economic opportunity, childcare, continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
mental health, and opportunities for community building. In response to this feedback, the City
budgeted its ARPA funds with a major concentration on housing, in addition to supporting the
city’s economy, neighborhoods, and Boston residents in other key areas:
Boston’s American Rescue Plan
★ $236M in unprecedented funding for safe, healthy, and affordable housing
★ $95M to ensure the stability of core City services
★ $62.2M to promote economic opportunity and inclusion
★ $46.5M to advance climate resilience and improve mobility
★ $37.5M to ensure an equitable public health response to the pandemic
★ $27M to support behavioral and mental health
★ $26.2M to strengthen arts and culture and activate our neighborhoods
★ $17.7M to focus on early education and childcare
★ $3.6M for program evaluation and administration
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Underlying all of these impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed lower income residents
and residents of color to both economic and health shocks; Boston’s approach to the ARPA
funds, as outlined above, has prioritized recovery for those residents. As of June 30, 2024, $551.7
million has been budgeted to continue driving an equitable recovery for all Boston residents.
The focus of this report is on activity as of June 30, 2024.
The City of Boston allocated its ARPA funding in two waves. The first portion of allocated funds
(totalling $189.5 million) was rapidly deployed to mitigate urgent health and economic impacts.
On July 13, 2022, an additional $362.2 million was appropriated to support once-in-a-lifetime,
transformative investments in Boston’s future. This report illustrates how these investments
have begun to meaningfully improve residents’ lives. The City and its partners remain
committed to efficiently and effectively utilizing these funds to support Boston’s families,
businesses, and nonprofits.
As Boston implements new recovery programs, the City will continue to measure its progress
across race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability status, neighborhood, and industry. Boston
residents have differing levels of access to government resources, and some face significant
hurdles in learning about potential relief programs due to language and communication
challenges, the digital divide, immigration status, and other cultural barriers. Communicating
with Boston’s hardest hit residents has been central to the City’s response to the short- and
long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; that approach remains a priority as the City seeks
to ensure that all residents can easily access the resources that they need to thrive.
To learn more about Boston’s American Rescue Plan, see updates, or find translated versions of
this document, please visit boston.gov/recover.
II. USE OF FUNDS
The City of Boston has taken a holistic approach to building a strong and equitable recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic by using a variety of City, state and federal funding sources in its
recovery efforts. As of June 30, 2024, $551.7 million from ARPA funds has been allocated across
119 projects. The first portion of allocated funds was used to address the gaps that were
identified early in the pandemic. Funds were rapidly deployed to mitigate urgent health and
economic impacts over the first year. On July 13, 2022, an additional $362.2 million was
appropriated to support once-in-a-lifetime, transformative investments in Boston’s future.
To see how all ARPA funds are being put to work, please visit the American Rescue Plan
Projects public dashboard on boston.gov/recover. A snapshot of the dashboard is below in
Figure 1.
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Figure 1: American Rescue Plan Act Projects Dashboard (as of April, 30 2024)
Mayor Wu has taken an “all funds'' approach to Boston’s ARPA implementation to ensure an
equitable allocation of resources across all neighborhoods and communities. As such, the City
is leveraging its Operating and Capital budgets to complement ARPA investments and jumpstart
solutions to long-term challenges and advance equity, climate resilience, jobs, and health, all of
which lay a foundation for a Boston Green New Deal. ARPA funding, alongside new
commitments in the Operating and Capital Budgets, supplements and provides staffing support
for current and future ARPA projects. Additionally, the City is using a variety of funding sources
beyond ARPA, including other federal, state and private resources, to support an equitable and
resilient recovery from the pandemic.
Bostonians, from residents to elected officials, have articulated their needs and priorities
through listening sessions, a citywide survey, and countless other forums. The Boston City
Council is a key partner in the City’s public process for ARPA implementation and has provided
feedback on goals and proposed investments for specific districts, as well as citywide
objectives. More details on Community Engagement processes and feedback can be found in
Section IV below.
At a high level, Boston’s ARPA strategy was built on a series of key values set by leadership that
include the following:
● ARPA ELIGIBILITY: Meets the federal criteria established in the legislation and
rulemaking
● BIG, URGENT CHALLENGE: Tackles one of Boston’s systemic challenges
● FISCAL SUSTAINABILITY: Ensures strong financial sustainability of City Budget
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● TRANSFORMATIVE SOLUTION: Changes the way we work and pilots a new way of
providing needed services and supports to Boston residents
● LASTING LEGACY: Builds something enduring that will last beyond ARPA
● RACIAL EQUITY: Proactively invests in historically excluded communities that have
been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19
● HEALTHY RECOVERY: Continues equitable response to COVID-19 pandemic
● GOOD JOBS: Creates good jobs with career pathways in growing industries
● CLIMATE JUSTICE: Promotes climate action and environmental justice through
healthy, connected communities
Using these criteria as a guide, and with the goal of accelerating a Green New Deal for Boston
that would make a positive, tangible impact on residents’ lives for years to come, the City
allocated ARPA funds as follows:
$236M in unprecedented funding for safe, healthy,
and affordable housing
$95M to ensure the stability of core City services
$62.2M to promote economic opportunity and
inclusion
$46.5M to advance climate resilience and improve
mobility
$37.5M to ensure an equitable public health
response to the ongoing pandemic
$27M to support behavioral and mental health
$26.2M to strengthen arts and culture and activate
our neighborhoods
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$17.7M to focus on early education and childcare
$3.6M for program evaluation and administration
Housing
As of June 30, 2024, $235,916,933 has been authorized for affordable housing. More details on
the four largest allocations under this priority area are described below:
Affordable Homeownership Development ($58,232,760)
The Mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) is utilizing these funds to promote homeownership for
low and moderate income Bostonians, which will disproportionately benefit communities of
color who suffer from historical inequities in wealth and asset accumulation. The majority of
this funding is being used to develop green, affordable homeownership opportunities,
leveraging a similar investment from the Massachusetts’ Commonwealth Builder program. To
accelerate production, the Mayor's Office of Housing issued a rolling application cycle for
homeownership development projects (instead of its existing annual funding round) and as of
June 30, 2024 had made awards for the building of 142 units on 27 sites.
In addition, MOH expanded its current homebuyer financial assistance programs, including the
One+ Boston Mortgage program and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers. As of
June 30, 2024 these funds have been used to award 164 grants to Boston residents, of which 74%
were BIPOC households. Additionally, the Mayor’s Office of Housing has funded technical
assistance and predevelopment loans to help increase the participation of Women and
Minority-owned Business Enterprises (W/MBE) in building these homes.
The collaboration between MOH and BHA has resulted in a significant increase of Section 8 to
Homeownership buyers, giving dozens of extremely low-income families the opportunity to
build equity while remaining in Boston.
Acquisition Opportunity Program ($48,516,491)
The Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH) is leveraging these ARPA funds to support the acquisition
of occupied properties and vacant or underutilized land near transit to preserve tenancies and
create affordable housing and economic opportunity. Across all funding sources, the
Acquisition Opportunity Program has helped the City's development partners compete in the
speculative market, supporting the acquisition of 961 units to date, of which 278 (across 52
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buildings) were funded by ARPA.
In FY24, funds from this ARPA project were utilized to support the acquisition of all building
types–from triple deckers to Single Room Occupancy (SRO) developments to historic buildings
to large apartment complexes.
Healthy Housing and Environmental Justice In Public Housing ($32,000,000)
The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) is using this funding allocation to vastly improve housing
quality for 1,040 households through improvements to ventilation and window units at five
federally-assisted housing developments. These investments will improve air quality, increase
energy efficiency, and improve resident comfort across five sites: Franklin Field, Ruth Barkley,
Alice Taylor, Roslyn and Rockland Apartments. The majority of residents are extremely
low-income and hail from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups who have been
severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, this funding is complemented by other
City capital budget and BHA capital fund investments in other neighborhoods and properties.
The Boston Housing Authority is currently finalizing designs and preparing to bid four
construction projects associated with these funds.
Transforming Publicly-Owned Land into Green, Mixed-Income Communities ($29,892,000)
The Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH), working closely with the Planning Department (formerly
the Boston Planning and Development Agency (or BPDA) and other City departments, is
utilizing these ARPA funds to develop deeply affordable multifamily rental housing as part of
larger mixed-income communities on strategically located city-owned land. MOH and the
Planning Department are coordinating with the Streets cabinet to maximize City investments
and produce well-designed, carbon neutral, transit-oriented communities that connect low and
moderate income Bostonians to good paying jobs and essential services. This investment will
serve as a catalyst to develop these underutilized parcels and create thousands of units of
mixed income housing. As of June 30, 2024, the City of Boston has made awards for the
development of three different city-owned sites located in Charlestown, Chinatown, and
Roxbury.
Revenue Replacement
The City of Boston lost significant general fund revenue due to the COVID-19 pandemic, much
more than the $95 million allocated for revenue replacement. City general fund revenue that
relies heavily on the tourism and hospitality industries was dramatically impacted, including
excise taxes for hotel room occupancy, meals, and aircraft fuel. Additionally, overall COVID-19
operational disruptions and stay-at-home orders significantly reduced revenue for building
permits and parking fines.
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The revenue replacement has been transferred to the City’s general fund to provide for
government services, prevent public-sector layoffs, and allow for investments in post-COVID
recovery efforts such as sector-specific job training programs, expanded public transit options,
increased food security and homelessness prevention programs, behavioral and mental health
supports, environmental supports to protect the City’s tree canopy, an increased number of
housing vouchers and enhanced services for individual experiencing homelessness, and for
increased capacity to support equity priorities.
In addition to federal support, Boston’s large, stable tax base, its prominence as the economic
center of New England, and its strong fiscal management practices have enabled the City to
weather the crisis while maintaining a triple-A credit rating. The recently approved $4.6 billion
FY25 Operating Budget marks an increase of $344.7 million, or 8% over FY24, made possible by
continued strength in local property tax revenue, local option excises, and growth in interest
revenue, reflected in departmental revenues.
Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
As of June 30, 2024, $62,167,533 has been authorized to promote economic opportunity and
inclusion. More details on the three largest allocations under this priority area are described
below:
Small Business Fund 2.0 ($13,041,624)
With this funding, the City was able to reopen its Small Business Relief Fund to issue grants to
small businesses in the hardest hit industries. Recipients could use the grants to cover all
business expenses in order to help their recovery and growth. Businesses were able to apply for
two types of grants:
● Relief Grant: Up to $10,000 to support outstanding debts for rent/mortgage, inventory,
payroll, or fixed expenses, and/or
● 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 the
business.
The Small Business Fund 2.0 has awarded grants to 1,016 small businesses totalling more than
$13,000,000.
Commercial Rental Rebate Pilot Program/ Supporting Pandemic Affected Community
Enterprises (SPACE) Grant Program ($9,000,000)
As we continue to recover from the long-term effects of the pandemic, Boston continues to
identify creative ways to bring people back to major commercial districts to revitalize the
economy, including Downtown, Back Bay, and the Seaport. However, one of the biggest hurdles
small businesses continue to face is the cost of rent. This initiative will prioritize helping small
businesses move into these commercial districts to support their growth and build wealth in
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every neighborhood while supporting the work of bringing people back to our commercial
districts and downtown neighborhoods.
Since the program’s inception in Winter 2023, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and
Inclusion has opened a total of three application periods for the Supporting Pandemic Affected
Community Enterprises (SPACE) Grant Program and has announced a total of 61 grants with an
expected date of Summer 2024 for the announcement of the final round’s grantees. This
program is designed to help small businesses grow and open new locations, with a priority
given to industries that were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, each round
is focused on businesses in the following sectors: art, creating economy, and entertainment,
childcare, fitness, recreation, and wellness, food service and production, repair, maintenance,
and laundry services, restaurants, and retail. Grantees for the final round of this program will be
announced in Summer 2024.
Creating an Ecosystem to Grow BIPOC-Owned Employer Firms/ Supplying Capital And
Leveraging Education (SCALE) Program ($8,000,000)
One of the key drivers of generational wealth creation is entrepreneurship and business
ownership. Therefore, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity & Inclusion is leveraging
these funds to create a new program to grow and sustain employer firms owned by people of
color (MBEs) and women (WBEs) with a particular focus on sectors that comprise a large share
of the City’s public contracts but show limited availability and low participation of MBEs and
WBEs. This program will create a system in which eligible businesses will be comprehensively
assessed by business development specialists, then receive access to industry-specific
technical assistance and capital to help them grow and thrive in Boston. It will strengthen the
pipeline for producing and preparing the next generation of BIPOC- and women-led employer
firms.
In Spring 2023, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity & Inclusion, through the Supplier
Diversity Office, opened applications for the $750,000 Boston Contracting Opportunity Fund to
help grow and sustain firms owned by people of color in priority sectors including waste
collection & management, snow removal & landscaping, design & architectural services, food
and dining services, plumbing & HVAC services, electrical work, general contracting services,
roofing, side, and flooring work, and insulation, drywall, masonry, and weatherproofing work.
In October 2023, the Office of Economic Opportunity & Inclusion, through the Department of
Supplier Diversity, issued an RFP seeking partners to assist in the delivery of industry specific
technical assistance as part of the Supplying Capital and Leveraging Education or SCALE
program.
Based on findings from the City of Boston’s Disparity Study, published in 2021, small businesses,
particularly those owned by people of color and women, often encounter difficulties accessing
financial capital, business resources, and acquiring the knowledge necessary to effectively bid
for and compete in government, private and institutional contracts. Additionally, small
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businesses, in particular, were negatively impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating these
existing barriers. Utilizing APRA funds, the Supplying Capital And Leveraging Education (SCALE)
business accelerator program will seek to address these barriers.
The SCALE program is anchored by a technical assistance program designed for small to
medium sized businesses in specific industries. The purpose of the program is to build these
businesses’ capacity to more effectively bid on, win, and perform public contracts, specifically
for the City of Boston. The program focuses on industry categories that represent a large share
of the City of Boston’s discretionary spending. These categories include: Snow removal and
landscaping, food and dining services, design and architectural services, construction, general
contracting services, construction, and trade work.
TA providers provide business participants access to business development tools,
industry-specific technical assistance, and capital planning services for small Boston-based
businesses, helping them effectively scale to meet the demands of performing larger public
contracts in specific industry categories.
In July 2024, OEOI finalized service contracts with four technical assistance providers selected
via the competitively bid procurement referenced above to provide technical assistance to
businesses in the five industry categories. This is an investment of $1,346,150 in ARPA funding.
Businesses participating in the SCALE program will be selected through a competitive grant
program that will be administered by a partner selected through an Invitation for Bids that will
be posted in late July 2024. The Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion plans to work
with this partner to disburse an additional $6 million in ARPA funding in the form of 20-25
grants of up to $200k for SCALE program participants and approximately 60-70 smaller grants
of up to $15k as part of reprised Boston Contracting Opportunity Fund.
Climate & Mobility
As of June 30, 2024, $46,544,469 has been authorized to advance climate resilience and
improve mobility. More details on the four largest allocations under this priority area are
described below:
Fare Free Bus Pilot ($10,000,000)
This program eases financial burdens for residents and prioritizes transit equity as it focuses on
three essential bus lines that run through the Boston neighborhoods of Mattapan, Roxbury, and
Dorchester. Over half of riders on Routes 23, 28, and 29 are classified as low-income, according
to MBTA’s most recent system wide survey, and these bus routes run through neighborhoods
that are also home to many minority-owned businesses. All three routes run through transit
corridors experiencing some of the most significant delays in the bus system.
An analysis of the Fare Free Bus Pilot program’s first year showed that free fares lessened riders’
financial burden at a time when economic vulnerability was at a historic high, and continues to
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ensure that residents can easily participate in Boston's reopening, recovery, and long-term
renewal. This program provides a direct benefit to many of Boston’s transit-critical residents,
which the MBTA defines as “residents who are low-income, people of color, seniors, people
with disabilities, or who live in households with few or no vehicles.” In addition, the Fare Free
Bus Pilot helps meet other City-wide goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, easing traffic
congestion, and bringing people back into our economy through the transit system.
In response to these positive benefits, the City of Boston announced in February 2024 that the
Fare Free Bus program, originally intended to end in February, would be extended until March
2026. Over the course of the initial pilot (since spring 2022), more than 12 million trips were
taken on the free routes creating an estimated savings of more than $6 million for riders. About
50% of riders are saving money, on average, saving $35 per month (as of fall 2023). According to
data from the MBTA, Route 23 is at 94% of pre-pandemic ridership, Route 28 is at 102%, and
Route 29 is at 64% (as of October 2023). Average dwell times have decreased on Routes 23 and
28.
Results for America, a national collaborative working with government agencies to invest in
solutions to big challenges, listed the City of Boston’s Fare Free Bus Pilot as one of its 110
notable ARPA projects across the United States.
Green Jobs Program/ PowerCorpBOS ($9,000,000)
The Green Jobs Program, known as PowerCorpBOS provides career development opportunities
for unemployed and underemployed young people in green jobs and careers that help Boston
prepare for the impacts of climate change. This partnership is led by the City’s Environment
Department and Office of Workforce Development, in collaboration with the Office of Public
Safety, Department of Youth Engagement and Employment, and Boston Centers for Youth &
Families. The City of Boston’s green jobs program is inspired by the Philadelphia PowerCorps
PHL model that builds opportunities for young people by tackling pressing environmental
challenges and developing the skills required to secure meaningful work.
As of June 30, 2024, the Green Jobs Program has enrolled 173 students in green sector training
programs, including 61 students enrolled in its fourth cohort, which began in April 2024. To
date, PowerCorps Boston has graduated 80 participants across three cohorts.
Walkable City ($7,500,000)
These ARPA funds will update critical infrastructure and create walking environments that are
safe and inviting for all, regardless of age or ability. Funding will complement routine state of
good repair programs such as sidewalk repair and handicap ramp compliance that are in the
City’s Capital budget, with a focus on specific outcomes related to helping small businesses and
improving access to schools. The primary investment will be to support planning and design of
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walk-friendly neighborhood business districts, a top recommendation of Go Boston 2030.
In the last year, the City of Boston has hired two staff members to manage the City’s Safe
Routes to Schools Program which promotes safe biking and walking to and around the City’s
schools. The City recently selected a consultant to help achieve our goal of increasing the
number of students who walk, roll, bike, or take transit to school by providing planning and
engineering services to create improved arrival and dismissal plans, programming support,
policy guidance and program evaluation to inform the city’s future approach. The remainder of
these funds will be used to make walking and bike improvements in qualifying areas.
America’s Best Biking City ($7,500,000)
The City has utilized these ARPA funds to support critical infrastructure investments in bike
safety and connectivity in Boston. The Streets cabinet will work with residents at the
neighborhood scale to plan and design connected networks of bike routes. Together, they will
co-create design plans that close gaps in the existing network and add new low-stress routes
for people of all ages. These networks will connect homes with health centers, parks, schools,
and local business districts; construct accessible pedestrian routes; and calm traffic to benefit
all users. This investment would further catalyze the City’s own investments in capital
construction of these routes, promising returns in a much shorter timeframe than the City’s
typical capital plan.
We are also using these funds to launch the Boston E-Bikes Incentive Program, a pilot initiative
to provide a discount at the point of sale toward the purchase of an e-bike for eligible Boston
residents. The goals of the program are to accelerate modeshift to biking, promote active living,
and improve mobility for seniors and adults with disabilities. We anticipate providing e-bike
discount vouchers to 1,000 Boston residents, and offering a variety of educational
programming. We have selected a program administrator who will set up an application portal,
provide assistance to individuals in completing the voucher application, process applications,
issue vouchers, and administer funding to reimburse participating bike retailers for the
vouchers fulfilled at their sites.
Equitable Pandemic Response
As of June 30, 2024, $37,565,750 has been authorized to ensure an equitable response to the
ongoing pandemic. More details on the three largest allocations under this priority area are
described below:
COVID-19 Vaccination ($11,284,969)
These ARPA funds are supporting ongoing COVID-19 vaccination efforts. This includes funding
operations at vaccine clinics as necessary, including staff and clinic infrastructure. Funds will
continue to be distributed to community health centers and other local partners who will
support a variety of vaccination efforts including education, outreach, and administration of
vaccines. Funds have also supported vaccine ambassador programs, educational events, and
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development of materials with a focus on neighborhoods and populations disproportionately
impacted by COVID-19 and with lowest vaccination rates.
COVID-19 Testing ($3,113,304)
These ARPA funds were utilized to support COVID-19 testing efforts, including funding
operations at test sites including supplies, staff, and clinic infrastructure. Funds were
distributed to community health centers and clinical partners to support testing efforts
including education, outreach, and administration of COVID tests. These testing programs
focused on serving neighborhoods and communities most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Spring of 2023, the Boston Public Health Commission transferred $2M from this project
to other health-focused projects, including to the vaccination line of funds discussed above..
This shift of funding came as the City shifted from a direct response to the COVID-19 health
emergency to providing continued vaccination support to City of Boston residents while the
funding remains available.
CHC COVID Recovery Support ($3,000,000)
This project provides investments in Community Health Centers (CHCs) and Community-Based
Organizations (CBOs) across the City of Boston to support long-term COVID response needs
(including vaccination and testing, community outreach and staffing support) and connections
to care. CHCs in Boston primarily serve communities that have faced significant barriers to
services, such as Black, Indigenous, and other people of color, people with low incomes, people
with limited English proficiency, and other traditionally underserved groups. CHC services have
been key to addressing and limiting COVID outbreaks across these communities, as these
providers have unique relationships with the residents in their area and can provide services
and information that address their particular needs and concerns. Collaborations between
CBOs and CHCs are a critical way that we ensure residents are getting the care they need,
including re-engaging them in care.
In May 2023, the Boston Public Health Commission announced $1.4M in awards to six CHCs in
the City of Boston. In December 2023, BPHC awarded $1.2M in funding to 10 organizations that
were working with CHCs to re-engage residents in care, increasing healthcare access in
underserved neighborhoods.
Behavioral Health
As of June 30, 2024, $26,883,000 has been authorized to support behavioral and mental health.
More details on the three largest allocations under this priority area are described below:
Center for Behavioral Health and Wellness ($12,750,000 - 3 Projects)
This funding is being used to develop and implement initial priorities of a new behavioral health
and wellness initiative for the City. The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) has initiated
18
the work in coordination with other city departments and programs and is focusing on three
critical initial priorities: (1) strategies to expand a diverse and accessible behavioral health
workforce; (2) capacity building and training programs across city and community partners;
and (3) public communications about wellness, mental health, and substance use that address
stigma, offer skills to the public, and acknowledge barriers to care.
While there are several programs and departments throughout the city that are working every
day to support the mental and behavioral health and wellbeing of Boston residents, there are
significant gaps in services, and a lack of attention to prevention and early intervention of
mental and behavioral health issues. Strengthening the City’s training resources, fostering
community-wide workforce and community prevention and resilience capacity, and building a
diverse behavioral health workforce pipeline will help fill this critical need for support and
services.
In the spring of 2024, BPHC announced several of these ARPA-funded mental health initiatives,
including the funding of two programs to prepare a diverse behavioral health workforce,
training programs for school and other city staff and local organizations serving youth and
families, and a public awareness campaign.
Substance Use Disorder Services ($10,883,000 - 7 Projects)
A public health response to the substance use disorder crisis requires significant investment to
ensure harm reduction, outreach response, and recovery services are sustained and expanded
across the city. These resources have been used for the recovery services encampment
response, additional small engagement centers located in neighborhoods with demonstrated
need, expanded harm reduction outreach teams, community engagement to address substance
use and unsheltered residents, and a citywide encampment response and service engagement
team which will be responsible for providing city-wide outreach.
Community Engagement teams have interacted with thousands of individuals to connect them
with services and shelter placements and have helped hundreds of individuals find supportive
housing placements.
BPS Student Behavioral Health Supports ($1,600,000)
This funding expanded 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. Social
workers will provide 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. As of June 30,
2024, all funds have been spent on this line and the positions have rolled into the Boston Public
Schools’ operating budget.
19
Arts & Culture
As of June 30, 2024, $26,257,534 has been authorized to strengthen arts and culture and
activate our neighborhoods. More details on the four largest allocations under this priority
area are described below:
Elevating and Investing in BIPOC-led Cultural Organizations ($12,650,000)
Investing in Boston's artists and creative economy is essential to creating a healthier and more
vibrant city. This program supports arts and cultural activities in the populations and
neighborhoods most impacted by COVID-19, with a focus on creating sustainability for
community-embedded cultural work. By supporting this work with ARPA funds, the City is
investing in a future where cultural anchors who have received under-investment in the past
can thrive in the city.
This program will offer multi-year
grants for organizations, grants for
cultural facilities and venues,
contracts with festivals and event
producers, and support for
individual creative workers. The
Office of Arts and Culture will
directly engage with an advisory
group throughout this process to
ensure that ARPA funding is
distributed in a way that is equitable
and provides the most benefits to
Boston's cultural ecosystem.
As of this report, $7.35M was
awarded through the Cultural
Investment Grant Program funded
by this ARPA project. These grants were awarded to 11 organizations in the Arts & Culture
sector.
Creative Neighborhood and Downtown Activations in our Public Spaces ($4,350,000)
This program is supporting place-based activations around the City for artists, cultural
workers, and communities. Activities will include City-produced and contracted events in
target areas that further City policy goals and initiatives, reanimating downtown, creating a
sense of community connection to new infrastructure investments. This includes public
artworks, like the City’s mural program in summer 2024 that supported 13 artists to create
20
murals in partnership with 9 BPS schools. This project also activated Boston’s renovated City
Hall Plaza, with free public programs, festivals, and installations. The largest investment in this
project is $3 million toward the Neighborhood and Downtown Activation Grant, which supports
both neighborhood-based free events, festivals, and programs as well as major city-wide
cultural events with one-time and multi-year grants. Much of the programming supported by
this grant falls into the categories of: cultural festivals, family friendly arts access, and arts and
health/wellness. In Winter 2023, the City of Boston used funding from this project to support
winter pop-up festivals throughout the City of Boston. In Summer 2023, the Mayor’s Office of
Arts & Culture launched a rolling grant application to support community-focused arts and
cultural activations in public spaces.
Reopen Creative Boston Fund ($2,782,534)
The City of Boston and Boston Cultural Council (BCC) utilized ARPA funds to disburse grants to
almost 200 arts and cultural organizations to provide general operating support and COVID-19
relief. Reopen Creative Boston supported the recovery of arts and culture organizations from
the economic impact of COVID-19. A range of organizations benefited from this support — from
small dance groups, to organizations that focus on engaging communities through film, to some
of Boston’s most beloved cultural institutions. For the first time, the BCC changed the funding
structure to ensure that organizations with the lowest budgets received the highest grant
amounts. This funding strategy aimed to better support small to medium-sized organizations.
Supporting the Cultural Ecosystem ($2,350,000)
This project better connects Boston cultural assets and constituents, increasing access to arts
and culture through public and private partnerships. $2 million in funding is supporting a
collaboration with Boston Center for Youth and Families in the Health and Human Services
cabinet to pilot the provision of high quality arts programming at BCYF centers. This pilot
program aims to expand BCYF’s capacity to plan, execute, and evaluate programming that hires
local teaching artists and arts organizations and supports socio-emotional development
through the arts. Additionally, this project supports the BPS Sundays program which provides
free access to BPS students and up to three of their family members at six cultural anchor
institutions. This is a pilot program running the first two Sundays of each month between
February and August 2024.
Early Childhood
As of June 30, 2024, $17,750,000 has been authorized to focus on early education and childcare.
More details on the three largest allocations under this priority area are described below:
Growing the Early Education and Care Workforce ($9,019,482)
This ARPA funding has expanded the supply of childcare and enhanced the available workforce
21
by supporting aspiring early educators in accessing apprenticeships, earning their Associate’s
degree, gaining licensure from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care
(EEC), and receiving business development training from the Childcare Entrepreneurship Fund.
This infusion of funds will significantly grow both the number of Family Childcare Providers
(FCCs) in Boston and the number of trained educators to be placed in center-based programs.
Additionally, these funds will serve child care educators and will ensure that those entering the
field and those who are upskilling can do so debt-free. The childcare workforce in Boston is
92% women, 62% people of color, and 39% immigrants (ACS, 2014 - 2018). The Childcare
Entrepreneur Fund, an existing City-run grant program, granted funds to providers who are
99% women, 85% people of color, 65% Latinx, and 42% native Spanish speakers. The City
anticipates a similar impact with these ARPA funds across Boston.
To date, 525 students from across the Boston area have enrolled in early education & care
training programs using funding assistance from this program.
Stimulus Funds for Childcare Centers ($5,134,536)
In order to support the childcare sector, the City leveraged these ARPA dollars to provide grants
to childcare centers in the City of Boston. Grants were designed to meet three objectives: (1)
immediate wage and benefit relief (uses include hiring and retention bonuses, new benefits, and
educational debt remediation); (2) consulting work to design a new compensation structure
focused on equity; and (3) a sustainability plan for the compensation plan based on the state
reimbursement system, braided funding streams, and other funding sources. This investment
further strengthens Boston’s early education and care ecosystem, giving centers time to
recover and rebuild their finances and creating equitable compensation structures while
informing public policy efforts.
Funds from this program have supported 57 childcare centers or family child care providers in
the City of Boston, To date, approximately 4,020 children have received childcare or early
learning services as part of the program.
Workforce Hiring and Retention for Childcare Sector ($1,469,124)
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. To incentivize hiring, the Mayor’s Office of Women’s
Advancement provided direct grants to childcare businesses in the City that hired new
childcare staff (or rehired previously laid-off staff) since July 1, 2021. The grant will be for the
providers to reimburse themselves or it will be intended as a bonus for the employees they hire
or re-hire. The intended outcomes of this program are to draw qualified caregivers back into
the childcare workforce with better pay, help childcare workers remain in the field with
augmented pay, and help childcare businesses retain their workers with annual bonuses. To
avoid more FCCs from permanently closing.
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Evaluation & Compliance
As of June 30, 2024, $3,614,781.25 has been authorized for evaluation and administration of
ARPA funds. Funds are being used to create evaluation and impact studies, support City
departments in program design, ensure an equitable administration of funds (language access,
demographic data collection, etc.), and for uniform audit and compliance.
Since May 2023, the City of Boston has hired an ARPA Implementation Director to oversee ARPA
management and implementation. The City also hired an ARPA Evaluation and Research Fellow
to help evaluate the impact that these one-time investments are having on the people of
Boston.
Remaining ARPA Funds To Be Allocated
As of June 30, 2024, $7 million in ARPA funds have not yet been appropriated by the City
Council. These funds will be appropriated and obligated by December 31, 2024.
Looking Beyond 2026
One of the key values of Boston’s ARPA strategy is ensuring strong fiscal sustainability. When
allocating funds, the City has balanced designing projects that make a meaningful impact on
long standing challenges, while also planning for the December 2024 contracting deadline and
December 2026 spending deadline. Many of Boston’s 119 ARPA-funded projects are one-time
expenditures being used in direct response to the pandemic; others are pilot programs that the
City could incorporate into its normal course of business.
The City will evaluate the success of these projects and determine which ones can and should
be continued beyond ARPA. This analysis will include project evaluations, community input,
conversations with departments and community partners, and collaboration with the Boston
City Council. Projects that need funds after December 2026 will need to seek such funds
through the City’s regular budget process.
Other Recovery Funds
While the $558.7 million investment in Boston 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 leveraged by the City include the Operating Budget, bolstered
by $95 million in revenue replacement through the American Rescue Plan Act. These funds
were transferred to the City’s general fund to protect essential government services and
prevent public sector layoffs. They also allowed for investments in post-COVID recovery efforts
such as sector-specific job training programs, expanding public transit options, supporting
food security and homelessness prevention programs.
Starting in FY20, Boston began tracking costs for reimbursement from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) provided through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for
23
costs related to COVID-19 such as emergency feeding, homeless sheltering and personal
protective equipment (PPE) for first responders. FEMA costs totaled $15.5 million.
Figure 2: Available Resources for Recovery
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.
Figure 3: Federal COVID-19 Resources
Received
CARES Act (March 2020) $208 Million for Boston ($mm)
Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) $121.00
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER I) $32.00
Other targeted grants (Age Strong, Housing, Arts, etc.) $54.80
Coronavirus Relief Bill (December 2020) $144 Million for Boston
24
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) $123.00
Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) $21.00
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) $15.5 Million for
Boston
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) $15.50
American Rescue Plan Act (March 2021) $865 Million for Boston
Emergency Rental Assistance Program 2 (ERAP2) $29.00
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) $276.00
State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) $558.70
Total $1.23 Billion for Boston $1,229.50
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 economic impacts of the pandemic on the city and its
neighborhoods by age, race, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, 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 other
forums.
As stated in the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s Report entitled “Relief, Reopening
and Recovery”, “the pandemic exposed and exacerbated the hazards of a polarized labor market,
the deterioration of workplace health and safety conditions, the undermining of worker rights,
and the retrenchment of economic and social safety nets. The result is hardship imposed on
women, low-paid workers, workers without a college degree, non-white racial and ethnic
communities, immigrants, younger workers, and small businesses.” The following sections
profile populations most impacted by the pandemic1:
GENDER:
The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis have greatly impacted women
because of their lower levels of financial security prior to the pandemic and disproportionate
burden of domestic responsibilities. Women tend to work in jobs that are lower paid and
require greater physical proximity.2 Among Boston residents, women make up 92 percent of
childcare workers, 72 percent of healthcare workers, 66 percent of restaurant wait staff, and 62
1
The following figures align with the Relief, Reopening and Recovery report but have been
updated to reflect data available as of July 2023.
2
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET Database, Version 24.2; BPDA Labor Market Assessment Tool
25
percent those employed in the “other services” such as personal care services.3 These in-person
jobs either put women on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic or made them vulnerable to
job loss.
Schools were operating remotely for about a year and many childcare services were closed,
forcing parents, especially mothers, to struggle to balance work and childcare responsibilities.
In Boston, approximately 12 percent of working mothers reduced their working hours or quit
working between January and October 2020 due to the loss of child care services.4
The pandemic period was associated with higher rates of poverty for female-headed
households which rose from 19 percent in 2019 to 24 percent in 2021.5 Poverty rates for
male-headed households remained lower at approximately 15 percent.
Of householders in Boston with children under 18 years old, 31 percent are single mothers.
Single mothers are particularly vulnerable financially: 38 percent lived below the poverty line
prior to the pandemic.6 By 2021, poverty rates for single mothers had risen substantially to 43
percent.7
EDUCATION:
Workers with college degrees were more likely to be able to work from home during the
pandemic. Those without college degrees were more likely to work in in-person jobs and to
face dire alternatives: essential workers risked their lives and nonessential workers risked their
livelihoods. Nationally, the unemployment rate for workers with less than a high school
education rose to 21.2 percent in April 2020. It has since fallen to 5.4 percent in April 2023, but
remains elevated above the unemployment rate for workers with a Bachelor’s degree or higher
which is a low 1.9 percent.8
In Boston, the median earnings for Boston residents aged 25-64 with less than a high school
education is $12,500, which is far less than the pay for workers with a Bachelor’s degree or
higher, $70,000.9 In 2021, about 63 percent of people aged 25-64 with less than a high school
diploma are employed, compared to 87 percent of people with Bachelor’s degree or higher.
3
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
4
Johnston, Katie. “With kids at home, working mothers are forced to quit or scale back jobs.” Boston
Globe. November 21, 2020
5
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
6
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
7
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
8
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
9
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis.
The sampled age range is 25 to 64 years old
26
RACE:
Poverty and financial instability prior to the pandemic made some Boston residents more
vulnerable to the crisis. In Boston, less than 9 percent of non-Hispanic White residents, but
over 21 percent of Black/African-American, Hispanic, and Asian residents, lived below the
poverty line in 201910. The pandemic exacerbated this disparity with poverty rates rising for
people of color in Boston. In 2021, nine percent of non-Hispanic White residents, but 17 percent
of Black/African-American, 32 percent of Hispanic, and 25 percent of Asian residents lived
below the poverty line.11
The COVID-19 pandemic had radically different impacts by race and ethnicity.
Black/African-American and Hispanic Boston residents are employed at disproportionately
high rates in industries such as accommodation, food services, and retail trade that were
especially hard hit by the pandemic, and therefore their unemployment rate during the
pandemic was substantially higher than the citywide average. For example, though Hispanic
workers make up about 17 percent of the Boston resident workforce, they make up almost 29
percent of the hospitality and food service industries which suffered high employment losses.
Black residents make up 23 percent of the Retail Trade workforce, another hard-hit, in-person
sector.12
Working remotely was also an advantage during the pandemic, and white workers during the
pandemic were 37 percent more likely than nonwhite workers to hold jobs that could be
performed remotely.13 Increased workplace exposure risk as well as other factors led
Black/African-Americans to be overrepresented among confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Boston.
As of April 2023, 0.35% of Black/African-American residents, 0.23% of White residents, 0.2% of
Asian residents, and 0.18% of Hispanic residents had died of COVID-19.14
Black/African-American and Hispanic households are also more likely to lack internet access,
have children, and have a single parent. These households were therefore harder hit by the
remote schooling necessitated by the pandemic.
NATIVITY & CITIZENSHIP:
In Boston, 27 percent of the population is foreign-born, and 52.4 percent of the 179,489
foreign-born residents are low-income.15 These residents faced additional challenges during the
10
US Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
11
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
12
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division Analysis
13
https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/covid-19-and-jobs-monitoring-us-impact-people-and-places
14
https://bphc-dashboard.shinyapps.io/BPHC-dashboard/
15
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS and BPDA Research Division
Analysis. The “low-income” population is defined as those who fall below 300% of the poverty line.
27
pandemic. Immigration status disqualified some residents from direct relief aid and benefits,
especially those without legal status (~30,000 in Boston).16
Boston’s health care, construction, and hospitality industries depend on the immigrant
workforce. Despite being 29.2 percent of the city’s resident workforce, immigrants make up
39.5 percent of accommodation and food service workers, 45.9 percent of construction
workers, and 34.4 percent of healthcare workers.17 Many of these workers lost their jobs at the
onset of the pandemic. Unemployment among immigrants nationally spiked to 16.5 percent in
April 2020. Unemployment among immigrants has since fallen to 3.1 percent in April 2023,
which is the same as the native-born U.S. residents.18
Foreign-born headed households are more likely to have children under 18, more likely to have
a single parent, and less likely to have internet access - amplifying the impact of remote
schooling. 73% of Asian and Pacific Islander residents are foreign born - for many of these
residents, harassment amplified the effects of the pandemic.19
Meanwhile, many foreign-born Boston residents continue to struggle financially: Over 26
percent of foreign-born headed households lived in poverty in 2021, compared to 17.6 percent of
native-born headed households.20
AGE:
In April 2020, the national unemployment rate of 16 to 19 year olds reached 32.7 percent and
25.5 percent for 20 to 24 year olds21. Recessions are typically hard on young workers who are
often the first to be laid off when firms reduce their workforce. The COVID-19 recession was
particularly harsh because its biggest employment impacts have fallen on service sector jobs
common among teen and young adult workers such as Accommodation and Food Services and
Retail Trade. However, as the economy recovered, the unemployment rate of young adults has
fallen to 9.2 percent for 16 to 19 year olds and 5.4 percent for 20-24 year olds in April 2023.22
SMALL BUSINESS:
The disproportionate burden of COVID-19 is also apparent when examining its effect on small
businesses, many of which operate in the services sector and other hard-hit sectors such as
tourism and retail. Small business revenue in Suffolk County fell almost 65 percent from
January 2020 to the end of March 2020.23 In February 2022, small business revenue in Suffolk
16
BPDA Research Division estimate of Boston's unauthorized population is based on statewide
estimates by the Center of Migration Studies in 2021. http://data.cmsny.org/
17
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS, BPDA Research Division Analysis.
18
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
19
US Census Bureau, 2019 American Community Survey, PUMS, BPDA Research Division Analysis
20
US Census Bureau, 2021 American Community Survey, PUMS, BPDA Research Division Analysis.
21
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
22
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
23
Womply, https://www.tracktherecovery.org/
28
County was still down 33 percent compared to January 2020 levels. Women and
minority-owned businesses in Boston are in industries more affected by the pandemic. Women
own only 18 percent of the businesses in the city, and over half (54%) of those are in the service
sector which includes hair salons and other personal care services.24
Underlying all of these impacts, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerability of
lower income, non-white residents to both economic and healthcare shocks; Boston’s approach
to ARPA funding, as outlined above, will prioritize the recovery for those residents most
impacted. As Boston both designs interventions and measures impact, the City will continue to
disaggregate both inputs and outcomes by age, race, ethnicity, nativity and citizenship, gender,
neighborhood, and industry.
Citywide Equity & Inclusion Statement
The City of Boston has played a role in causing and perpetuating the inequities in our society. To
break down these barriers, we are embedding equity and inclusion into everything we do.
We define equity as ensuring every community has the resources it needs to thrive in Boston. This
requires the active process of meeting individuals where they are. Inclusion is engaging every
resident to build a more welcoming and supportive city. We are building a city for everyone,
where diversity makes us a more empowered collective.
While many programs funded by ARPA specifically target disproportionately impacted
communities, the City of Boston knows that program design and measurement alone will not be
sufficient to reach the city’s most impacted residents. Many of the city’s residents face
differing levels of access to- and experiences of government resources and some face
significant barriers in learning about potential relief 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, a non-US citizen or lacking a formal immigration status, which limits
qualification for some programs and fear of unintended repercussions; and
● The multitude of news and trusted information sources for the city’s most impacted
communities.
Communicating with and hearing from the city’s hardest hit residents has been central to the
city’s 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
24
U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Annual Business Survey, Suffolk County
29
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 regularly
provided frequent COVID response and recovery press conferences that offered ASL
interpretation. Additionally the City continues to work with trusted community leaders and
local media outlets to ensure key information is reaching far and wide. Lastly, in previous
community engagement campaigns, the City has distributed multilingual paper flyers and has
provided an option for call-in numbers to ensure an internet-enabled device is not required for
participation. The City’s ARPA-specific community engagement plan is outlined more fully in
the following section.
Language and Communication Accessibility
Throughout the pandemic, the City prioritized language and communication accessibility. With
ARPA funding, the City has continued to elevate the needs of Boston’s communities whose
primary language is other than English and residents who are unable to see or hear. Being able
to communicate how ARPA funds are being spent and how residents can access ARPA funding in
real time is a goal that the City is working to achieve and maintain. To ensure that funding is not
a barrier for language access, the City has set aside $635,218.75 for all ARPA-funded programs.
In June 2023, the City of Boston hired a full-time Language and Communication Accessibility
Specialist to assist city departments with ARPA program rollout in a way that eliminates
barriers due to language access.
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 continue to recover, the City is building on the lessons learned from
that past experience to improve its outreach to disproportionately impacted communities.
Much of the ARPA funds 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 ARPA-funded projects are required to
submit information on how they will promote equitable 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 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 of community
stakeholders, the Health Equity Now Plan was developed and provides a community-led
30
roadmap towards addressing the existing health and social inequities. The City has taken this
plan, aligned it with existing initiatives that are focused on addressing and increasing equity,
and continues to use the plan as a guide to develop new programming to help alleviate and
prevent inequities.
Equitable Procurement
The City of Boston is focused on strengthening business opportunities for people of color and
women. In 2018, the City launched a comprehensive Disparity Study to compile the data and the
community input needed to understand the structural gaps, and achieve that change. This
multi-year process was conducted by BBC Research and Consulting and guided by the Supplier
Diversity Council as well as the many voices of residents and business owners who contract
with the City.
The City of Boston still has a lot of work to do in increasing equitable access to city contracting
and in growing business opportunities in the Black community, the Latino community, the
Asian community, and for women. The steps outlined by the Disparity Study and Executive
Order put in place the steps the City must take to eliminate the root causes of inequity,
wherever they exist, as well as unlock more opportunities for positive change as the City moves
forward. The actions called for by the Disparity Study and Executive Order represent the most
important structural reforms to city contracting in a generation.
Digital Equity
Being able to access reliable broadband, especially during the pandemic, is a crucial component
of Boston’s 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 Boston’s most vulnerable populations, including older
adults and 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 toward this.
In February 2022, the City received over $12 million from the federal government to bring
digital equity and inclusion to nearly 23,000 Boston public housing residents, library users, and
school-age families. This new funding provides free access to wireless broadband service and
devices to help public housing seniors and residents get online, and will also provide
Chromebooks to BPS students. As part of this investment, the Boston Public Library (BPL)
received $2.2 million in Emergency Connectivity Funding (ECF) to acquire and distribute
Chromebooks and home router Wi-Fi access for 3,000 BPL patrons in public housing. In
addition, the Boston Public Schools received nearly $10 million for Chromebooks and to support
connectivity for 20,000 Boston Public Schools’ families. This deployment will address additional
needs following BPS’ initial distribution of 55,000 chromebooks and 8,000 hotspots/home
routers.
31
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
continue to leverage these recommendations to address food insecurity in Boston.
IV. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
From the very beginning of the pandemic,
the City directly engaged with residents
and stakeholders, through the Health
Inequities Task Force, the Boston Food
Access Council, Neighborhood Liaisons,
Small Business surveys, weekly calls with
local nonprofits, and many other methods
of communication.
In addition, research from the Boston
Planning and Development Agency
confirmed what the City heard from
residents throughout the pandemic: East
Boston, Mattapan, Roxbury, Dorchester
and Hyde Park had the highest estimated
rates of unemployment and the highest
rates of confirmed 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 discrimination.
These findings plus engagements
conducted by various departments within the City of Boston allowed the City to move swiftly in
identifying gaps in services and deploying ARPA funds where they were most needed.
In order to plan for the use of ARPA funds, and to ensure that Boston residents were active
participants in that planning, the City organized an ARPA-specific listening campaign, the Let’s
Go Better campaign, which consisted of 15 issue-specific meetings that attracted more than
600 attendees. This campaign was conducted in partnership with the City Council and in
collaboration with an external taskforce – a group of over 30 community leaders representing
32
residents and organizations from key sectors including community health, education,
non-profit services and private industry.
The campaign focused around three strategic goals: public health, wealth, and jobs. The City
also hosted meetings with immigrant-serving organizations and those in the arts and culture
sector to understand the issues facing some of the city’s hardest-hit communities.
To ensure equitable grassroots participation in the Let’s Go Better campaign, the City worked
with local community leaders to publicize events. There was a particular focus on driving
engagement from communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 as
described above. Interpretation services were available to residents at all community meetings
and documents/fliers were available in multiple languages to ensure every voice was heard.
Additionally, for each topic, stakeholder groups (experts, activists, communities most impacted
by the topic) were specifically invited to provide input.
Figure 4: Let’s Go Better Listening Campaign Focus
In addition to the listening sessions, the City also utilized digital tools, including two online
surveys which received roughly 500 responses. The survey was available in 12 languages:
English, Arabic, Cabo Verdean Creole, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Haitian
Creole, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Residents were asked
to prioritize their top 3 focus areas. Affordable housing, housing stability and homeownership
were the clear top priority for nearly 40% of respondents and the second priority for another
20%. Figure 5 shows how the remaining areas were prioritized.
33
Figure 5: Let’s Go Better Survey Responses - Overall Priorities
To read a complete summary of the feedback from the Let’s Go Better campaign, visit the City's
website here.
In February 2022, the City’s Office of Budget Management (OBM) also hosted four virtual
listening sessions to survey and educate residents and solicit public feedback on the FY2023
Operating Budget, FY23-27 Capital Plan, and ARPA Funding. The City also released a multilingual
digital survey for residents who were not able to attend the virtual listening sessions. The
survey asked residents to share their top priorities across a number of issue areas, as shown in
the figure below for Housing.
Figure 6: Budget Listening Tour Survey - Housing Priorities
To read a complete summary of the feedback from the Budget Listening Tour, visit the City's
website here.
Public feedback from these various forums directly informed the package of transformative
investments filed by Mayor Wu in April 2022 to allocate remaining ARPA funds. The City
Council’s Committee on Boston’s COVID-19 Recovery then hosted six hearings and seven
34
working sessions over three months to gather additional public testimony and comments from
Councilors.
The City, led by the Office of Community Engagement and its Departments, will continue to
learn from and listen to residents as the ARPA projects are implemented to ensure that services
are being provided to those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
V. LABOR PRACTICES
In Fall 2022, Mayor Michelle Wu created a new Worker Empowerment Cabinet to advance the
well-being of all working Bostonians in both the public and private sectors through skills and
career development for youth and adults, advanced training in post-secondary education, and
the promotion of progressive labor standards and worker protections.
One of the Cabinet’s key strategies is to use the power and scale of the City of Boston's
procurement, contract, licensing and permitting processes to drive safe, equitable, and
empowering labor standards for all Boston workers. That happens through enforcement of
existing labor standards (see below) and through Project Labor and Community Benefits
Agreements. The Cabinet has created a “tool kit” to help all City of Boston departments in
negotiating benefits for workers and the community through these Agreements. Examples of
benefits included in the “tool kit” include:
● living and/or prevailing wages for all workers through compliance with the Boston Jobs,
Living Wage and Prevailing Wage Ordinance,
● percentages of Minority-Owned and Women-Owned businesses to be included as
contractors and subcontractors and compliance with prevailing wage law, through
compliance with the Boston Resident Jobs Policy
● responsible contracting requirements to ensure contractors and subcontractors do not
have a serious history of wage and hour and health and safety violations through
compliance with the Wage Theft Executive Order.
● percentages of apprentices to be hired (or ratio of apprentice hours to journeyman
hours),
● payments to support affordable, accessible childcare
● payments to support college savings and tuition for community college and certificate
programs,
● and support for training and pre-apprenticeship programs.
In its first year, the Cabinet enhanced worker rights and protections. In partnership with
several other Cabinets, the Worker Empowerment Cabinet led the Administration’s push for a
Construction Safety Ordinance that Mayor Wu signed into law in June 2023 and that went into
effect on December 1, 2023. The Ordinance takes several steps to enhance the safety of
construction throughout Boston’s neighborhoods, including requiring safety planning and
oversight on all City of Boston permitted construction sites. The Cabinet complemented the
35
new Ordinance by providing free training and tools to support compliance. More than 1,000
people took advantage of the training (including OSHA 30 training) provided in multiple
languages. In addition, the Cabinet has spearheaded a well-attended series of five multilingual
“Know Your Rights” Worker Resource Fairs held in East Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Allston
and Chinatown in partnership with worker centers.
On top of the City’s use of ARPA funding to help promote workforce development, the City will
utilize the strategies identified above on large-scale infrastructure projects funded by ARPA.
The City is committed to using strong labor standards to promote effective and efficient
delivery of high-quality infrastructure projects while also supporting the economic recovery
through strong employment opportunities for workers. The ARPA-funded infrastructure
projects will afford the City a generational opportunity to review and expand its ordinances,
policies, and executive orders relative to create quality, family-sustaining jobs for City
residents, especially women and people of color. The scale of the work -- and the procurement
and contracting necessary to accomplish it -- will give Boston the leverage and opportunity to
create not only jobs for Bostonians, but careers. Where appropriate, the City will encourage
transparency and disclosure of standards of pay, benefits, and working conditions on
ARPA-funded projects and specify minimum standards.
VI. USE OF EVIDENCE
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the City evaluated and collected evidence on the
pandemic’s health and economic impacts, focusing on which subsets of its population had been
most deeply impacted. This evidence has informed the allocation of COVID-19 recovery funds.
Over the past year, the City, led by the Evaluation and Research team and together with the
Department of Innovation and Technology, has developed processes and frameworks to more
intentionally identify the most important questions raised by ARPA-funded programs for
policymakers and to generate high-quality evidence to address these questions and inform
decision-making. To assist in this effort, the City hired an Evaluation and Research Fellow who
has worked closely with the Department of Innovation and Technology, the Finance Cabinet,
and other City of Boston departments to conduct thorough program evaluations where
possible.
Program Selection. When determining which ARPA programs to evaluate, the City has followed a
strategic and systematic approach to allocate evaluation resources efficiently. Specifically, the
City is prioritizing programs that are (a) Meaningful, (b) Actionable, (c) Novel, and (d) Feasible.
● A program is meaningful if it helps the City answer a question aligned with its goals and
objectives.
● A program is actionable if it could help the City improve the same, future, or similar
programs and services. That is, the program creates an opportunity to inform program
design and funding decisions.
36
● A program is novel if evaluating it offers the opportunity to learn something new or not
tried elsewhere. The general results of a similar program in other cities, states, or
countries do not exist, which allows the City to focus on areas where it can learn the
most.
● A program is feasible if it has the design, resources, and engaged stakeholders to
conduct the evaluations effectively. The City values pilots assigned through a lottery or
administrative cut-offs with a well-delineated comparison group. Additionally, the City
Evaluation and Research Team considers each program's sample size and the capacity or
intention of the program managers to collect primary and secondary baseline and
follow-up data. Finally, engaged stakeholders who value learning opportunities from
evaluation are crucial to the City’s selection decisions.
The Research and Evaluation Team is also advising departments that have commissioned
external evaluations with researchers or consultancies. The team helps them navigate the
survey design process, the trade-offs between implementation priorities and evaluation, and
the interpretation of findings.
Embracing Pre-Analysis Plans and Fostering Data Collection. For internal evaluations, the
Research and Evaluation team is starting to embrace pre-analysis plans. These documents,
created during the evaluation's design phase, include:
● Program Rationale and Objectives: The reasoning behind the program or service
creation, its theory of change, and the main research questions.
● Population and Methodology: The target population and its counterfactual, power
calculations under different scenarios (e.g., attrition), and the randomization algorithm
for field experiments or the identifying assumptions for quasi-experimental analyses.
● Data Collection and Analysis: The data collection process of primary and secondary data
sources and the equations to be estimated during the evaluation.
● Evaluation Constraints and Deliverable Timelines: The evaluation's limitations and
potential challenges. The timeline for when evidence will be collected and analyzed to
answer short-, medium-, and long-term outcomes.
Pre-analysis plans not only hold the Research and Evaluation team accountable and increase
the validity of its findings but also serve as an agreement between the Evaluation and Research
Team and program stakeholders.
Once pre-analysis plans are finalized and agreed upon, the Research and Evaluation Team
supports programs with their evaluations. Both primary (e.g., surveys, interviews, or
experiments) and secondary (e.g., administrative data, geodata, and census) data collection are
key components of the team’s support. For primary data, the team prefers platforms that can
collect online and offline data while also allowing the team to design complex survey
structures. For secondary data not managed by the City of Boston, the team has been
developing the legal infrastructure to share datasets between agencies and external parties.
37
Developing non-disclosure and data-user agreements has been at the forefront of the team’s
recent efforts, as well as exploring platforms to share these data in encrypted formats.
Towards a Culture of Evaluation. As the Research and Evaluation Team advances its evaluation
capabilities, the aim is not only to assess the immediate impacts of ARPA-funded initiatives but
to use these early evaluation efforts to foster a culture of continuous learning and to build the
City’s ability to conduct evaluations internally. Evaluations will enable the City to make
evidence-informed decisions and refine program strategies. The City has allocated $3,614,781.25
in ARPA funds for systematic evaluation & administration.
VII. PERFORMANCE REPORT
Gathering and monitoring data on program outcomes by disaggregated demographic
information is critical to successful implementation and continual improvement of Boston’s
Recovery Plan. From the beginning, the City has planned for data tracking and set up internal
structures to capture this data. To know whether resources and programs are being equitably
distributed and reaching targeted groups, it is critical to collect data by race/ethnicity, gender
identity, socioeconomic status, and disability status, as well as by neighborhood.
The Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, in partnership with the Analytics team, has developed a
standardized, inclusive approach to collecting disaggregated demographic data across
ARPA-funded programs. There is detailed guidance for projects on required questions for race,
ethnicity, gender, and neighborhood depending on the primary target of funding/services,
whether it is a “place-based” program like a street safety improvement, a “people-based”
program like homeownership assistance program, or an organization-based program where the
organizations are the intended recipients of the service or program. Departments may include
additional demographic questions about age, disability, employment status, country of birth,
primary language spoken at home, sexual identity, military service, etc. Ideally, projects track all
outcomes and output data at the individual level in a way that is linked to the demographic data
of the relevant individuals. For instance, tracking whether an individual who has enrolled in the
program completed the program (output) and whether there were positive impacts as a result
of completing the program (outcome).
38
Figure 7: Demographic Data Collection Guidance
What is your zip code?
○ Open response, validated for 5 digit numbers
○ Prefer not to answer
What is your neighborhood? (check one)
● Not a Boston ● East Boston ● Roxbury
resident ● Fenway / Kenmore ● South Boston
● Allston ● Hyde Park ● Seaport / South
● Back Bay ● Jamaica Plain Boston Waterfront
● Bay Village ● Leather District ● South End
● Beacon Hill ● Longwood Medical ● West End
● Brighton Area ● West Roxbury
● Charlestown ● Mattapan ● Prefer not to
● Chinatown ● Mission Hill answer
● Dorchester ● North End
● Downtown ● Roslindale
What is your gender? (check one)
● Man
● Non-Binary
● Woman
● Prefer not to answer
● Not listed here ____
BASELINE RACE & ETHNICITY QUESTIONS
Whenever data is being collected regarding race and ethnicity, the following two questions
should always be asked.
What is your race? (check all that apply)
● American Indian and Alaska Native
● Asian
● Black or African American
● Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
● White
● Prefer not to answer
● Not listed here ____
Are you of Hispanic or Latino origin? (check one)
39
● Hispanic or Latino/-a/-e/-x originHispanic or Latino origin
● Not Hispanic or Latino/-a/-e/-x originNot Hispanic or Latino origin
● Prefer not to answer
EXTENDED RACE & ETHNICITY QUESTIONS
All of the following questions are optional, and asking them should be done in a
context-specific way. Depending on the specific purpose of data collection and the technical
resources available, the following additional questions may be appropriate modifications or
additions to the baseline standard.
Extended Race Question. If City workers or departments hope to collect more precise
information about race, the following option allows participants to further self-identify.
What is your race? (Select all that apply and add details in the spaces below if you wish)
● American Indian and Alaska Native
○ (Write-In)
● Asian
○ (Write-In)
● Black or African American
○ (Write-In)
● Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
○ (Write-In)
● White
○ (Write-In)
● Prefer not to answer
● Not listed here
○ (Write-In)
Additional Indigenous Question. If City workers or departments hope to collect more precise
information about Indigenous communities, the following two questions are recommended.
● Are you American Indian or Alaska Native (AI/AN)? (Yes/No)
○ If yes, what Tribe(s) are you a member or citizen of? (Write-In)
● Are you Indigenous to Canada and/or Latin America? (Yes/No)
○ If yes, what Indigenous Tribe(s) are you from? (Write-In)
Extended Ethnicity Question (Hispanic). If City workers or departments hope to collect more
precise information about Hispanic or Latino communities, the following question is
recommended.
● Are you of Hispanic or Latino/-a/-e/-x origin? (select all that apply)
○ Yes, Puerto Rican
○ Yes, Colombian
40
○ Yes, Salvadorian
○ Yes, Dominican
○ Yes, Brazilian
○ Yes, Mexican
○ Yes, Cuban
○ Yes, but not listed above
■ (Write-In)
○ Not Hispanic or Latino/-a/-e/-x origin
○ Prefer not to answer
Additional Ethnicity Question (Non-Hispanic). If City workers or Departments are hoping to
collect more precise information about non-Hispanic and non-Latino ethnic groups common in
Boston, the following question is recommended.
● Do you identify as any of the following? (select all that apply; leave blank if not
applicable)
○ Cape Verdean
○ Chinese
○ Haitian
○ Indian (Not American Indian or Alaska Native)
○ Jamaican
○ Middle Eastern or North African
○ Vietnamese
41
FUNDS AUTHORIZED, OBLIGATED
& EXPENDED BY PROJECT AS OF
JUNE 30, 2024
Definitions
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, includes expenditures.
Expenditures: Total amount of authorized funds that the City has spent to date.
Table of Expenses by Priority & Project
Authorized Funds Obligated Funds Expenditures
Priority / Project as of June 30, as of June 30, as of June 30,
2024 ($) 2024 ($) 2024 ($)
Housing $235,916,933.00 $140,772,752.20 $121,301,983.55
Affordable Homeownership Development
$58,232,760.00 $30,301,277.57 $21,558,711.61
and Ownership
Acquisition Opportunity Program $48,031,400.00 $28,836,907.00 $28,356,007.00
Healthy Housing and Environmental
$32,000,000.00 $32,000,000.00 $32,000,000.00
Justice In Public Housing
Transforming Publicly-Owned Land into
$29,892,000.00 $0 $0
Green, Mixed income Communities
Substance Use Services/Low Threshold
$20,264,080.00 $19,785,772.04 $16,407,135.87
Spaces
Deep Energy Retrofits for Affordable
$19,928,000.00 $7,331,770.10 $5,133,103.58
Housing
Create Permanent Supportive Housing
for Homeless Individuals with substance $18,931,600.00 $14,150,990.85 $9,900,990.85
use disorders
Mortgage Relief Program $1,300,000.00 $1,293,216.15 $1,293,216.15
Rapid Rehousing Pilot for returning
$1,100,000.00 $1,100,000.00 $880,000.00
citizens
East Boston Blue Line Portfolio $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00
42
Authorized Funds Obligated Funds Expenditures
Priority / Project as of June 30, as of June 30, as of June 30,
2024 ($) 2024 ($) 2024 ($)
Digital Equity in Public Housing $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00
Cash assistance to individuals facing
$800,000.00 $800,000.00 $800,000.00
housing insecurity
Emergency Housing Support Pilot for
$750,000.00 $750,000.00 $750,000.00
City Workers
MOH Admin Payroll Costs $602,160.00 $337,885.91 $337,885.91
First Generation Matched Savings
$500,000.00 $500,000.00 $500,000.00
Homebuyer Program
Humphreys Studios $434,933.00 $434,933.00 $434,933.00
Housing Capacity Study for Dorchester
$400,000.00 $400,000.00 $200,000.00
YMCA Washington Street
People's Academy Predevelopment $250,000.00 $250,000.00 $250,000.00
Housing Search and Stabilization Services
$200,000.00 $200,000.00 $200,000.00
for BHA Vouchers
Housing Pilot for Families Impacted by
$200,000.00 $199,999.58 $199,999.58
Violence
BHA Veteran Housing Capacity Study $100,000.00 $100,000.00 $100,000.00
$95,000,000.0
Revenue Replacement $95,000,000.00 $95,000,000.00
0
$95,000,000.0
Revenue Replacement $95,000,000.00 $95,000,000.00
0
Economic Opportunity and Inclusion $62,167,533.00 $46,099,848.46 $33,495,935.51
Small Business Fund 2.0 $13,041,624.33 $13,028,512.68 $13,028,512.68
Commercial Rental Rebate Pilot Program $9,000,000.00 $4,549,900.00 $2,622,400.00
Creating an Ecosystem to Grow
$8,000,000.00 $2,092,150.00 $728,000.00
BIPOC-Owned Employer Firms
Technical and Trade Education $4,000,000.00 $4,000,000.00 $4,000,000.00
Life Sciences Job Hub $4,000,000.00 $4,000,000.00 $3,202.25
Reimagining Boston's Main Streets $3,650,000.00 $1,715,625.00 $1,445,315.95
Commercial Rental Relief Fund $3,445,908.67 $3,040,102.11 $3,040,102.11
Immigrant Economic Resilience Initiative $3,000,000.00 $2,993,826.00 $369,381.50
Expanding Tuition Free Community
$3,000,000.00 $3,000,000.00 $2,210,075.42
College
All-Inclusive Boston Campaign $2,920,000.00 $2,160,015.98 $2,146,847.00
Workforce Digital Literacy $2,000,000.00 $2,000,000.00 $1,836,083.36
43
Authorized Funds Obligated Funds Expenditures
Priority / Project as of June 30, as of June 30, as of June 30,
2024 ($) 2024 ($) 2024 ($)
High Roads Kitchen Restaurant Relief
$1,570,000.00 $817,500.00 $570,000.00
Fund
Supporting Small Businesses in Digital
$1,000,000.00 $16,468.84 $16,468.84
Commerce
Basic Needs Assistance for Families $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00 $1,000,000.00
Commercial Space Supports $580,000.00 $22,001.00 $22,000.00
Young Adult Job Opportunities 19-24 $500,000.00 $500,000.00 $0.00
YouthBuild Boston Grant $350,000.00 $350,000.00 $0.00
Supports for Immigrant-Owned
$350,000.00 $232,053.35 $232,052.90
Businesses
Small Business Technical Assistance $350,000.00 $171,693.50 $165,493.50
Research on Boston's History of Slavery $250,000.00 $250,000.00 $0.00
Newmarket Business Association
$100,000.00 $100,000.00 $0.00
Workforce Development
Credit Booster Program $60,000.00 $60,000.00 $60,000.00
Climate & Mobility $46,544,468.75 $30,667,086.32 $19,814,557.68
Fare Free Bus Pilot $10,000,000.00 $8,268,000.00 $8,164,658.98
Green Jobs $9,000,000.00 $8,750,000.00 $5,154,037.60
Walkable City $7,500,000.00 $1,629,030.41 $144,560.18
America's Best Biking City $7,500,000.00 $2,025,289.10 $98,021.18
Growth Maintenance of the Boston's Tree
$2,500,000.00 $2,496,640.00 $1,219,018.92
Canopy
Electrification of BPS School Buses $2,500,000.00 $2,448,213.35 $1,671,799.85
Traffic Calming and Street Improvements $2,000,000.00 $2,000,000.00 $2,000,000.00
Building New Neighborhood Food
$1,600,000.00 $382,507.09 $299,082.75
Systems
Farmers Market Coupon Program $919,468.75 $642,835.64 $642,835.64
Chinatown Microgrid Pilot $750,000.00 $750,000.00 $46,000.00
Green Residential Building Retrofits $500,000.00 $0.00 $0.00
East Boston O'Donnell Playground $500,000.00 $500,000.00 $0.00
District 4 Parks and Green Spaces $500,000.00 $499,570.73 $325,602.48
Center for Hard to Recycle Materials $500,000.00 $0.00 $0.00
Mission Hill Last Mile Transportation $275,000.00 $275,000.00 $48,940.10
44
Authorized Funds Obligated Funds Expenditures
Priority / Project as of June 30, as of June 30, as of June 30,
2024 ($) 2024 ($) 2024 ($)
Equitable Pandemic Response $37,565,750.00 $34,474,572.84 $24,903,606.18
COVID-19 Vaccination $11,284,969.07 $11,284,969.07 $7,174,553.28
COVID-19 Testing $3,113,303.93 $3,113,303.93 $3,113,303.58
CHC COVID Recovery Support $3,000,000.00 $3,000,000.00 $680,710.97
COVID-19 Wastewater Prevalence
$2,900,000.00 $2,900,000.00 $988,618.19
Tracking
Food Rescue and Distribution $2,500,000.00 $0.00 $0.00
Food Access Community Grants $2,130,014.61 $2,130,014.61 $2,130,014.61
Tech Goes Home Grant $2,000,000.00 $2,000,000.00 $2,000,000.00
Social Determinants of Health
$1,651,727.00 $1,651,727.00 $1,547,737.79
Community Grant Program
Personal Protective Equipment $1,300,000.00 $1,300,000.00 $808,996.19
Community Violence Intervention
$1,169,975.64 $1,089,969.40 $1,079,944.48
Program
Emergency Assistance for Migrants $1,100,000.00 $1,079,530.00 $943,530.00
Digital Infrastructure for City Services $1,000,000.00 $694,000.82 $481,750.82
Creating Language Access for Federal
$635,218.75 $450,517.01 $336,967.74
Funding
BPHC Staffing Support $544,000.00 $544,000.00 $475,431.53
Public Housing Food Assistance $500,000.00 $500,000.00 $500,000.00
Villa Victoria Inquilinos Boricuas en
$400,000.00 $400,000.00 $400,000.00
Acción Grant
The Phoenix Grant $400,000.00 $400,000.00 $400,000.00
South Boston Community Health Center
$400,000.00 $400,000.00 $400,000.00
Grant
Emergency Assistance for Haitian Asylum
$244,333.00 $244,333.00 $244,333.00
Seekers
Boston Food Sovereignty Program $202,208.00 $202,208.00 $202,208.00
St Mary's Center for Women and Children
$200,000.00 $200,000.00 $150,000.00
Grant
NamaStay Sober Grant $200,000.00 $200,000.00 $200,000.00
Gavin Foundation Grant $200,000.00 $200,000.00 $200,000.00
Support for families of victims of violence $100,000.00 $100,000.00 $56,506.00
Harvest on the Vine Food Pantry Grant $100,000.00 $100,000.00 $99,000.00
45
Authorized Funds Obligated Funds Expenditures
Priority / Project as of June 30, as of June 30, as of June 30,
2024 ($) 2024 ($) 2024 ($)
Halal Foods for Refugees $100,000.00 $100,000.00 $100,000.00
East Boston Community Soup Kitchen
$100,000.00 $100,000.00 $100,000.00
Grant
Boston School Food Distribution without
$90,000.00 $90,000.00 $90,000.00
Cost
Behavioral Health $26,883,000.00 $26,329,543.72 $10,276,077.42
Center for Behavioral Health &
$6,375,000.00 $6,375,000.00 $617,953.28
Wellness/Workforce & Pipeline
Substance Use Services/Recovery
$4,468,000.00 $4,467,999.72 $3,827,350.28
Services Encampment Responses
Center for Behavioral Health &
$4,000,000.00 $4,000,000.00 $648.38
Wellness/Capacity & Resilience
Substance Use Services/Exploring
$2,915,000.00 $2,915,000.00 $1,190,188.46
Additional Engagement Centers
Center for Behavioral Health and
$2,375,000.00 $2,375,000.00 $255,429.46
Wellness/Communications
BPS Student Behavioral Health Supports $1,600,000.00 $1,446,544.00 $1,446,544.00
Substance Use Services/Coordinated
$950,000.00 $950,000.00 $802,043.02
Public Health Response in Target Areas
Substance Use Services/Workforce
$915,000.00 $915,000.00 $571,908.32
Development
Substance Use Services/Harm Reduction $700,000.00 $700,000.00 $665,608.21
Substance Use Services/Community
Engagement to Address Substance Use $685,000.00 $685,000.00 $257,836.91
and Unsheltered Residents
Neighborhood Investments to Reduce
$500,000.00 $500,000.00 $250,000.00
Violence
Mental Health Crisis Response Pilot $500,000.00 $500,000.00 $0.00
BPS Family Mentoring and Leadership $400,000.00 $0.00 $0.00
Substance Use Services/HIV $250,000.00 $250,000.00 $243,925.00
Mental Health Services/Suicide Response $250,000.00 $250,000.00 $146,642.10
Arts & Culture $26,257,534.00 $15,404,401.55 $8,402,859.25
Elevating and Investing in BIPOC-led
$12,650,000.00 $7,565,400.00 $2,287,900.00
Cultural Organizations
Creative Neighborhood and Downtown
$4,350,000.00 $3,458,928.61 $1,934,045.72
Activations in our Public Spaces
46
Authorized Funds Obligated Funds Expenditures
Priority / Project as of June 30, as of June 30, as of June 30,
2024 ($) 2024 ($) 2024 ($)
Reopen Creative Boston Fund $2,782,534.00 $2,765,000.00 $2,765,000.00
Support for Cultural Ecosystem $2,350,000.00 $350,000.00 $350,000.00
Arts Corridor $2,000,000.00 $130,000.00 $120,754.00
Allston-Brighton Community Spaces $1,000,000.00 $46,310.00 $20,952.00
Workforce and Career Development for
$500,000.00 $484,459.97 $345,342.85
Creative Workers
Direct Support for Creative Workers $500,000.00 $497,505.54 $485,997.10
Active Engagement for Seniors $100,000.00 $85,447.40 $75,067.58
Nazzaro Community Center Senior
$25,000.00 $21,350.03 $17,800.00
Programming
Early Childhood $17,750,000.00 $16,952,310.29 $10,312,601.21
Growing the Early Education and Care
$9,019,481.83 $8,691,431.52 $2,742,081.88
Workforce
Stimulus Funds for Childcare Centers $5,134,536.38 $5,134,536.38 $5,022,036.38
Workforce Hiring and Retention for
$1,469,124.00 $1,469,124.00 $1,469,124.00
Childcare Sector
Streamlining Access and Enrollment $992,405.50 $522,766.10 $243,866.10
Non-standard Work Hours Childcare
$698,607.79 $698,607.79 $418,320.85
Pilot
Child Care Business Development $435,844.50 $435,844.50 $417,172.00
A&F Evaluation & Compliance $3,614,781.25 $340,553.29 $320,893.69
Evaluation, Compliance and Equitable
$3,614,781.25 $340,553.29 $320,893.69
Administration
Grand Total $551,700,000.00 $406,041,068.67 $323,828,514.49
47
PROJECT INVENTORY AS OF JUNE
30, 2024
Housing
Acquisition Opportunity Program
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.15-Long-term Housing Security: Affordable Housing
Unique ID: 9026
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Acquisition Opportunity Program Website
Description: The City has a rolling RFP for qualified nonprofit and for-profit developers
to purchase units off of 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 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.
Structure and Objectives: The City will partner with developers to acquire buildings
ranging in size from 3 units to upwards of 150.The City will target occupied properties
where the majority of tenants are or likely are low-income and in need of rent protections.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: MOH encourages developers to apply who have not
previously worked with MOH, and helps 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 MOH requires that developers engage with tenants to prevent displacement.
.
48
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Outcome Buildings Acquired through the AOP 6 52 12/31/2026
Outcome Units Acquired through the AOP 150 278 12/31/2026
Developers actively participating in
Output 7 22 12/31/2026
AOP
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: 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.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: 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 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 a:
● 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.
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.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $46,031,400
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Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $47,031,400
Type of Capital Expenditure: Affordable housing, supportive housing, or recovery
housing development
Written Justification: The AOP was created to support the acquisition of existing
rental housing and take it out of the speculative market preserving its affordability
for Boston’s workforce for the long term. MOH first issued the RFP in May of 2016
and the program has been both successful and in high demand since its inception.
As our most immediate tool to stem resident displacement, AOP has brought over
600 units onto the City’s income-restricted inventory. This program is essential to
support mission-oriented developers to compete in Boston’s high cost market,
where affordable housing buyers often see gaps upwards of $100,000 per unit to
maintain affordability, and are often competing with cash offers for condo
conversions.
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): Not applicable
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 144
Affordable Homeownership Development and Ownership
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.15-Long-term Housing Security: Affordable Housing
Unique ID: 9094
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: To address historical inequities in wealth and assets impacting communities
of color, MOH proposes $60 million in ARPA funding to promote homeownership for low
and moderate income Bostonians. The majority of this proposed funding would be used to
develop green, affordable homeownership opportunities, leveraging a similar investment
from the State's Commonwealth Builder program. To accelerate production, the Mayor's
Office of Housing would issue a rolling application cycle for homeownership projects
instead of our existing annual funding round. MOH will also use this funding to expand
our current homebuyer financial assistance programs, including the One+ Boston
50
Mortgage program and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and
potentially creating new programs to help low and moderate income buyers compete in
the market, such as a program targeted at BHA residents.
Structure and Objectives: This project includes affordable homeownership development
& homebuyer financial assistance. The objectives are to create new affordable
homeownership units & increase homeownership rates for communities
disproportionately impacted by COVID.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: On the development side, outreach will be conducted to
the development community with a focus on inclusion and MBE outreach. On the
homeownership side, the goal is to financially assist 420 homebuyers with 75% being
BIPOC households. In order to increase the purchasing power of BIPOC households, the
Boston Home Center will increase the marketing of down-payment assistance programs
to BIPOC households.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Number of new affordable
Output homeownership units on 400 0 12/31/2026
City-owned properties
The # of homebuyers coming from
Output 25 36 12/31/2026
public housing
Number of first time homebuyers
Output 425 155 12/31/2026
assisted with purchasing a home
Percentage of first time
Output homebuyers assisted belonging to 75% 76% 12/31/2026
BIPOC community
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals of the project include:
1. Create new affordable homeownership units on City-owned property
2. Increase homeownership rates in Boston with a focus on the BIPOC community
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
51
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $42,000,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Affordable housing, supportive housing, or recovery
housing development
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0
East Boston Blue Line Portfolio
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.15-Long-term Housing Security: Affordable Housing
Unique ID: 9101
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: The Blue Line Portfolio AOP involves the acquisition of 114 units of rental
housing in 36 buildings. All units will be restricted affordable upon Acquisition, creating
new Affordable Housing. The $47 million acquisition was made possible by a $12 million
investment by the City, including $9 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), $2
million from the Cares Act, and $1M in Inclusionary Development funds.
Structure and Objectives: The City will partner with developers to acquire developments
ranging in size from 3 units to upwards of 150.The City will target occupied properties
where the majority of tenants are or likely are low-income and in need of rent
protections..
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: MOH encourages developers to apply who have not
previously worked with MOH, and helps 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 MOH requires that developers engage with tenants to prevent displacement.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
52
Number of units acquired through
Output 114 114 09/30/2022
East Boston Blue Line Portfolio AOP
Buildings acquired through East
Output 36 36 09/30/2022
Boston Blue Line Portfolio AOP
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goal of this project is to increase affordable housing inventory, protect
affordable rental housing stock, and prevent displacement in East Boston through the
acquisition of occupied buildings.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $1,000,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Affordable housing, supportive housing, or recovery
housing development
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 114
Housing Capacity Study for Dorchester YMCA Washington Street
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.15-Long-term Housing Security: Affordable Housing
Unique ID: 9103
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: City Council initiated a grant to a non-profit organization for a housing
capacity study.
53
Structure and Objectives: Grant agreement to Dorchester YMCA for a housing capacity
agreement. The objective of the project is for the Dorchester YMCA to have a completed
housing capacity study.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Unknown at this time and at the discretion of the
receiving organization.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goal is for the Dorchester YMCA to have a completed housing capacity
study.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0
People’s Academy Pre-Development
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.15-Long-term Housing Security: Affordable Housing
Unique ID: 9104
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: City Council initiated a grant to the People's Academy for pre-development
costs.
Structure and Objectives: Grant agreement to the People's Academy, with an objective to
provide for pre-development costs.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Unknown at this time.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
54
Project Goals: To provide for the People's Academy pre-development costs
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0
BHA Veteran Housing Capacity
Cabinet / Department: Boston Housing Authority
Project Expenditure Category: 2.15-Long-term Housing Security: Affordable Housing
Unique ID: 9100
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Housing Authority’s Website
Description: BHA will explore the feasibility of veteran's housing in the South Boston area.
Structure and Objectives: BHA will explore the feasibility of veteran's housing in the
South Boston area.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Approach is exploratory and addresses tangible housing
needs for a protected class.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: BHA will explore the feasibility of veteran's housing in the South Boston
area.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0
55
Substance Use Services/Low Threshold Spaces
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9044
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Description: Funding will be used to provide low-threshold shelter/transitional housing
and support services, including housing search and placement, for homeless individuals,
especially those suffering from mental health and substance use disorders.
Structure and Objectives: Transitional housing support utilizing emergency hotel
placement for people experiencing substance use disorders and homelessness.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The core focus of the program centers on our City’s most
vulnerable and disenfranchised individuals.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Increase number of people accessing
Output 100 515 Annual
housing services
New low-threshold day or night time
Output 1 6 Annual
drop-in space
New devices to be used for telehealth,
Output 20 10 Annual
treatment and housing services
Increase number of placements into
Output transitional housing by Substance Use 50 169 Annual
Services/Low Threshold Spaces
Outcome Increase number of housed individuals 5% 170 Annual
Increase in individuals accessing housing
Outcome 25% 85 Annual
support services
Increase in individuals accessing
Outcome 5% 515 Annual
low-threshold spaces
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
56
Project Goals: Provide shelter, supportive services, and housing assistance to the City’s
most vulnerable unsheltered individuals.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $153,404.00
Type of Capital Expenditure: Behavioral health facilities and equipment (e.g.,
inpatient or outpatient mental health or substance use treatment facilities, crisis
centers, diversion centers)
Mortgage Relief Program
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.2-Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, and
Utility Aid
Unique ID: 9025
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
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.
Structure and Objectives: The City of Boston created an Emergency Foreclosure
Prevention fund for income qualified homeowners at high risk of foreclosure because of
the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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 other housing expenses or who anticipate
difficulties with these payments due to life events. We also 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,
57
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 contracted non-profit agencies
who provide our foreclosure prevention services are in these 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, insert information in tax bills;
3) promote information through social media, web pages, universal hub &
newspaper ads.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Homeowners assisted with mortgage relief
Output 50 158 12/31/2026
funds
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: 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: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 158
Emergency Housing Support Pilot for City Workers
Cabinet / Department: Human Resources
Project Expenditure Category: 2.2-Household Assistance: Rent, Mortgage, and
Utility Aid
58
Unique ID: 9102
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Human Resources Website
Description: The City has received $750,000 toward emergency housing support for City
workers. This funding will be distributed directly to current City and BPHC employees
through a process to which eligible employees in need of financial assistance to make
payments toward rent, a mortgage, or other eligible housing costs. The program has been
implemented and is live, and we are reviewing applications for support on an ongoing
basis.
Structure and Objectives: We were very intentional in structuring this pilot so that it
complements existing resources available to employees & is designed in a way that it
offers the greatest benefit to the population the program is serving.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The project is centering equity in every aspect of design.
Currently our focus is on equitable development of eligibility and application criteria,
approach to communication, and means of application access and submission.
As we continue to learn from and evaluate the program, we are prioritizing assistance to
employee households with the highest risk of housing instability, which are most often
Black, Indigenous, and Latinx households. By utilizing federal guidelines of Area Median
Income and Qualified Census Tracts, we are pulling all the information we have to
promote equitable outcomes.
In terms of the application process, the City is actively evaluating feedback and access
patterns to reduce barriers to participation in the program including: creating an
application that is written in simple language and easy to fill out, providing application
materials in multiple languages, and leveraging multiple communication channels to
ensure employees who work jobs in the field are notified about this program in multiple
ways.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Please describe the design of the evaluation: The evaluation design has not yet been
finalized. As we receive applications and learn more about the needs of our workforce, the
evaluation's goals have changed, especially as it relates to the lottery process as we have
not yet had to run a lottery. We will continue to shape the evaluation as we get a broader
understanding of the need based on received applications.
Please list the research questions guiding the evaluation: The evaluation has not yet been
finalized. As we receive applications and learn more about the needs of our workforce, the
evaluation's goals have changed, especially as it relates to the lottery process as we have
59
not yet had to run a lottery. We will continue to shape the evaluation as we get a broader
understanding of the need based on received applications.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
How many households have been served as a part of the project: 61
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of the
project? 5
How many affordable housing units have been made available as a part of the
project: 0
Digital Equity in Public Housing
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Partner Department (if applicable): Boston Housing Authority
Project Expenditure Category: 2.4-Household Assistance: Internet Access Programs
Unique ID: 9021
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Housing Authority Website
Description: Support internet access and digital literacy for City of Boston residents
negatively impacted by the pandemic, by expanding free public Wi-Fi in public housing
and/or supporting digital literacy, 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 home. BHA’s public internet initiatives, coupled with digital literacy efforts and
purchase of equipment brings digital equity to residents’ doorstep, overcoming financial,
technological and educational 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.
Structure and Objectives: Expanding free Public Wi-Fi in public housing, supporting
digital literacy, increasing internet connectivity and access to modern technology,
simultaneously improving telecommunications systems that benefit BHA government
operations.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Low-income residents, people of color, non-English
speakers and seniors disproportionately face barriers to internet access. This project
serves to overcome these barriers within BHA's population
Performance Report:
60
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Buildings Wired and Configured (for
Fall 2021 -
Output Free Public/Community Internet 15 15
Spring 2023
Access)
Fall 2021 -
Output Digital Literacy Class Cohorts 3 40
Fall 2023
BHA Public Housing Communities Fall 2021 -
Outcome 15 15
With Free Public Internet Access Spring 2023
Seniors, persons with disabilities Fall 2021 -
Outcome 60 388
enrolled in digital literacy classes Fall 2023
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: n/a
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: n/a
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $300,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Devices and equipment that assist households in
accessing the internet (e.g., tablets, computers, or routers)
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 2,000
Cash assistance to individuals facing housing insecurity
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Partner Department (if applicable): Boston Housing Authority
Project Expenditure Category: 2.3-Household Assistance: Cash Transfers
Unique ID: 9019
61
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Housing Authority Website
Description: The Boston Housing Authority (BHA), a subgrantee of the City of Boston, will
conduct a cash 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 homeless 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 particular
household.
Structure and Objectives: This project aims to promote economic recovery and mobility
for BHA households w/ children through direct cash assistance. New voucher recipients
and public housing residents will be selected through a lottery.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project intentionally focuses on households who
recently experienced housing instability, with the past two years, and provides flexible
financial assistance to low income households (at or below 30% AMI) with children.
Performance Report:
Type of
Metric Goal Progress Timeframe
Metric
Public housing households, section 8
Output voucher holders, and/or Rapid 500 500 Fall 2022
Rehousing clients assisted.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes
Evaluation Design: The evaluation will include a combination of surveys and interviews
with eligible applicant households that receive gift cards as well as eligible applicant
households that receive full payments.
Research question(s):
● What types of outcomes does cash relief produce on whole family outcomes
such as housing stability, food security, mental health and child well-being?
● What impact does cash relief have on childhood poverty and economic
insecurity?
62
● Are there differences between households who receive cash relief and
households who participate in self-sufficiency programs?
● What connections did participating households make to public sources of cash
or support, specifically the Child Care Tax Credit, being offered at the federal
level?
● Does cash assistance for formerly homeless families receiving new housing
choice vouchers help these families become more stable?
● Are impacts different for new voucher holders as opposed to existing public
housing residents?
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 05/01/2023
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
How many households have been served as a part of the project? 500
First Generation Matched Savings Homebuyer Program
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.17- Housing Support: Housing Vouchers and Relocation
Assistance for Disproportionately Impacted Communities
Unique ID: 9024
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Home Center Website
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 enrolled in MAHA’s current first generation homebuying
program called STASH. Enrollees receive financial literacy and individualized coaching,
and a 2:1 grant match of up to $5,000, provided they can save $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.
Structure and Objectives: Program is designed to provide first gen buyers with
purchasing their home.Participants graduate from a Homebuying course and attend
monthly meetings.Participants must save $2k of their own funds and when they purchase
a home they receive a $5k grant
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Our main goal is to serve low- and moderate-income
first generation BIPOC buyers who historically have not had access to familial sources of
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wealth/cash for a down payment. 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
BIPOC first generation buyers. The current program has been in existence since 2019.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Individuals enrolled in the First Gen
Output 280 471 12/31/2026
Program
Enrollees who purchased a home in
Outcome 53 63 12/31/2026
Boston
Outcome Percentage of enrollees who are BIPOC 75% 92% 12/31/2026
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goal of the project is to increase the number of BIPOC first generation
low and moderate 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: Boston is among the first cities to have a homeownership program focused
on first generation 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 Institute found a down payment assistance program focused on first
generation buyers would help to reduce the wealth disparities between 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
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 when 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,
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parents having a late start to homeownership or intermittent episodes of homeownership
does not have the same wealth-building effect as sustained homeownership.”
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $500,000
Healthy Housing and Environmental Justice in Public Housing
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.18-Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance
Unique ID: 9097
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Housing Authority’s Website
Description: BHA would use funding to make improvements to ventilation and windows
across 1040 other units at the federally-assisted Franklin Field, Ruth Barkley, Alice Taylor,
Roslyn and Rockland developments. These investments would improve air quality, increase
efficiency and improve resident comfort across five federal sites. The Franklin Field, Ruth
Barkley, Alice Taylor, Roslyn and Rockland Apartments are federally-assisted public
housing located in Qualified Census Tracts. The majority of residents are extremely
low-income and hail from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups who have
been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Structure and Objectives: This project seeks to address the capital backlog and
environmental disparities in public housing developments through targeted preservation
efforts.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Residents of public housing are predominantly
low-income and extremely low-income and represent multiple categories of protected
classes disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Improving housing quality,
preserving units and promoting public health will support the BHA's efforts to combat
disparities in health and housing.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: By targeting upgrades to ventilation and windows across multiple sites, the
project will improve health and housing outcomes for hundreds of low-income and
extremely low-income households.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
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Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of this project?
0
How many affordable housing units have been available as a part of this project? 0
Transforming Publicly-Owned Land into Green, Mixed Income Communities
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.18-Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance
Unique ID: 9096
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: The Mayor's Office of Housing (MOH), working closely with the Boston
Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) and other city departments, proposes using
$30M in ARPA funding to develop deeply affordable multifamily rental housing as part of
larger mixed-income communities on strategically located city owned land. MOH and
BPDA will coordinate with the Streets cabinet to maximize City investments and produce
well-designed, carbon neutral, transit-oriented communities that connect low and
moderate income Bostonians to good paying jobs and essential services. This investment
will serve as a catalyst to develop these underutilized parcels and create thousands of
units of mixed income housing. We will also explore using a portion of these funds to seed
innovative approaches to accelerate production, including pilot projects using modular or
prefabricated housing.
Structure and Objectives: MOH and BPDA will coordinate with the Streets cabinet to
maximize City investments and produce well-designed, carbon neutral, transit-oriented
communities that connect low and moderate income Bostonians to good paying jobs and
essential services.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The project will spur development on sites that can
provide housing for a broad spectrum of Bostonians at risk of displacement, a problem
exacerbated by COVID-19.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Number of units created on transformed
Output 300 12/31/2026
city-owned land in transit oriented locations
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Evidence & Evaluation:
Will an evaluation be conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and will not
be conducted.
Project Goals: Create at least 300 new rental units on transformed City-owned land in
transit-oriented locations. Seed innovative approaches to accelerate production, including
pilot projects using modular and/or prefabricated housing.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of this project?
0
How many affordable housing units have been available as a part of this project? 0
Humphreys Studios
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Partner Department (if applicable): Arts, Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36-Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9047
Status of Completion: Completed
Description: Humphreys Street Studios is an important hub of artistic endeavor and
creative sector businesses. It is a cultural anchor located in Upham’s Corner, the City’s
Arts and Innovation District. The City has recognized the value of the studios based on the
belief that sustainable opportunities for local residents and businesses can be created by
supporting and empowering the significant artistic and entrepreneurial talent that exists
in the neighborhood. The property (11-13 Humphreys Street) was recently listed for sale. In
an effort to preserve the artist studios; the tenants, New Atlantic Development, and Place
Tailor have been working towards purchasing the property with tremendous support from
the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development, and
the Mayor’s Office of Housing, as well as the surrounding community and local elected
officials. This funding will be used to preserve approximately 29 artists' studios. The
current partnership between the artists and New Atlantic Development, and their plan for
acquisition and development for the site, speaks directly to the principle of development
without displacement, which is guiding the wider Upham’s Corner Arts and Innovation
District efforts.
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Structure and Objectives: Funding will preserve the long-term affordability of 29 artist
studios and enable development of 10 new homeownership units which will be affordable
to households of 80%, 100% and 120% AMI.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Preservation of affordable artist commercial space and
the creation of 10 units of affordable ownership housing to be sold to first-time
homebuyers.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Outcome Number of artist studios preserved 29 29 12/31/2026
Number of affordable housing units
Outcome 10 10 12/31/2026
created
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $434,933
Type of Capital Expenditure: Other: This project incorporates two capital
expenditure types: “Affordable housing, supportive housing, or recovery housing” &
“Mitigation measures in small businesses, nonprofits and impacted industries”
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
Please provide additional rationale for providing aid to an industry outside of the
travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors: The arts are recovering slower than other
industries & COVID continues to disrupt in-person programming. By acquiring this
building, it allows artists to stay in place and continue to operate their businesses.
Housing Pilot for Families Impacted by Violence
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.18-Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance
Unique ID: 9028
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: 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
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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 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.
Structure and Objectives: This program and funding aims to provide support to families
impacted by violence in their community. It addresses public safety issues by providing
temporary housing and relocation assistance to families.
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 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.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Households receiving housing related
Output 70 139 12/31/2026
assistance
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: 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.
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If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 139
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0
Housing Search and Stabilization Services for BHA Vouchers
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Partner Department (if applicable): Boston Housing Authority
Project Expenditure Category: 2.17- Housing Support: Housing Vouchers and Relocation
Assistance for Disproportionately Impacted Communities
Unique ID: 9022
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Housing Authority Website
Description: The Boston Housing Authority (BHA), a sub-grantee 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 rental vouchers.
Structure and Objectives: 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.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: 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.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
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New landlords taking Section 8
Output 100 125 Annual
vouchers
Output Families provided housing search 250 225 Annual
Families housed through expanded Fall 2021 -
Outcome 250 81
housing search Fall 2022
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: n/a
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: n/a
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of the project?
0
How many affordable housing units have been made avail;able as a part of this project?
225
Deep Energy Retrofits for Affordable Housing
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22- Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9098
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: Emissions from buildings account for 70% of Boston’s greenhouse gas
emissions. Quickly reducing emissions in buildings is essential to achieve a Green New
Deal for Boston. In addition, retrofitting buildings to improve their energy efficiency and
eliminate fossil fuel usage will improve indoor air quality, improve comfort and help lower
energy costs. It is imperative that Boston’s deed-restricted and naturally occurring
affordable housing be equipped to participate in this transition. Dedicated funding is
necessary to address gaps in available financing for resilient deep energy retrofits of
affordable housing that allow residents to stay in place.
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A funding program run through the Mayor’s Office of Housing that offers funding to
retrofit these buildings would help to fill that gap, ensuring that residents have quality
housing, lower energy costs, improved indoor air quality, and affordable rents. This
program would be transformative for affordable housing owners and residents, and would
demonstrate that zero-carbon, energy-efficient and resilient design can and should be
accessible to all. In partnership with Environment, MOH would develop a program to
target naturally occurring affordable housing and recently acquired housing preservation
buildings, exemplified by small multifamily buildings such as triple deckers, while
maintaining affordability.
Structure and Objectives: MOH will partner with Environment, Inspectional Services,
BHA and Boston Planning & Development Agency to retrofit 300 housing units, improve
energy efficiency, improve indoor air quality and comfort in addition to helping lower
energy costs.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Deep energy retrofits address negative impacts (such as
air quality, heating costs, and life safety) that disproportionately impact low/mod income
households, people with limited English proficiency, Black, Indigenous and other People of
Color, and other traditionally underserved groups. The Deep Energy Retrofits for
Affordable Housing program will prioritize funding work in these communities.
Furthermore, this program will include efforts to identify and train minority-owned
contractors and subcontractors to perform retrofit work, which will help to address
inequities in economic outcomes and workforce development.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Fund deep energy retrofits for
Output 300 12/31/2026
housing units
Create Permanent Supportive Housing for Homeless Individuals with Substance
Use and Behavioral Health Disorders
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Partner Department (if applicable): Boston Housing Authority
Project Expenditure Category: 2.16- Long-term Housing Security: Services for Unhoused
Persons
Unique ID: 9095
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
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Description: The COVID-19 pandemic and the humanitarian crisis at Mass/Cass have
highlighted the urgent need for permanent supportive housing for people struggling with
mental health and substance use disorders. The City would use $20M to rapidly develop
new low-threshold permanent supportive housing with specialized services for these
individuals. To do so, the City would use funds to fast track the development of permanent
supportive housing and leverage resources from the State, corporations, hospitals,
universities and other partners to acquire sites, identify existing buildings that can be
repurposed, and secure ongoing funding for services.
Structure and Objectives: To create permanent supportive housing (PSH) for individuals
experiencing homelessness & substance use/behavioral health disorders, MOH will utilize
NHD's existing infrastructure to create new units of PSH & also a pipeline for future
development.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: BIPOC communities consistently experience worse
outcomes across areas of health and wellbeing, such as housing stability, income/wealth
attainment, and physical and behavioral health conditions. This pattern of inequity is seen
regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, or other identities. BIPOC
communities disproportionately experience homelessness in Boston. By creating
permanent supportive housing and ensuring equitable access among people experiencing
homelessness, Boston will be addressing these inequities with safe, stable housing.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Output Permanent supportive housing units 200 12/31/2026
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Create 200 new units of permanent supportive housing, and create a
healthy pipeline of projects for future development.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $18,931,600
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Type of Capital Expenditure: Affordable housing, supportive housing, or recovery
housing development
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of the project?
0
How many affordable housing units have been made available as a part of this project? 0
Rapid Re-Housing for Returning Citizens
Cabinet / Department: Human Services
Partner Department (if applicable): Mayor’s Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.16- Long-term Housing Security: Services for Unhoused
Persons
Unique ID: 9099
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Returning Citizens Website
Description: This project will be creating a rapid rehousing program for City of Boston
residents coming out of incarceration. The participants in the program will be provided
housing and intensive case management and support services to help them transition to
stable housing and jobs.
Structure and Objectives: To support Bostonians returning from incarceration to find
long term stable housing & employment by providing stable housing, job search & other
support services for a year so that participants can effectively transition back into society.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: We will be working with a population who have struggled
to maintain stable housing and employment.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The objective of this project is to support Bostonians returning from
incarceration to find long term stable housing and employment. This will be achieved by
providing stable housing, job search and other support services for a year so that
participants can effectively transition back into society.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
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Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of the project?
0
How many affordable housing units have been made available as a part of this project? 0
MOH Admin Payroll Costs
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 7.1- Administrative Expenses
Unique ID: 9108
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing
Description: Fund Various Positions at MOH to support new ARPA funded projects
Structure and Objectives: Fund Various Positions at MOH to support new ARPA funded
projects.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Funds will be used to support low/mod income
individuals and households
Revenue Replacement
Revenue Replacement
Cabinet / Department: Finance Cabinet
Project Expenditure Category: 6.1-Provision of Government Services
Unique ID: 0000
Description: City of Boston Revenue Replacement
Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Small Business Fund 2.0
Cabinet / Department: Office of Small Business
Project Expenditure Category: 2.29-Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Unique ID: 9003
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Small Business Relief Fund Website
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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/or 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, lost 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.
Structure and Objectives: The SBRF 2.0 is designed to help small businesses that
experienced negative economic impacts by providing grants to assist small businesses
with expenses to help in their recovery and will assist businesses that seek to grow
beyond the pandemic.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: In order to promote equity, we avoided using a
first-come-first-serve model of awarding grants as we found business owners with the
most need are often informed of opportunities later than others. The application
remained open for several months, with business owners and landlords able to add on or
update applications at any point. Our team also provided support to applicants who were
not comfortable submitting a digital application, needed help gathering application
components, or needed other in-person support.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Businesses Funded by Small Business By December 21,
Output 1016 1027
Fund 2.0 2022
Funded businesses are still in Pending
Outcome 70% December 31, 2024
operation evaluation
Funded businesses report business
Pending
Outcome growth (revenue, employee, etc.) as 25% December 31, 2024
evaluation
measured by OED survey
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 1,027
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Commercial Rental Relief Fund
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity & Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.29-Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Unique ID: 9004
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Commercial Rental Relief Fund Website
Description: Leveraging these funds, 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-come, first-served basis. 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.
Structure and Objectives: The objective of this program is to assist small businesses in
commercial spaces that experienced a negative economic impact through a direct
payment to landlords, and reduce commercial space evictions.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: In order to promote equity, we avoided using a
first-come-first-serve model of awarding grants as we found business owners with the
most need are often informed of opportunities later than others. The application
remained open for several months, with business owners and landlords able to add on or
update applications at any point. Our team also provided support to applicants who were
not comfortable submitting a digital application, needed help gathering application
components, or needed other in-person support.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Small businesses funded
By August 31,
Output through this fund in an 250 694
2022
agreement with Landlords
Funded businesses remain Pending By December 31,
Outcome 70%
open (outreach not started) evaluation 2024
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Minimum vacancy-rate in
neighborhood commercial Pending By December 31,
Outcome 80
districts (outreach not evaluation 2024
started)
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 694
Research on Boston's History of Slavery
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.37-Economic Impact Assistance: Other
Unique ID: 9118
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Task Force on Reparations Website
Description: Funds from this project will be used to support research and a report on the
history and legacy of slavery in Boston. Through an RFP, the City will select partners to
produce a report on the City’s role in and historical ties to the trans-Atlantic slave trade
and the history and legacy of slavery, including original historical research and a
comprehensive review of the secondary literature.
Structure and Objectives: Teams of historians will be selected to research and document
the City of Boston’s role in and historical ties to the transatlantic slave trade and the
institution and legacies of slavery. Research teams will conduct both original historical
research and provide a comprehensive review of major themes and findings on the City’s
history from 1620 to the present.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This research will focus on the economic injustices
rooted in slavery. A final report will focus on Boston and Bostonians' economic growth and
involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade and trans-Atlantic slave economics from
1620-Present.
Technical and Trade Education
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.37-Economic Impact Assistance: Other
Unique ID: 9119
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
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Link to Website: Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Website
Description: Funds from this project will support the technical and trade education
ecosystem in Boston.
All-Inclusive Boston Campaign
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
Project Expenditure Category: 2.35-Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality
Unique ID: 9002
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: All Inclusive Boston Website
Description: This investment included a contract to launch a two-phase marketing
project:
1. Extension of the All-Inclusive Boston tourism campaign for Spring 2022 and
2. B-Local "shop local" app 2021 holiday campaign.
The B-Local campaign supports the 2,700+ small businesses on the app. Concluding on
12/31/21, the app drove over $1.6 million in user spending at small businesses and issued
over $40,000 in direct payments to businesses through user reward redemptions. The All
Inclusive campaign supports the entire tourism and hospitality industry. This contract
ended on 12/31/22.
As part of Mayor Wu's commitment to revitalizing Downtown Boston and all
neighborhoods of Boston, this project allocated funding to event activations and block
party series to attract residents, workers, and visitors. A contract was awarded to a
vendor in 2022 for the "Downtown Together Again" series. Another RFP for neighborhood
block parties will be issued in Q4 2023.
Remaining funds are dedicated to special event activations, including the national NAACP
convention, neighborhood block parties, and community-based winter nightlife events.
The Wake Up the Night (WUN) Grant Pilot Program was created to support the recovery
of the nightlife industry and identify creative ways to bring people back to commercial
districts and main streets; this pilot grant program is designed for both neighborhood and
downtown nighttime activities.
Structure and Objectives: To aid in the recovery of our local tourism industry, support
small businesses, and neighborhood and downtown revitalization.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Our goal is to attract new and diverse visitors to Boston,
to spotlight all neighborhoods across Boston, and support and highlight small businesses.
Performance Report:
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Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Redeemed B-Local Boston Redeemed by users
Output 455,000 405,828.56
Points Rewards by December 31, 2021
Reach by December
Output B-Local User Downloads 10,000 13,289
31, 2021
Registered by
Output Redeeming B-Local Businesses 500 350
December 31, 2021
Reach by June 30,
Output Digital ad impressions 18,000,000 18,200,000
2022
Video views on social media Reach by June 30,
Output 750,000 1,013,697
platforms (by 5/30/22) 2022
Pageviews on the microsite (as Reach by June 30,
Output 150,000 33,407
of 5/30/22) 2022
B-Local Economic Activity
Outcome generated (Redeemed amount + $1,000,000 $1,781,252.02 By December 31, 2021
Total Transactions)
Output Downtown Events Hosted 30 50 10/31/2022
NAACP Convention - Delegate
Output 4,000 4,000 7/29/2023
Reception Attendees
Out of State Tourism from
Outcome 8,000 8,000 7/30/2023
NAACP Convention
Reimagining Boston’s Main Streets
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
Project Expenditure Category: 2.35-Aid to Tourism, Travel, or Hospitality
Unique ID: 9076
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Reimagine Boston’s Main Streets Website
Description: As we advance the Re-Imagine Boston’s Main Streets initiative, this funding
would be used to close the racial wealth gap by increasing the capacity of our Main Streets
to better support the community and provide opportunities for new and existing
businesses to enhance the local economic development in neighborhoods and create
more jobs to reverse the long standing and systemic disinvestment. These funds will focus
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on two main areas -- much needed beautification efforts in Main Streets Districts and
relief to Main Street Organizations negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This
proposal would complement the $1 million operating budget investment in Main Streets
districts and help increase the capacity of each organization. In addition these funds will
help us to understand the inequity among the Main Streets which will allow us to dedicate
more attention and resources in certain areas.
Structure and Objectives: OEOI will provide grants to the Boston Main Streets district
organizations to aid in their economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic so that they
may carry out their mission to support neighborhood revitalization through beautification
projects.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This funding will be used to close the racial wealth gap
by supporting new and existing businesses in our commercial districts to enhance the
local economic development in neighborhoods, create more jobs, and reverse the long
standing and systemic disinvestment. These funds will focus on much needed
beautification efforts in Main Streets Districts. This proposal would complement the $1
million operating budget investment in Main Streets districts and help increase the
capacity of each organization.
By aiding Boston Main Street organizations to fulfill their mission of neighborhood
revitalization this program will benefit BIPOC, and women-owned businesses.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Improved physical infrastructure, space, or
Outcome 40 20 12/25/2024
aesthetics at 20 of our Main Street districts
Increased pedestrian activities and foot
Outcome traffic as a result of beautification of Main 0 0 12/24/2024
Street district
More programs held within the community
Outcome 80 498 12/24/2024
for the community
Outcome Number of jobs created by Main Streets 100 572 12/24/2024
Outcome Number of new storefront small businesses 30 0 12/24/2024
Output Relief funding issued $850,000 $850,000 12/31/2022
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Workforce Digital Literacy
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Partner Department (if applicable): Office of Workforce Development
Project Expenditure Category: 2.4-Household Assistance: Internet Access Programs
Unique ID: 9001
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Office of Workforce Development
Description: The project allocated funds toward growing the Digital capacity of Boston
Residents in underserved communities with limited resources and the community based
organizations (CBOs)that support them. Funds were used to provide the computers and
internet access to Boston citizens without access and to equip CBOs with the devices,
resources, training and strategies needed to build a strong digital literacy program.
Due to COVID these programs have experienced increased demand and need additional
funding to improve their capacity to support their communities. Through intensive and
holistic engagement, the initiative supported the modernization of the programs and their
operational models.
Grant funds were also used to support Student retention at two local two-year
institutions. Students were able to access laptops, tuition support and coaching to
support continued enrollment. Funding was also allocated to the Office of Financial
Empowerment and Boston Housing Authority (in Charlestown) to support their literacy
and digital skills training programs.
Structure and Objectives: A research initiative was conducted to advise the future
components of the project. We then funded digital literacy capacity building in 25
community orgs., two two-year institutions, the Housing Authority, and the Office of
Financial Empowerment.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: We aim to reach individuals of all races and backgrounds
who are unemployed, underemployed, or career changers throughout the City, via our
CBO partners. The programs we fund service these disenfranchised communities, and we
will be collecting demographic data from the programs to confirm if we successfully
reached our targeted demographic with this initiative.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Number of current Providers of ABE and
Output ESOL programs to be surveyed and
assessed for digital literacy capacity and 21 25 Year 1
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Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
needs.
Number of current ABE (12) and ESOL (16)
Output programs that will receive survey/be
assessed 28 25 Year 1
Number of provider ABE (750) and ESOL
(2,000) seats/clients to benefit from new
Output or enhanced curriculums, access to
hardware/software, access to wifi, and
better trained provider staff. 2750 5451 Year 2
Outcome Provider staff to be trained at programs 67 0 Year 2
Outcome Clients trained 2750 0 Year 2
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $400,000
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 surveys, interviews, and focus groups with grantee
staff and participants. Additionally, the funding will support a continuation of existing
research efforts that examines 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 strategic direction,
findings are also being used to reassess monitoring and evaluation principles in light of
changing skills needs and new digitally-enabled program models. This evaluation applies
specifically to the portion of the funding dedicated to implementing digital infrastructure
among ABE/ESOL programs.
Research question(s): This research is intended to assist OWD in establishing
locally-relevant workforce services and defining funding priorities. In addition to
informing our strategic direction, findings are also being used to reassess monitoring and
evaluation principles in light of changing skills needs and new digitally-enabled program
models. The evaluation will be primarily qualitative in nature and will include focus groups
and surveys of participating organizations.
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: No
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Estimated date of completion: 12/31/2024
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 5,451
Commercial Space Supports
Cabinet / Department: Office of Small Business
Project Expenditure Category: 2.29-Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Unique ID: 9049
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Small Business Development Website
Description: The Commercial Space supports Funds will provide grant funding for
revitalization of underserved neighborhoods and businesses that do not qualify for CDBG
funds, filling a critical gap in rebuilding neighborhood revitalization equitably across our
City.
Structure and Objectives: To assist businesses who would not qualify for CDBG funding
under the City of Boston's Restore & Design program. This funding will allow us to expand
to all neighborhoods of Boston to ensure citywide revitalization and business recovery.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Our team’s ReStore program focuses primarily on areas
that are low to moderate income. We will create equitable outcomes by continuing our
focus in these areas.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
December 31,
Outcome Restore projects funded 250,000 22,000
2024
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $250,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Other- Finishing the outside of a business, repairing
and replacing storefront windows or doors, creating new signs, adding lighting for
the building or signs, removing solid roll-down grates, awnings outside a business,
and design services.
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
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Number of small businesses served: 4
Commercial Rental Rebate Pilot
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity & Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.29-Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Unique ID: 9077
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Space Grant Website
Description: The beneficiaries of this pilot program will be small businesses that have
been identified as suffering disproportionate impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic per
the guidelines in the Final Rule on Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. This
includes small businesses (25 or fewer employees) based in Qualified Census Tracts (QCTs)
and small businesses in the following classes of business: food service and production;
childcare; repair & maintenance services; laundry services; art, entertainment, and
creative economy; and fitness & recreation. Funding these categories of small businesses
will ensure requested ARPA funds are used to ameliorate the disproportionately negative
impact that the pandemic has had on important small businesses across the City of
Boston. Moreover, we aim to outreach to small businesses that have traditionally been
underrepresented in high commercial areas. Whereas evidence demonstrates more
diverse commercial areas are also correlated with higher overall commercial traffic and
sales, redressing continuing and historic inequities will also generate broad public benefits
and advance the cabinet’s mission of promoting prosperity for all.
Structure and Objectives: Our objectives include increasing the diversity of storefront
businesses in major commercial hubs, increasing money invested in new and existing
businesses, reducing commercial vacancies, and increasing the number of
employee-owned firms in Boston.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The COVID-19 Pandemic not only put a spotlight on
historical inequities but also exacerbated these inequities by disproportionately ravaging
the health and economic status of certain residents like BIPOC and low-income
Bostonians that are often the first to come in contact with risk and the last to receive
private or social assistance.
Using ARPA funds to address this reality will not only help disadvantaged community
members to recover from the COVID recession but is also expected to produce greater
prosperity for all based on research demonstrating the superior value generated by
diverse commercial areas and agglomeration economies.
As business owners apply for the program, an internal committee of reviewers will be
scoring applications based on several criteria ensuring we are considering equity
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throughout the project delivery.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Increase diversity of storefront
Outcome businesses in major commercial 40 10 12/24/2024
hubs
Outcome Reduce commercial vacancies 20% 20% 12/24/2024
Increase money invested in new
Outcome $9,000,000 $7,464,900 12/24/2024
and existing businesses
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $5,000,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Rehabilitations, renovation, remediation, cleanup, or
conversions of vacant or abandoned properties (Capital investments to be used in
buildouts to assist businesses moving into current vacant commercial spaces.)
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 61
Basic Needs Assistance for Families Not Eligible for Previous COVID-19 Benefits
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement
Project Expenditure Category: 2.3-Household Assistance: Cash Transfers
Unique ID: 9014
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Immigrant Advancement Website
Description: The City of Boston Equity and Inclusion Cabinet and the Mayor’s Office for
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 need, 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 December 2021). Approximately 1,200 households in need
will benefit from this pandemic relief grant to help pay for rent, utilities, food, school
supplies or other basic needs.
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Structure and Objectives: 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 relief. The nonprofit group selected serves immigrant communities across
Boston.
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 relief. The non-profit group selected to administer the program,
MIC, has 11 partner organizations located in Boston serving multiple neighborhoods. Their
emergency relief efforts have benefitted immigrant communities in Dorchester, Hyde
Park, East Boston, 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.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: This program is intended to serve immigrant families facing economic
struggles that have not been able to access certain social safety-net programs. The
program provides one time cash assistance for financial relief for those unable to cover
the basic needs.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: 1200+ families received funding with an average payment of $739 per family.
Over 3000 families applied for funding. The quick disbursement and continuing requests
for funding demonstrate a continuing need for cash to cover basic needs.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $3,000,000
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 1,219
Young Adult Job Opportunities (19-24)
Cabinet / Department: Department of Youth Engagement and Employment
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Project Expenditure Category: 2.10-Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed
Workers (e.g., job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)
Unique ID: 9015
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Youth Engagement and Employment Website
Description: The Young Adult Workforce Development grant is now the Young Adult
Career Pathways Project (YACP). This project will increase access to career development
for young adults in Boston, aged 18-24 years old, with barriers to career employment. This
YACP project seeks to:
● Support programs that offer career pathways with high-value credentials;
● Support programs with robust wrap-around services designed to meet the needs of
young adult clients with barriers to employment, including stipends/wages;
● Build partnerships amongst grantees by encouraging participation in referral,
co-enrollment and the Boston Youth Services Network.
● While this RFP offers one-time, non-renewable funding, OWD is looking to engage
youth development organizations who are interested in learning more about other
funding offered by our office, like WIOA Youth funding (Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity)
Structure and Objectives: This project supports four Boston youth programs for
18-24-year-olds, offering pathways to high-value careers, support services (including
stipends/wages), and fostering partnerships between grantees and other Boston youth
programs.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This Young Adult Career Pathways grant intends to
further Boston's equity goals by creating fair, accessible, and timely access to equitable
workforce readiness opportunities for Boston's young adults (specifically, Black,
Indigenous, or People of Color) and historically marginalized or economically
disadvantaged populations.
The outcomes of this grant-funded initiative should support local efforts to address gaps
in job preparation and access to sustainable workforce development opportunities. The
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 attainment.
● Job attainment paying at least 30% above the living wage.
Performance Report:
Type of
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric
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Target Young Adult Participants Across
Output 0 Annual
Grantees
Minimum workforce/job training,
Output coaching or workshop sessions 5 Annual
completed
Minimum workforce/job training,
Output coaching or workshop service hours 50 Annual
completed
Young adults are connected to
Outcome workforce development program that 100 Annual
leads long-term employment
Young adults will increase awareness
Outcome and improve confidence about career 85 Annual
options and pathways
Young adults will transition into a
Outcome 75 Annual
desired career track
Young adult participants will receive
Outcome certificate, credential and educational 70 Annual
attainment at the end of the program.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: Data Collection & Evaluation: As a requirement to accept funds,
each accepted grantee must collect geographic and demographic data of participants
to ensure funding is targeting underrepresented and marginalized young adults. At
minimum, the following data should be collected: Neighborhood, Zip code, Race,
Ethnicity, Age, Disability, Employment, Language Spoken, Gender Identity, Veteran
Status, Etc. Accepted grantees will be required to develop an evaluation plan that
consists of a pre and post surveys to assess the program experience and impact of
young adult participants. We will also provide access to a secure file sharing platform
where organizations can submit youth participant data and demographic information,
activities participants engage in, services rendered, and outcome achieved.
Research question(s):
1. What are the goals and intended outcomes of your workforce development
program and what metrics will be put in place to track progress and inform how
89
you will meet those outcomes?
2. Please share how the education/training program components will aim to close
skills gaps to ensure young adults are prepared to compete for new and existing
jobs, expand academic credentials, certification and/or educational attainment -
and eventually lead to a job placement with livable wages.
3. Describe the measurable impact the education/training program aims to have on
the young adult participants and/or the primary area of focus. What does the
program anticipate will change as a result of its activities?
4. Describe your education/training program framework and design that ensures
employment, economic and/or educational outcomes are achieved.
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Please indicate the evaluation’s estimated date of completion: 6/30/2025
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs: 0
Life Sciences Job Hub
Cabinet / Department: Office of Workforce Development
Project Expenditure Category: 2.10-Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed
Workers (e.g., job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)
Unique ID: 9075
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Office of Workforce Development Website
Description: The initiative combines Early College STEM Pathway and Life Sciences
Workforce Development funds to promote upward mobility in the life sciences and STEM
industries for Boston workers without bachelor's degrees.
The initiative targets lower-wage workers needing credentials, the project aims to engage
employers and training programs in the consortium. The department hired a consultant to
invite and identify members. Grants were awarded to organizations providing life
science/STEM-related training for residents. To recruit suitable partners, the department
drafted an RFP for services that act as a bridge to living-wage jobs in these fields. All funds
under this initiative have been awarded, and contracting is underway. Additional research
of the industry will also be conducted.
Structure and Objectives: The project objective is to expose Bostonians to the array of job
90
opportunities in the Life Science industry, offer training to residents who are interested in
a Life Science or STEM career and placing participants in well paid roles in the industry.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The RFGA, and contract language specifically state that
programs must prioritize enrolling participants in Boston, from marginalized communities
which experienced more negative economic impact due to COVID.
The local life sciences and related STEM industries have generated significant wealth for
Boston's economy, but many jobs have been out of reach for those without a bachelor’s
degree.
The project aims to expand opportunities in the Life Science Industry so Boston residents
without higher education degrees can find employment and careers in this growing
industry.
Project Objectives are:
● Eliciting job descriptions from employers of the skills that are needed for entry-level
roles in their companies
● Guiding training partners in building curricula and academic programming to support
the development of needed skills in Boston residents quickly and at reasonable cost
● Encouraging employers to re-conceptualize entry-level roles so that candidates can
be selected based on skills as opposed to academic credentials.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
What is the total project spending allocated towards evidence-based interventions?
$3,200,000
Evaluation Design: Evaluation is incorporated into the project’s RFP. The programs
with performance based contracts will be paid out based on a negotiated rate. For
final payments to be made, participants must accomplish program goals for
employment and retention. We will be evaluating enrollment, job placement and
retention throughout the contract. We will be collecting data on a rolling basis.
Research question(s): The research questions will include the following questions that
gauge for positive outcomes for program participants:
● How many program participants are enrolled in training?
● When did they complete training?
● Are trainees employed in related fields after program completion? If so, how
many?
● Placements must meet the project’s job quality standards for hours and rate of
pay. Once a participant has reached 30 days of job retention, programs may
invoice for placement. Documentation of employment will be required.
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Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Please indicate the evaluation’s estimated date of completion: 12/31/2025
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs: 0
YouthBuild Boston Grant
Cabinet / Department: Office of Workforce Development
Project Expenditure Category: 2.10-Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed
Workers (e.g., job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)
Unique ID: 9083
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: YouthBuild Boston’s Website
Description: YBB has observed an uptick in mental health and behavioral health issues
among their clients (out-of-school Boston youth ages 16-24), due to the pandemic.
Reportedly the mental health of youth nationwide has been negatively impacted. To
support their clients YBB’s ARPA project will fund in-house mental health support, life skill
workshops, and transportation support. YouthBuild Boston's clients are Boston area youth
ages 16-24, who come from communities with limited mental health resources. YBB's
program helps bridge the gap by bringing mental health and wellbeing services to all their
clients, life skills workshops, and transportation support services for YBB youth. These
programs will likely have long-lasting positive impacts on YBB clients as well as staff.
Structure and Objectives: The objective is to promote wellness, provide mental health
support, and teach life skills to youth. Services are delivered directly to YBB participants
to help reduce mental health issues emphasized by COVID-19.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: YBB is a community-based organization that primarily
services youth from underserved communities with limited resources. The majority of
YBB clients are considered low-income. The Funds from this give these youth access to
mental health and wellness services that they may not have access to otherwise. The
training that YBB staff will receive will also benefit future YouthBuild Boston participants.
Studies have shown that youth Mental Health has been gravely affected by the Pandemic.
Many of these Youth have been experiencing mental and behavioral health difficulties as a
result of the pandemic, or mental health issues that have escalated by it.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been
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and will not be conducted.
What are the goals for this project?: The goal of this project is to improve the mental
health and wellness of Youth Build Boston participants by targeting their mental
health issues directly, increasing their engagement, supporting their overall wellness,
and facilitating community connection. The addition of transportation access, life
skills building, and soft skills growth also improves the participant's workforce
development abilities.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, please cite the evidence for why this
intervention is appropriate: The CDC provides data indicating that the pandemic had a
negative impact on the mental health of high school students. "According to the new
data, in 2021, more than a third (37%) of high school students reported that they
experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported
that they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year," according to a report
issued on March 31, 2022. Furthermore, the CDC reports that with proper
intervention, youth can experience improvements in mental health: "Our research
shows that surrounding youth with the proper support can reverse these trends and
help our youth now and in the future." Rates of poor mental health were highest
among LGBT, Black, Asian, and multi-racial youth. Please see
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0331-youth-mental-health-covid-19.ht
ml for citation.
What is the total project spending allocated towards evidence-based interventions?
$350,000
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs: 0
Newmarket Business Association Workforce Development
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.10-Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed
Workers (e.g., job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)
Unique ID: 9084
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Newmarket Business Association Website
Description: Through this project, BPHC will partner with the Newmarket Business
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Association to provide employment training and job readiness assistance to
disenfranchised individuals in the Newmarket/Mass/Cass area.
Structure and Objectives: The objective of this program is to provide meaningful
employment opportunities for disenfranchised individuals creating a long term solution to
the homelessness, food insecurity and substance abuse that plagues the immediate
Newmarket neighborhood.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Funds promote equity by targeting at-risk residents with
services to unhoused individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.
Performance Report:
Type of
Metric Goal Progress Timeframe
Metric
Execute Subrecipient contract
Output 1 1 4/30/2023
for services
Current number of people in the
Output 30 33 Quarterly
program
Output Engaged in case management 50 68 Annually
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been
and will not be conducted.
What are the goals for this project?: Engage individuals in meaningful employment.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, please cite the evidence for why this
intervention is appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
What is the total project spending allocated towards evidence-based interventions?
$0.00
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs: 0
High Roads Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund
Cabinet / Department: Office of Small Business
Partner Department (if applicable): Office of Workforce Development
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Project Expenditure Category: 2.29-Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Unique ID: 9005
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Restaurant Revitalization Fund Website
Description: Phase 2 will focus on providing recovery support to a wider variety of food
businesses. It will be expanded to bars/taverns, juice bars, and other similar
establishments. It will provide monetary aid without a tuition reimbursement component.
Phase 2 of this program launched in November 2023, where our office opened applications
for businesses to apply for grants. Our office received over 170 applications from
Businesses across Boston looking for grants. We are now in the process of application
review in order to award funding.
Structure and Objectives: Objective of this program is to assist food establishments that
experience a negative economic impact, by providing grants and employee retention and
recruitment programs.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project will allow for businesses that face hardship
due to COVID, to use funding to fill in much needed gaps for their business. We want to
ensure that each neighborhood in Boston is represented as well as the many different
kinds of food businesses that Boston has.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Businesses Funded by High Road
Output 120 57 December 31, 2024
Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund
Funds expended by High Roads By December 31,
Output $1,500,000 $570,000
Kitchen Restaurant Relief Fund 2024
Funded businesses will go By December 31,
Outcome 82 0
through gender & equity training 2024
Number of small businesses served: 57
Credit Booster Program
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.18-Housing Support: Other Housing Assistance
Unique ID: 9023
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Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Home Center Website
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. Funds will be distributed through an RFP process to
qualified non-profit partner agencies, who currently 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.
Structure and Objectives: A contract for $25k was awarded to UrbanEdge to provide these
services: 5 credit bootcamps per year, counseling, and anticipate providing the grant to 38
low/mod participants who complete the counseling and raise their credit score by 20
points
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: We intend to serve low and moderate income, primarily
BIPOC first time homebuyers who have 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 programs 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.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Individuals enrolled in the
Output 100 134 12/31/26
Credit Booster Program
# of enrollees working on
Outcome getting their score up to 70 30 12/31/2026
680 within 2 years
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: 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: 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
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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 low 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.” 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 their financial goals. The
boot camps will consist of 3 hours of financial literacy training, one-to-one counseling,
budget 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 to
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 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 home buying 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
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households receiving eviction prevention services (including legal
representation): 0
Number of affordable housing units preserved or developed: 0
Small Business Technical Assistance
Cabinet / Department: Office of Small Business
Project Expenditure Category: 2.30-Technical Assistance, Counseling, or Business
Planning
Unique ID: 9050
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
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Link to Website: Small Business Technical Assistance Website
Description: The Small Business Technical Assistance grant will be awarded to one
subrecipient to provide Technical Assistance to our small businesses who receive SBRF 2.0
funding. The OEOI Small Business Unit runs a successful Technical Assistance Program
and will provide oversight of these services and programs. This program will provide
Technical Assistance to businesses who receive the Small Business Relief 2.0 funds.
Small Business Strong is a non-profit organization empowered to help women and
minority owned small businesses navigate the devastating impact of the COVID-19
pandemic. Through this partnership with Small Business Strong the Small Business Unit of
OEOI will be able to provide expedited resources to small businesses ranging from access
to capital to consulting, business restructuring, business growth, digital marketing and
customer engagement plans.
The contract awarded to Small Business Strong through LISC Boston will be broken down
into 3 key components that will spearhead capacity building for the economic ecosystem
in Boston:
● Small Business Unit training
● Technical Assistance & community workshops
● Bos Network convenings
Structure and Objectives: This program will provide Technical Assistance to businesses
who receive the Small Business Relief 2.0 funds. This project also supported the capacity
of staff to support these businesses as well.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The project will focus on providing accessible support to
help businesses grow. We will promote equitable outcomes by ensuring that this support
is widely available to our already diverse small business grantee population. This project
will target communities that have been historically underinvested, which will create more
access and opportunities for small businesses, which is key to the survival and growth of
small businesses. In addition, the program will use a diverse group of business
coaches/mentors to support small businesses who have a variety of experience, and are
able to respond to the needs of each unique business, which will in turn give back to the
overall community.
Performance Report:
Type of Goal Timeframe
Metric
Metric
Output Businesses participated in Technical 50 12/31/2024
Assistance Programs
Evidence & Evaluation:
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If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goal is to provide Technical Assistance to businesses who receive the
Small Business Relief 2.0 funds as well as build the capacity of the team to support these
businesses in need.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 30
Creating an Ecosystem to Grow BIPOC-Owned Employer Firms
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.30-Technical Assistance, Counseling, or Business
Planning
Unique ID: 9078
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Economic Opportunity & Inclusion Website
Description: One of the key drivers of generational wealth creation is through
entrepreneurship and business ownership. Therefore, the Mayor’s Office of Economic
Opportunity & Inclusion seeks to grow and sustain employer firms owned by people of
color in all sectors, with a particular focus on emerging industries as well as sectors that
have little to no participation in the City’s procurement.
These businesses often encounter difficulties accessing financial capital, business
resources, and acquiring the knowledge necessary to effectively bid for and compete in
government, private and institutional contracts. The Supplying Capital And Leveraging
Education (SCALE) business accelerator program will provide access to business
development tools, industry-specific technical assistance, and financial capital for small,
diverse businesses, helping them effectively scale to meet the demands of performing
larger public contracts in specific industry categories. The SCALE program will assist a
cohort of small, diverse businesses - selected through a competitive process - in specific
industry categories through general business development tools and consulting,
industry-specific technical assistance, and additional access to capital opportunities.
Structure and Objectives:
● Sector Selection: Jan-Feb 2023
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● Contracting Opportunity Fund: Announced March 2023
● Contractor Academy: Summer/Fall 2023
● Boston PPP Finance Support: Nov 2023- April 2024
● Contract Bid Opportunities: Spring 2024
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: OEOI will convene a group of organizations that support
small businesses in the City of Boston as part of the initial planning activities. There are a
plethora of small business incubators, accelerators, technical assistance providers, and
other programs meant to support small business owners, particularly entrepreneurs of
color in the City of Boston. These stakeholders can improve the experience of small
businesses by better collaboration and coordination to ensure that as many entrepreneurs
as possible are receiving needed support while also helping to fill gaps in the availability of
BIPOC firms in critical sectors that will experience tremendous growth over the long
term.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Our goal is to support the development or scaling of women- and
BIPOC-led businesses in industry categories that the 2020 Disparity Study shows the City
needs to spend with more diverse companies.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 57
Supports for Immigrant-Owned Businesses
Cabinet / Department: Economic Opportunity and Inclusion
Project Expenditure Category: 2.30-Technical Assistance, Counseling, or Business
Planning
Unique ID: 9082
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Economic Opportunity & Inclusion Website
Description: This project will create a baseline for providing data about immigrant-owned
businesses in Boston. The project designates $150,000 for a study, $200,000 for staff
(Immigrant Business Liaison).
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Structure and Objectives: The data from this project, allows us to now move into our next
phase of this work which is creating a strategy and organizing the small business
ecosystem to better support immigrant-owned small businesses.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The results of the study will create a baseline
understanding of the immigrant owned small businesses in Boston, and identify what their
unique needs and challenges are. The goal is to use this data to drive the programs and
support services provided through our small business unit.
We are now at a point where we can use the information gathered by the study in order to
create programming that meets the needs of the community.
Performance Report:
Type of Goal Progress Timeframe
Metric
Metric to Goal
Output Hire staff member 1 1 7/31/2023
Output Establish Baseline Data for 5000 5000 12/23/2024
Immigrant owned businesses
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: To build a baseline dataset about immigrant owned businesses and assess
their needs and connect these business owners with programs and resources.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 0
Immigrant Economic Resilience Initiative
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement
Project Expenditure Category: 2.37-Economic Impact Assistance: Other
Unique ID: 9080
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement
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Description: COVID-19 and the disproportionate impact of the economic downturn has
highlighted the systemic inequities that many immigrants face. This proposal aims to 1)
provide immediate financial assistance to 200 struggling households for a year to ease the
burden of daily basic needs; 2) increase domestic savings through a matching incentive
program to help families build financial health; and 3) provide financial support to
participants to engage in language and skills training so they can increase their resiliency
through the changing conditions of the labor market.
Structure and Objectives: 1) provide immediate financial assistance 2) increase domestic
savings; and 3) provide funding to engage in language and skills training. For the
implementation of the project an administrative partner will selected as well as a impact
evaluator
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: It provides immediate financial assistance to those in
acute need while also filling the equity gaps that made immigrant households more
vulnerable to the negative economic impacts of COVID-19. The goal is to provide
transformative beyond the programmatic phase.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Number of times the eligibility
Output screener was initiated by 600 2353 3/24/2024
interested residents (all languages)
Number of times the eligibility
Outcome screener was initiated in 400 1671 3/24/2024
languages other than English
Number of applications received
Output that meet all eligibility criteria 500 547 3/24/2024
after screening
not applicable -
families lost
Number of eligible families that eligibility due to
Output completed the first quarter of the 200 146 factors such as
project moving out of the
city or exceeding
income limits
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
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Evaluation Design: A Methodology and Evaluation Contractor will be selected via RFP. This
contractor will provide an evaluation design and also create a final analysis of the project's
impact on the selected families.
Research question(s): What was the impact of providing disproportionately affected
households funding with additional financial incentives for 1 programmatic year? + Was
there any transformational change to the families economic and financial health after
participating in the program? + Any other relevant research question the Contractor sees
fit to explore
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 12/31/2025
Supporting Small Businesses in Digital Commerce
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Tourism, Sports, and Entertainment
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36- Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9079
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Economic Opportunity & Inclusion’s Website
Description: In order to generate interest among businesses and investors, the City of
Boston will develop a dynamic new business attraction website. A partner will be
contracted to conduct research on what information businesses and investors would need
to know, from tax information to understanding the existing business community, talent
pipeline opportunities through higher education institutions, import/export
considerations, and more. The partner would also be contracted to develop and
implement the new website, and perform marketing services to ensure necessary
outreach to the right audience, and help to continue Boston's economic recovery from
COVID-19.
Structure and Objectives: The objective of the project is to stimulate Boston's economy
by attracting new businesses and investors.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project will provide the tools to welcome
international businesses and investors who are less familiar with the City of Boston and
doing business in the United States.
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
Please provide additional rationale for providing aid to an industry outside of the
travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors: We are particularly interested in attracting
new businesses that can help fill vacant storefront spaces, which were adversely
affected by the pandemic.
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Expanding Tuition Free Community College
Cabinet / Department: Office of Workforce Development
Project Expenditure Category: 2.25- Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic,
Social, and Emotional Services
Unique ID: 9074
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Tuition Free Community College Website
Description: With funding committed from the City of Boston’s ARPA funds, we will
expand TFCC eligibility to include additional categories of students. It is difficult to
predict uptake, retention, and costs, but drawing on past experience we will also ensure
some supports to maximize the number of students participating.
Beginning in Spring 2023, all Boston residents who are income-eligible (either
PELL-eligible or, for students whose immigration status renders them ineligible for PELL,
at or below 150% of AMI) will be eligible to have their full tuition and fees covered, along
with a $250 per semester stipend. Students must complete a FAFSA and apply/enroll via
their college of choice. Colleges will notify OWD of eligibility and billable amounts on a
semester by semester basis. Eligibility and enrollment will be determined by the schools.
TFCC currently has six community college partners who will benefit from this project. We
will also use these funds to support a pilot program with MassArt (MassArt Transfer
Pathways), where TFCC students can transfer to MassArt.
Structure and Objectives: Support 1400 additional students; Graduation rate of 30%,
yielding 420 associate’s degrees; Leverage $40 million in PELL Grants; expansion to
undocumented and adult learners; Refine transfer pathway for future iterations of Boston
Bridge.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: As previously stated, the pandemic had a profound
impact on the enrollment of students in community colleges, especially low income
students and students of color. See for example, from the Boston Globe -
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/11/29/metro/community-college-students-struggl
e-return-their-studies
Students living in communities that bore the brunt of the pandemic have been slower to
return to school. We know that completion of an associates degree is associated with
higher earnings over a lifetime, and that it is therefore important to reverse the trend of
declining enrollment to ensure equitable outcomes. To enhance accessibility, marketing
materials are available in ten other languages that are readily available on the TFCC
website. Equity was one of the reasons TFCC decided to hold virtual info sessions and
office hours. Lastly, we recently hired a part-time Research and Policy Associate who is
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bi-lingua in Haitian-Creole and English.
Performance Report
Progress to
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Goal
Output # of students enrolled 1500 1633 Fall 2026
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: The evaluation will be conducted by Dr Alicia Sasser-Modestino,
Director of the Dukakis Center at Northeastern University. Dr Sasser-Modestino will
employ a quasi-experimental design to compare persistence, graduation and post-grad
wages for students who receive funding support from TFCC vs students who do not. She
will build on an existing data partnership with DHE and DESE to compare prior academic
outcomes for student groups.
Research question(s):
● What impact do we have on student metrics (credit accumulation, persistence,
completion, and wages after completion)?
● What programmatic improvements can be suggested?
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 12/31/2026
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
National Center for Education Statistics School ID(s) or District ID(s): 2502790
How many students have participated in evidence-based tutoring programs as a part of
this project? 0
Climate & Mobility
Fare Free Bus Pilot
Cabinet / Department: Boston Transportation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.37-Economic Impact Assistance: Other
Unique ID: 9048
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Free Route 23, 28, and 29 Bus Program
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Description: The City of Boston will eliminate fares on the 23, 28 and 29 bus routes for a
two-year period starting in early March 2022. The four-year investment will allow the City
of Boston and transit partners to measure the benefits of fare-free bus service.
Structure and Objectives: Free fares save money for low-income households by reducing
transportation cost burden. The objective is to maximize that reduction in cost burden.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The three routes selected for this program serve many of
Boston's historically underserved communities. They run where subway service does not
reach. These communities are primarily black and brown, and include many low-income
households. Throughout the project, we will be monitoring for service quality and
economic benefits, as well as investigating potential environmental impacts of free fares.
We will use equitable engagement strategies and collect anonymized demographic data
from those who participate to ensure we are reaching a representative sample of folks,
especially hard to reach populations such as those for whom English is not their first
language.
Performance Report:
Progress to
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Goal
Outcome Percentage ridership change 22% 22% 2/24/2024
Outcome Percentage travel time change 0% 15% 2/24/2024
Outcome Change in reliability perception 20% 0% 2/24/2024
Outcome Percent of riders saving money 50% 42% 2/24/2024
Average amount of money saved
Outcome $30 $0 2/24/2024
per rider per month
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: The evaluation consists of surveying, focus groups, modeling, and data
analysis. For surveying and focus groups, we will complete: four (4) surveys of riders of
routes 23, 28, and 29, aiming for 250 respondents per route for each survey, to take place
roughly every six months; ten (10) focus groups of roughly five (5) riders each (of routes 23,
28, and 29), half of which will take place in or around September of 2022 and the other half
in or around September 2023; two (2) focus groups of operators of routes 23, 28, and 29,
each containing roughly five (5) operators; one (1) survey of business owners located
immediately adjacent to routes 23, 28, and 29; two (2) focus groups of business owners
located immediately adjacent to routes 23, 28, and 29; and two (2) focus groups of
community leaders in the neighborhoods where routes 23, 28, and 29 run. Modeling will
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investigate the environmental and economic program impacts. We will use information
from the surveys and focus groups to determine the economic impact of the fare-free
program for riders, including how much money is saved per rider per month. Where data
is available, we will also attempt to model the extent to which rider savings from the
program are spent in the local economy. Where data is available, we will evaluate the
impact of the fare-free program on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the local
transportation sector and improving air quality for adjacent communities. We will also use
MBTA operational data to evaluate the program's impact on ridership, travel times, and
reliability.
Research question(s): The main goals of the program are as follows: Provide a direct
benefit to many of Boston’s transit-critical residents, provide monetary support to some
of Boston’s most economically disadvantaged residents and businesses, bring people back
to transit, and make it easier to attract new riders. Additionally, the program seeks to
improve rider experience and satisfaction on these bus routes, reduce greenhouse gas
emissions and improve air quality, and improve travel times and reliability on routes that
frequently run behind schedule. The research questions seek to evaluate how successful
this program is in reaching each of these goals.
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 7/31/2024
Green Jobs Program
Cabinet / Department: Environment
Partner Department (if applicable): Office of Workforce Development
Project Expenditure Category: 2.10-Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed
Workers (e.g., job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)
Unique ID: 9012
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to website: Green Jobs Program Website
Description: 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
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efficacy of 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.
Structure and Objectives: The "earn-and-learn model" gives participants access to job
training and subsidized employment, giving them qualifications and job experience to
succeed in the green jobs industry.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The priority of this program is to create training and
equitable/growing job opportunities for people from marginalized communities to fight
climate change. The project exposes people who have traditionally not been involved in
environmental conservation work - particular people from Black and Brown communities.
This project gives them the tools and knowledge to create a career path into jobs in the
growing green industries.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Partnerships with job training
Output 10 10 Per Cohort
programs
Number of people enrolled in
Output 30 30 Per Cohort
training programs
Workers completing sectoral job
Output 30 21 Per Cohort
training programs
Unemployed or underemployed
Output 30 21 Per Cohort
trainees
Women enrolled in training
Output 9 4 Per Cohort
programs
People of color enrolled in training
Output 30 20 Per Cohort
programs
Outcome Graduated placed into jobs 30 5 Per Cohort
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: We are in the process of designing an evaluation process by adapting
the PowerCorpsPHL evaluation process.
Research question(s): We are in the process of designing an evaluation process
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
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Estimated date of completion: 6/30/2025
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs: 173
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs: 80
Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs: 0
Traffic Calming and Street Safety Improvements
Cabinet / Department: Boston Transportation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9030
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Neighborhood Slow Streets Website
Description: 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. We will install speed humps on "zones" of connected, small streets to
reduce the prevalence of speeding. Near some public places, we will add crosswalk
features that improve visibility, reinforce yielding to pedestrians, and slow drivers moving
through.
Structure and Objectives: This project improves pedestrian access and safety in our
neighborhoods by adding speed humps and building better crosswalks near parks,
schools, libraries, and other community centers.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Our priority areas serve higher populations of HHs with
youth, people with disabilities, and people aged 65 and older -- groups more likely to
suffer severe injury or death in a car crash. We also account for past crash rates on local
streets and the presence of pedestrian generators, such as community centers, parks,
libraries, and schools. In Boston, the prioritized areas tend to be of lower-income and with
more residents of color.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Output Constructed speed humps 60 By Winter 2024
Output Raised crosswalks 4 By Winter 2024
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1 year and 3 year
Outcome Drivers travel at or under 25 MPH 85
post-construction
Reduction in number of drivers
1 year and 3 years
Outcome traveling 10 MPH or more over the 50
post-construction
speed limit
Green Residential Building Retrofits
Cabinet / Department: Environment
Project Expenditure Category: 2.23-Strong Healthy Communities: Demolition and
Rehabilitation of Properties
Unique ID: 9013
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to website: Environment Website
Description: The City of Boston will develop programs to support efficiency,
electrification and renewable energy (e.g., solar PV, battery storage, heat pump
installation) in residential properties, nonprofits, and small businesses , including
addressing barriers to such installations, like roof replacement and electrical upgrades.
This will be done in concert with energy service providers to leverage existing programs,
such as weatherization incentives. Disbursement of funds will primarily occur in Q3 and
Q4 of 2024, through an RFP to an entity 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 and small business owners.
Structure and Objectives: This is intended to bring the benefits of efficient homes
powered by renewable energy to Environmental Justice communities by partnering with
trusted local community groups to conduct outreach, including in languages other than
English.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project is intended to bring the benefits of efficient
homes powered by renewable energy to Environmental Justice communities. We will
partner with trusted local community groups to conduct outreach to low- and
moderate-income residents and small businesses owners in languages other than English.
We will also collect demographic data for program participants to measure the
populations that are being served by this program.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Households installing some combination of
Output 65 2022-2023
solar PV, battery storage, and/or heat
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pumps
Projected average energy savings per
Outcome 47,000 2022-2023
household over 25 years
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Improve air quality and decrease energy cost burden for residents by
supporting efficiency, electrification and renewable energy in residential buildings
in Environmental Justice communities.
Is there strong or moderate evidence, if so, please cite the evidence for why this
intervention is appropriate:
● 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 energy burden could be eliminated.
● Improving air quality
○ 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
bring notable health benefits, especially when coupled with
decarbonization of the power sector.
Walkable City
Cabinet / Department: Boston Transportation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9063
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Transportation Department Website
Description: This program will create walking environments that are designed to raise
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expectations for what a comfortable and accessible street looks like. This funding will
complement routine state of good repair programs with a focus on specific outcomes
related to helping small businesses and improving access to schools. The primary
investment would be to support planning and design of walk-friendly neighborhood
business districts. Working hand-in-hand with local business groups to invest in
improvements for those walking and biking in neighborhood business districts. The funds
would also be used to promote safe walking and biking to schools The program will
establish partnerships with specific schools to design wait areas, wider sidewalks, safer
street crossings, more bike parking, and defined access to school buses. Finally, we will
pilot targeted sidewalk snow clearance in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic in several
neighborhood business corridors. This will bolster local businesses and encourage more
local shopping in the winter months.
Structure and Objectives: This funding will complement state of good repair programs
such as sidewalk repair and handicap ramp compliance with a focus on helping small
businesses and improving access to schools. Snow clearance on sidewalks would also be
addressed.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Small business districts in currently underserved and
underinvested areas will be prioritized. The snow clearance project represents a new
approach to maintaining walkability throughout the winter season, and a potential
opportunity to put dollars towards equity and justice by contracting with an MWBE.
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $8,000,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Parks, green spaces, recreational facilities. sidewalks,
pedestrian safety features like crosswalks
America’s Best Biking City
Cabinet / Department: Boston Transportation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9062
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Transportation Department Website
Description: Boston is poised to become the country’s foremost biking city by
dramatically expanding the appeal and accessibility of bicycling through critical
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investments in safety and connectivity. Our primary focus is a critical, one-time
investment in working with residents at the neighborhood scale to plan and design
connected networks of bike routes. Together, we co-create design plans that close gaps in
the existing network and add new low-stress routes for people of all ages. These networks
would connect homes with health centers, parks, schools, and local business districts;
construct accessible pedestrian routes; and calm traffic to benefit all users
While infrastructure investments will have the greatest impact on increasing the number
of people biking in Boston, we recognize there is an age and ability imbalance among
everyday bicyclists that requires a targeted investment. This one-time funding provides a
unique opportunity to increase biking rates among Boston’s older adults and/or residents
with disabilities. We will create a limited-time subsidy program for qualifying residents to
purchase electric-assist bikes (“e-bikes”). E-bikes have been proven nationally to increase
rates of cycling among older adults and people with mobility disabilities. This will be a
proof of concept investment, accompanied by research to understand the impacts of
e-bikes on everyday bicycling among these populations within Boston.
Structure and Objectives: We will work with residents to co-design connected networks
of bike routes to improve access to everyday destinations like grocery stores and parks.
We will pilot an e-bike rebate program for older adults and people with disabilities.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: While the City's bike network has grown significantly, it
mainly serves job centers and the surrounding neighborhoods -- which are whiter and
more affluent than Boston as a whole. We intend to use these funds to open dialogue and
build trust with constituents and communities who may not have access to or even know
about low-stress bike routes today.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Percentage of households within a
Output 3-minute walk of a low-stress bike 40% By December 2025
route
Number of residents with a
Output disability who have been able to 100 12/25/2024
purchase an e-bike
Number of residents aged 55+ who
Output have been able to purchase an 600 12/25/2024
e-bike
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
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Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $8,000,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Parks, green spaces, recreational facilities. sidewalks,
pedestrian safety features like crosswalks
Electrification of BPS School Buses
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Schools
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9060
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Schools Website
Description: The program will support the electrification of the BPS school bus fleet,
including the purchase and installation of the charging infrastructure needed at BPS. The
Boston Public Schools Department of Transportation, in coordination with the
Environment Department, Mayor’s Office of Policy, and other partner agencies, will use
$2,500,000 to supplement $7,000,000 in already planned FY23 lease purchase funds to
pilot up to 20 electric school buses during the 2022/2023 school year, including purchase
and installation of charging infrastructure needed to support the initial set of electric
buses. As part of the project, BPS will also seek third-party technical assistance to develop
a long-term fleet electrification strategy, with a goal of full fleet electrification by 2030.
BPS plans to seek additional outside funding, including through the EPA Clean School Bus
program, to support continued electrification beyond the initial pilot.
Structure and Objectives: Electric vehicles will help reduce emissions across Boston,
Transportation represents the second highest source of emissions across our city and the
first, highest, source of emissions if you look statewide.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: BPS school buses serve a disproportionately high share
of students with higher needs who will be disproportionately impacted by reduced
emissions.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Output Charging Stations 20 9/1/2023
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
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Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $2,500,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Other - Chargers and charging infrastructure to
support electric school buses
Growth & Maintenance of Boston’s Tree Canopy
Cabinet / Department: Parks & Recreation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9061
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston’s Urban Forest Website
Description: The Parks Department is committed to increasing and properly maintaining
our Boston’s Tree Canopy. This investment would allow us to clear our maintenance
backlog and more quickly replace and plant new sidewalk trees, as well as increase our
capability to perform warranty checks, ensuring that newly planted trees are surviving.
We have also used these funds to expand our tree planting and care programs into our
cemeteries, so we can better expand and care for the canopy in these large open spaces.
Structure and Objectives: Contract with tree care companies to support our Urban
Forestry Division in increasing plantings and catching up on care of our City owned trees.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The Urban Forest Plan has had equity at its core from its
inception. The Parks Department has been intentional about engaging and listening to
communities of color, disproportionately impacted communities, and communities that
are and will be most impacted by climate change in our coastal city. As we grow the
Forestry Division, these communities will be prioritized in terms of where we look to
expand our tree canopy.
Additionally, the communities identified above will be prioritized in the implementation of
tree planting and care projects, inclusion and support for partnering community based
and non-profit organizations, and through education and engagement opportunities.
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $450,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Parks, green spaces, recreational facilities, sidewalks,
pedestrian safety features like crosswalks
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Chinatown Microgrid Pilot
Cabinet / Department: Environment Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9065
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Environment Department’s Website
Description: Chinatown is an environmental justice (EJ), low income community.
Chinatown is also the city of Boston’s worst heat island and a flood threatened zone. The
purpose of the Chinatown Microgrid Project is to increase community resilience in the
face of climate impacts, ensure that energy efficiency and savings accrue to impacted
residents, and create local democratic control, to benefit and stabilize the Boston
Chinatown community, particularly its vulnerable and underserved working class,
immigrant residents. The project aims to provide a reliable source of electricity and
communications during a grid outage while providing energy savings during normal grid
operations. The project also promotes decarbonization through renewable sources,
energy efficiency improvements, and peak demand reduction via battery storage.
Structure and Objectives: Bring energy savings and resilience to a disproportionately
impacted community. The community benefit corporation structure is designed to
ensure that impacted residents make key decisions about how the project will serve the
Chinatown community.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Chinatown Power Inc is a community benefit
corporation with a board that includes long standing non-profit organizations, Chinatown
residents, and local stakeholders. Community engagement is core to the project’s equity
goals, to ensure that this traditionally underserved, low income, BIPOC and LEP
community, disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices, will design a project
that addresses community priorities and delivers energy savings and resilience to the
community
During this reporting period, the project conducted the following community engagement
activities:
● engaged with building management and ownership regarding scope development and
site control
● engaged a core of residents and community volunteers in monthly project meetings
Another example of how the project considers equity in project delivery is the work we
are undertaking to advocate for new guidelines around utility allowances for affordable
housing tenants. By assessing the project from the impacted residents’ perspective, we
must advocate for administrative changes that will ensure that residents will receive the
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benefits of energy efficiency and resilience. The specific details will vary from building to
building, based on whether or not tenants pay for heat and/or air conditioning, whether
electrification or decarbonization measures will change the payment structure, and
whether tenant-paid utility bills will increase or decrease based on the particular building
design. Despite these administrative and regulatory complexities, this work is core to our
equity principles and goals of the project.
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $704,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Other- Capital expenditures on this project will
include the purchase and installation of renewable energy sources (solar) and
battery storage equipment to create a virtual community microgrid for the
Chinatown neighborhood in Boston.
Center for Hard to Recycle Materials
Cabinet / Department: Public Works Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9068
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Public Works Department Website
Description: Boston is currently looking for a location to develop a Center for Hard to
Recycle Materials (CHARM) and purchase equipment to facilitate a series of pop-up events
throughout the City. The City has identified a second site to construct a CHARM. The
initial JP location had many obstacles with the planned MBTA and housing development.
We are currently looking to onboard a waste consultant to provide a comprehensive site
plan and also a operational program for the new location
Structure and Objectives: The objective of this project is to provide a safe and accessible
way to dispose of hard-to-recycle items properly. We are also aiming to reduce our waste
by 80% by 2030 outlined in our Zero Waste Boston Plan.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: We currently only hold five special waste drop-off days
in two locations throughout the year. These two new assets will provide more access and
reach for these services.
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East Boston O’Donnell Playground
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Schools
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9067
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Public Schools Website
Description: The project will install a new playground structure at the Hugh Roe
O’Donnell Elementary School in the Eagle Hill neighborhood of East Boston.
Structure and Objectives: The project will install a new playground structure at the Hugh
Roe O’Donnell Elementary School in the Eagle Hill neighborhood of East Boston.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project will ensure that all students can access the
playspace.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Output Addition of new play structure 1 September 2024
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $500,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Parks, green spaces, recreational facilities, sidewalks,
pedestrian safety features like crosswalks
District 4 Parks and Green Spaces
Cabinet / Department: Parks and Recreation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9066
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Parks & Recreation Website
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Description: The project will include necessary improvements to athletic fields,
playgrounds, fencing, walkways, lighting, green infrastructure, and enhancement of the
tree canopy in Walsh Playground in Dorchester (District 4)
Structure and Objectives: Improvements to this park will be beneficial to the
communities, encouraging and providing more opportunities for athletics, unstructured
play, exercise and activity, as well as green space to maintain and improve the tree canopy.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Equity is at the forefront of all Parks projects. From the
way we engage with community members during the public comment phase to ensure
that all voices are heard, to ensuring that elements of parks are as accessible as possible to
people of all physical abilities. We will continue to be sensitive to equity issues.
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $500,000
Type of Capital Expenditure: Parks, green spaces, recreational facilities, sidewalks,
pedestrian safety features like crosswalks
Mission Hill Last Mile Transportation
Cabinet / Department: Boston Transportation Department
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9069
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mission Hill Link Website
Description: The Mission Hill Link is a community run bus program that has been
historically funded by the MBTA and New England Baptist Hospital. The Link services key
destinations in Mission Hill including: the Mission Main apartments, Stop and Shop, the
Alice Heyward Taylor apartments, New England Baptist Hospital, Roxbury Crossing MBTA
Station, Brigham Circle MBTA Station, and Ruggles MBTA Station. The Link is a free
service that fills a key MBTA gap in service for vulnerable populations that may have
difficulty traversing the grade changes common in the Mission Hill neighborhood. BTD
has been coordinating with the Mission Hill Link Board to brainstorm strategies to expand
service and ridership. The Link is run through a shuttle contractor, TransAction, and this
project will use a large portion of funds to ensure continued service. Additional funding
will be used for a marketing campaign to raise local awareness and drive ridership
numbers upward. The project also plans to explore expanded service hours and capture
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additional morning commuter ridership.
Structure and Objectives: The project aims to continue reliable service for Mission Hill
residents and those commuting into the area as well as increase ridership through
advertisement and increased operational capacity.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The project will continue holding stakeholder outreach
meetings (virtual and in person) as well as collecting feedback via email. Flyers will be
posted in the service areas, particularly in housing developments, with ways to connect in
multiple languages. Project managers will host in person "coffee hours" to connect with
constituents and ensure their needs are being met or input is heard and considered. We
will be beginning engagement soon.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Outcome Ridership Increase 15% 2024
Output Increased service hours 50% 2025
Additional questions for projects with capital expenditures:
Capital Expenditure? Yes
Total Expected Capital Expenditure? $137,500
Type of Capital Expenditure: Other: New vehicle to replace aging current vehicle
Farmers Market Coupon Program
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9107
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Office of Food Justice Website
Description: For Farmers Market OFJ works with 25 farmers market managers and 25 CBO
partners to implement distribution and redemption of coupons every summer. OFJ
partners with all farmers markets to redeem the coupons. For the CBO partners, OFJ will
release an application, prioritizing organizations that have screening processes in place to
identify low-income, food insecure families that don’t qualify for state and federal
resources.
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Structure and Objectives: Goals (1) to give residents the power to buy and choose the
food they need and want (2) to support regional farmers and fisher people; (3) to support
local economy and urban agriculture; and (4) to support neighborhoods with limited fresh
food access
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This summer (2023), the Farmer Market Coupon Program
is being implemented to meet the food needs of food insecure residents, especially
migrants ineligible for benefits. By partnering with 25 community based organizations and
community health centers and 25 farmers markets, OFJ targeted low income, people of
color and immigrant households with higher rates of food insecurity.
Partners organizations have demonstrated experience addressing food access issues in
populations that historically experience food insecurity and connecting residents with
resources beyond food, especially the immigrant population. They also have an authentic
connection to the community that they serve by providing sustainable services to the
target populations to meet food access and insecurity needs, including but not limited to
safety net programs, emergency funds, and delivery services.
Farmers Markets increase the accessibility and consumption of healthy and culturally
relevant foods among communities, especially low-income neighborhoods with the
largest concentrations of immigrants and food insecure residents. Farmers Markets
increase the accessibility and consumption of healthy and culturally relevant foods among
communities, especially low-income neighborhoods with the largest concentrations of
immigrants and food insecure residents.
Performance Report:
Progress to
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Goal
Total non-unique # of
Output households that receive coupon 32000 22871 12/31/2024
booklets yearly
New Vendors or markets
Summer 2022
Output supported by OFJ in target 14 13
through Fall 2024
neighborhoods
Of coupons redeemed, yearly,
Summer 2022
Output total percent redeemed for 75% 84%
through Fall 2024
fresh fruits and vegetables
ARPA $ reimbursed to Farmers Summer 2022
Output 800000 557310
Market managers for coupons through Fall 2024
Of total coupons distributed
Summer 2022
Output yearly, percent distributed to 63% 71%
through Fall 2024
target neighborhoods
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Total # of organizations serving Summer 2022 - Fall
Outcome 35 29
immigrant households 2024
Percent of coupon booklets
Cumulative, summer
Outcome redeemed, yearly, of total 75% 75%
2022 through fall 2024
distributed
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: Between August 2024 and Jan 2025, an evaluation will be conducted in
partnerships with the Boston Public Health Commission's Chronic Disease Prevention and
Control Division, by a consultant who will be facilitating a planning process to evaluate
this program and design a sustainable program to address affordability at farmers markets
as a follow up to the end of this program.
These will include engagement with market managers and CBO partners, residents who
have received farmers market coupons and those who were not able to, as well as focus
groups (likely virtual) with vendors and at participating farmers markets.
Monthly reporting on demographics of coupon recipients.
We have developed a dashboard with DoIT to track all coupon redemptions in 2023 and
2024 geographically and by organization, and redemption relative to distribution by
neighborhood and by distributing organization. This will help us in future program
planning, help vendors understand what kinds of food populations throughout Boston are
most interested in receiving or purchasing, and help CBOs and CHCs who have been
distributing coupons understand where their members/participants are
shopping/traveling to for food.
Research question(s): The research questions are currently being developed with our
consultant and will be ready in Sept 2024.
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 1/30/2025
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many households have been served as a part of the project? 33,195
Building New Neighborhood Food Systems
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1 - Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9105
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Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Grow Boston Website
Description: GrowBoston (situated within the Mayor's Office of Housing) and the Office of
Food Justice will use $2,500,000 to expand our funding for neighborhood food systems.
Specifically, GrowBoston will use $1 million to build two rooftop farms over the next three
years, with produce directed towards low-income residents, as well as $600,000 in
funding to build 1,000 raised beds for low-income families. Raised bed program
implementation will be a collaboration between GrowBoston and OFJ, with GrowBoston
taking the lead on raised bed development and OFJ connecting with low-income families.
The Office of Food Justice will also use this funding to expand the farmers market
coupons program, which makes local food accessible to immigrant families who do not
have access to safety-net programs. Remaining funds will support the purchase of halal
foods to Afghan refugees who do not yet qualify for safety-net programs or work permits
- this funding will serve 150 families for one year.
Structure and Objectives: Program Manager will work with OFJ to determine raised bed
recipients, and run grant programs for builders of the raised beds. They will also procure
the building of two rooftop farms. Low-income households will be primary recipients of
food.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Food insecurity and the climate crisis impact
low-income communities of color the hardest. This proposal allows MOH to make key
investments in increasing food security and climate resilience through local food
production. MOH has collaborated with a diverse group of stakeholders in developing the
GrowBoston program, including nonprofit, for-profit, community gardens, different
models of farms, food forests, rooftop growers, those who serve a range of communities of
color and range of incomes levels, those who do educational programming in addition to
food production. Specific organizations include the Office of Food Access, Urban Farming
Institute, The Food Project, Recover Green Roofs, Trustees of Reservations, Boston Food
Forest Coalition, Eastie Farm, Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation,
Higher Ground Rooftop Farm, NUBIA, Green City Growers, and We Grow Microgreens.
Procurement opportunities include service contracts for fruit tree maintenance and
harvest, delivery of educational programming, and creation of educational materials.
There are many established and emerging small businesses and organizations led by
minorities and women working in urban agriculture, and GrowBoston would seek to
engage them through these opportunities.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output Number of rooftop gardens 2 1 12/31/2026
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Number of raised garden beds for
Output 1000 286 12/31/2026
low-income gardeners
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been and
will not be conducted.
What are the goals for the project? To strengthen local food production and food
sovereignty for low-income households
Is there strong or moderate evidence, if so, please cite the evidence for why this
intervention is appropriate. No strong or moderate evidence
How much of the project budget will be spent on evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many households have been served as a part of the project? 586
Equitable Pandemic Response
COVID-19 Testing
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.2-COVID-19 Testing
Unique ID: 9034
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This funding of this project was meant to support testing services to high
transmission communities within the City of Boston. These services are provided by a
combination of private testing companies, community health centers, and our Public
Health Preparedness staff. This project funding allowed us to provide equitable,
low-barrier, access to testing services for all Boston residents across the city, with the
intended outcome of reduced covid rates across the city. This work is now complete.
Structure and Objectives: ARPA funds were utilized to support COVID-19 PCR and repaid
testing efforts throughout the grant period. This service has ended.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project is completed.
COVID-19 Vaccination
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
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Partner Department (if applicable): Health and Human Services
Project Expenditure Category: 1.1-COVID-19 Vaccination
Unique ID: 9035
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This funding of this project is meant to support vaccination services to high
transmission communities within the City of Boston. These services are provided by a
combination of private vaccination companies, community health centers, and our Public
Health Preparedness staff. This project funding allows us to provide equitable, low-barrier,
access to vaccination services for all Boston residents across the city, with the intended
outcome of reduced covid rates across the city.
Structure and Objectives: ARPA funds are being utilized to support ongoing COVID-19
vaccination efforts throughout the grant period. This includes funding vaccination sites
for operations including supplies, staff, and clinic infrastructure.
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. We will keep our
focus on ensuring equitable, low-barrier, access to vaccination for vulnerable populations
and in neighborhoods with high transmission rates as needed. Outreach efforts will
continue to include partnerships with CBOs, FBOs, and CHCs. We will also utilize the
Mayor's Health Line to inform residents about these services as vaccination events occur.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Goal Progress Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Outcome City of Boston residents fully vaccinated 85% 84% Weekly
across all neighborhoods and all age (tracking)
groups
COVID-19 Wastewater Prevalence Tracking
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.4-Other Public Health Services
Unique ID: 9111
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: To measure the virus that causes COVID in wastewater at multiple sewer
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access sites representing each of Boston's neighborhoods. This is being done to allow for
more real time reporting on increases of COVID in the community. With this
neighborhood data we will be able to report area specific spikes in COVID allowing more
precise outreach, and targeted testing and vaccination services.
In October 2023, respiratory viruses like influenza and respiratory syncytial virus will also
be measured. Sites will be continuously evaluated to ensure they continue to meet the
goal of equitable representation of Boston's population.
In February 2024, psychoactive substances were added to this monitoring program to
observe patterns in substance use behavior in Boston and its intersection with
populations disproportionately impacted by respiratory viruses.
In June 2024, the monitoring of psychoactive substances concluded.
Structure and Objectives: Wastewater tracking for COVID reporting, allowing for more
targeted outreach, testing, and vaccination. In the second phase of the program we will be
expanding to other respiratory viruses (influenza and RSV).
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The catchment sites were selected in high-risk
communities to assist in providing a more accurate and prompt response to increases in
the virus that causes COVID.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Number of neighborhoods with
Output 10 10 Monthly
catchment sites across the City
Food Rescue and Distribution
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9122
Status of Completion: Not started
Link to Website: Food Justice Website
Description: The purpose of this project is to support an increase in fresh food
distribution for Boston residents facing food insecurity by supporting collaborative food
storage and distribution of low or no-cost perishable foods, including rescued food. The
project will provide support to collaborative non-profit organizations who partner to
identify more efficient ways to increase the volume of non-perishable food available to
food insecure residents with an increased level of dignity and choice of food. We will
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support the ability of organizations and food distribution sites that serve food insecure
residents to provide increased access to fresh food through collaborative cold storage,
coordination, transportation and/or distribution logistics, including through partnerships
with regional producers or food waste generators wishing to donate surplus food to
Boston residents. Grantees will develop opportunities to collaborate and to build in efforts
to connect participating individuals and families with nutrition assistance, workforce
development, health and other social services that address root causes of food insecurity,
on site or otherwise through the distribution of food.
Structure and Objectives: This grant program will (1) Increase access to fresh, perishable
food for residents facing food insecurity and (2) address barriers to increasing the scale of
rescued surplus food available for Boston residents who want it.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Supporting initiatives that increase dignity and choice
and destigmatize rescued surplus food for all residents; engaging pantry users and
pantries across a number of languages, focusing on neighborhoods with sustained high
levels of food insecurity as a result of historic disinvestment in order to determine
strategies the City should undertake; ensuring grantees prioritize language justice and
racial equity in program design and implementation; and building pathways to increased
access to programs that address the root causes of inequities in food insecurity.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: TBD
Research question(s): TBD
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 12/15/2026
CHC COVID Recovery Support
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.4-Other Public Health Services
Unique ID: 9115
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This project will provide investment in CHCs across Boston to support
long-term COVID response needs, including vaccination and testing, community outreach
and staffing support.
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Structure and Objectives: To continue to support CHCs in their integral work in the
community supporting the reduction of COVID transmission via vaccination, referral, and
follow-up services.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The CHCs in Boston primarily serve communities that
have faced significant barriers to services, such as Black, Indigenous, and other People of
Color, people with low incomes, people with limited English proficiency, and other
traditionally underserved groups. Their covid testing and vaccination services have been
key to addressing and limiting COVID outbreaks across these communities, as these
providers have unique relationships with the residents in their area and can provide
services and information that address their particular needs and concerns.
Food Access Community Grants
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9016
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Food Justice Website
Description: The Mayor’s Office of Food Justice (OFJ) endorses a just, resilient, and robust
food community in 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. $1.9 Million of the American Rescue Act
Funding will be available through two different grant opportunities for the Boston
community - one focused on equity in the food system and the second on
destigmatization and outreach.
Structure and Objectives: Goals: Increase awareness of different food resources; Address
stigma associated with food insecurity; Enhance outreach efforts around the food safety
net network; Support community-driven solutions to create a more just food system.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Required grantees to serve 8 target populations most
impacted by food insecurity as well as selected grantees that serve low-income
neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by food insecurity. 8 target populations are
BPS students, Immigrants, Older adults, persons with disabilities, persons experiencing
homelessness, residents of public housing or rental voucher holders, veterans and youth.
Grantees are asked to collect demographic data quarterly on populations served. .
Performance Report:
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Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Number of nonprofits,
Output Community-Based Organizations 14 14 12/31/22
receiving Community Solutions grants
Number of nonprofits,
Community-Based Organizations
Output 20 18 12/31/2022
receiving Food Safety Net
De-stigmatization grants
Grants awarded to nonprofits and CBO’s
serving people in priority
Outcome 34 34 12/31/22
neighborhoods and low income
residents
Outreach interventions sent to Boston
residents seeking information related to
Outcome 3,000 53,765 Quarterly
safety net and emergency food
programs
Low income communities benefit from
Outcome the Equity in Food Access grant 100 16,994 Quarterly
proposals.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: Quarterly reports on demographics, activities, goals and challenges.
Biweekly meetings around challenges and quarterly meetings to problem solve. Quarterly
analysis of reported data.
Research question(s):
● What populations are your services reaching?
● What activities have you conducted as an organization?
● How many residents have you served?
● What challenges are you experiencing?
● What is your awareness of City of Boston food resources?
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 3/31/2023, Public Evaluation Link
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 74,157
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Halal Food for Refugees
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9106
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Advancement Website
Description: This project is aimed at supporting access to halal meat and other
culturally-appropriate groceries for the Muslim refugee population in Boston in keeping
with families’ religious dietary needs. When refugees are resettled to the US, the agencies
that receive and settle them are never apportioned enough funding to provide all the
initial services and help they need to be successfully integrated into the US. As a result,
many clients are in need of food security support beyond their initial resettlement period
due to unemployment and delays in benefits as a result of COVID-19.
Structure and Objectives: Under this project, the grantee will distribute vouchers to
approximately 150 refugee families over one year that will enable them to purchase meat
and other culturally-appropriate food items at halal vendors.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project will support access to culturally-appropriate
food resources for communities that are marginally served with existing food access
opportunities.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output Families served 1000 2521 End of 2023
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: This project will not be evaluated. The overall goal for the project will
be to help address food insecurity within Muslim refugee populations in Boston by
providing access to culturally-appropriate food items to 150 families.
Is there strong or moderate evidence, if so, please cite the evidence for why this
intervention is appropriate: N/A
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
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Number of households served: 2,521
Social Determinants of Health Community Grant Program
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood
Features that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9041
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website:: Boston Public Health Commission Website
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 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: Provide
Meaningful Employment, Provide Quality Housing, Eliminate Food Insecurity, Provide Free
or subsidized child care, Promote Active Living and 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 or
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.)
Structure and Objectives: Support operating costs for CBOs providing direct SDH
services to Boston neighborhoods. Funds are delivered by subcontracts managed by
BPHC’s Division of Chronic Disease Prevention & Control & related city depts to ensure
alignment w/all city efforts
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: CBOs were chosen based on 1) the population they serve
2) their demonstrated work in the community and 3) their demonstrated financial need.
The BPHC team was very purposeful to choose a mix of organizations that touch all
priority neighborhoods and social determinants of health topics, and demonstrated a
financial need
Performance Report:
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Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output # of CBOs supported 34 34 Annual
Organizations offering services that address
at least 1 of the six identified Health Equity
Outcome 34 34 Annual
Now Plan Key Recommendation areas: 2, 3,5,
6, 8 and 9.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Provide operational support for CBO partners who have been negatively
impacted financially by COVID-19. CBOs are not completing activities that can be
evaluated.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Community Violence Intervention Program
Cabinet / Department: Health and Human Services
Partner Department (if applicable): Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Centers for
Youth and Families
Project Expenditure Category: 1.11-Community Violence Interventions
Unique ID: 9040
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This project directs 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. ARPA funds will be utilized to bolster
services and programs for high risk, system-involved and gang-involved individuals and
proven-risk men over the age of 25 that are underserved in communities with highest
rates of gun and gang violence in the city. In 2021, grants were awarded to Boston
nonprofits to increase or scale up programs for 2021-2022 that improve economic,
education and health outcomes for the participants by providing training, case
management, mental health services, employment opportunities, among other support
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services. In addition, Boston Public Health Commission will expand case management
services with a specific focus on addressing gaps relating to outreach and engagement to
proven-risk men over the age of 25 in the city of Boston. This initiative will focus on
outreach, case management, connection to services and training and technical support.
BPHC: This project seeks to expand BPHC’s case management services with a specific
focus on addressing gaps relating to outreach and engagement to proven-risk men over
the age of 25 in the city of Boston.
Structure and Objectives: Objectives of assistance program is to address inequitable rates
of Covid-19 infection, vaccinations and community violence experienced by proven risk
males over the age of 25 in Boston via case management & pro-social activities
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project addresses inequitable rates of Covid-19
infection, vaccinations and community violence experienced by proven risk males over the
age of 25 in Boston. The project focused its outreach and service delivery to individuals
from the communities of Mattapan, Dorchester, Hyde Park and Roxbury, which are
populated by majority residents of color and represent the highest rates of firearm activity
and victimization in the city. In 2020-2021, Black males over the age of 25 have been
identified via Boston Police data as the highest risk for being 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.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Outreach Enrollment & Case
Management# of Clients enroll in MHI
Output 45 49 4/1/23-6/30/23
developmental case management services
and are retained for a minimum of 90 days
Covid-19 Education# Clients receive
increased knowledge and support to
access vaccination/testing sites. Clients
Output also receive education about COVID-19 45 49 4/1/23-6/30/23
prevention and vaccination including
debunking of common myths and
misinformation
PPE distribution# of Clients receive PPE to
Output 45 49 4/1/23-6/30/23
prevent COVID-19 infection
Outreach Enrollment & Case Management:
Outcome Clients are active in strength based, 45 49 4/1/23-6/30/23
stabilizing developmental activities.
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Race, ethnicity, gender, income, and other
relevant factorsClients enrolled in MHI
Outcome programming are males of color from 80% 91.80% 4/1/23-6/30/23
neighborhoods most impacted by Covid-19
and community violence.
Covid-19 EducationClients have increased
Outcome 100% 100% 4/1/23-6/30/23
knowledge of how to access vaccinations
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals of this project are to reduce inequitable rates of Covid-19
infection, vaccinations and community violence experienced by proven risk males over the
age of 25 in Boston through the delivery of case management and connection to services.
Case management includes providing Covid-19 related health education, services and
supplies, prosocial programming, 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. Connection to services and social resources includes
assistance with scheduling vaccinations, education, employment, legal (court
advocacy/probation/parole) behavioral health services and other necessary stabilizing
efforts such as nutritional support and emergency housing referrals.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: The Men’s Health Initiative is an intervention based on Partnerships
Advancing Communities Together (PACT) and the Safe and Successful Youth Initiatives in
Boston. Since SSYI’s inception, the initiative has been independently evaluated in 2013
and 2019 by the American Institutes for Research. The National Institute of Justice’s
CrimeSolutions, which presents programs and practices that have undergone rigorous
evaluations and meta-analyses, rated SSYI a “Promising Program”.
https://crimesolutions.ojp.gov/ratedprograms/717
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $200,000
Digital Infrastructure for City Services
Cabinet / Department: Department of Innovation and Technology
Project Expenditure Category: 3.4-Public Sector Capacity: Effective Service Delivery
Unique ID: 9011
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Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Innovation and Technology Website
Description: This project will invest in the expansion of Wicked Free Wifi by funding the
“Wicked Free WiFi on the Go” pilot and expanding Wifi in city buildings including BPHC’s
Mattapan campus. This project will also invest in a digital equity survey and a Community
Broadband Plan and Design.
Structure and Objectives: Expanding free wifi access and access to information on public
health awareness and preparation
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The Digital Equity Survey funded by this project will give
us data on where to concentrate our efforts. This project will also create wifi access for
the Mattapan campus of the Boston Public Health Commission and fund the “Wicked Free
WiFi on the Go” pilot which will give access to those who need it most.
Public Housing Food Assistance
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Housing
Partner Department (if applicable): Boston Housing Authority
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9020
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Housing Authority Website
Description: The BHA, a subgrantee of the City of Boston, addressed food security
challenges 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 included 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. Following an
initial period of designing the intervention, the BHA primarily focused on delivering
groceries to elderly households and persons with disabilities.
Structure and Objectives: The BHA is addressing the public health and negative economic
impact of food insecurity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The primary
distribution at this time is grocery delivery at public housing sites.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: BHA is identifying sites for food distribution based on
need, conducting multilingual outreach at these sites, and reviewing distribution over
time during the ARPA-eligible period.
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Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Maintain or expand food
Output distribution services at 6 or more 6 14 Winter 2022
public housing communities
Improve food security for at least
Output 500 500 Fall 2022
500 residents during grant period
BHA public housing communities
served by meal or grocery
program,
Fall 2021 /
Outcome below-market or subsidized 40 -
Winter 2022
produce, congregate meal
program, or other intervention
during grant period.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: N/A
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: N/A
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many households have been served as part of the project? 500
Personal Protective Equipment
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Partner Department (if applicable):
Project Expenditure Category: 1.5-Personal Protective Equipment
Unique ID: 9036
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: As part of performing public safety services during COVID-19, a critical
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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 needs. The
storeroom is maintained by a dedicated staff member of the department who oversees
inventory, distribution, and restocking. Items are restocked as needed with quarterly
needs being appx. $250,000. (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.)
Structure and Objectives: The Office of Public Health Preparedness maintains a
storeroom of critical personal protective equipment (PPE) & related hygiene supplies,
manages a distribution program to distribute these resources to BPHC staff, programs, &
community partners
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Through our resource request process, we ensure that
organizations who are requesting PPE will be distributing these resources to communities
and populations that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Equitable
distribution of these supplies promotes equitable outcomes by reducing the risk to
residents from COVID-19 and all of the associated health impacts that it causes.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
External partners provided
Outcome 20 20 Quarterly
needed PPE at no cost
Creating Language Access for Federal Funding
Cabinet / Department: Office of Language Access and Communications
Project Expenditure Category: 7.1-Administrative Expenses
Unique ID: 9031
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Office of Language Access & Communications Website
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 are meeting with departments to discuss their projects including their
outreach, meetings, documents, etc. and go over the LCA standards in the City while
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providing 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, provide
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, flyers and interpretation at meetings, assistive technology as needed, CART,
and ASL. Based on our meetings with departments and LCA standards, we have generated
an estimate on the amount of funding departments will need from LCA to support the
increase in access.
Structure and Objectives: The ARPA projects support food insecurity, health and
well-being, immigrants, women, neighborhood development, and small businesses. The
goal is to provide funding for departmental projects to reach LOTE residents and
residents who have a disability.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: 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. LCA's standards for language access
are determined by the City's language and communications access policy which adopts
HUD's guidelines for determining threshold languages using the data from the American
Community Survey. However, LCA doesn't limit departments from going above the
standards to provide greater access.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Output ARPA projects provide ASL Services 70 Annual
ARPA funded grant opportunities
Output 90 Annual
translated into the top 5 languages
ARPA funded community meetings
Output 80 Annual
provide interpretation
Increase in involvement from
persons who identify as blind or low
Outcome 50 Annual
vision and/or persons who are deaf
and hard of hearing
Increase in LOTE constituents
Outcome 60 Annual
applying to grants
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Increase involvement and
Outcome engagement from persons who speak 60 Annual
a language other than english
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: N/A
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: N/A
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Emergency Assistance for Haitian Asylum Seekers
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement
Project Expenditure Category: 2.37-Economic Impact Assistance: Other
Unique ID: 9029
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Immigrant Advancement Website
Description: IFSI-USA will use the Grant funds to provide emergency food assistance and
hire four (4) full-time staff members to support the organization’s work with
recently-arrived Haitian asylum seekers. These positions will include: two (2) case
managers, one (1) social worker, and one (1) legal case coordinator/manager. These four (4)
new staff members will be responsible for providing the following services: Case
managers: Wraparound support, including connecting families to housing, food/basic
needs, healthcare, legal services, and assisting with school enrollment. One case manager
will focus on supporting the adults with services, and the other will focus on supporting
youth and children. Social worker: Deliver culturally-competent, trauma-informed
therapeutic interventions to families and connect individuals with additional mental
health services. Legal case manager: Assist lawyers with case coordination in preparation
for asylum hearings and applications for other forms of immigration benefits and relief.
Structure and Objectives: The aim is to provide wraparound support, including mental
health, legal, and case management, to Haitian families seeking asylum that were impacted
by COVID-19 and experienced heightened food and housing insecurity due to
unemployment.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This program is intended to serve asylum-seeking
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immigrant families that were impacted by COVID-19 and are facing economic struggles
due to unemployment. The non-profit organization selected to administer this program,
Immigrant Family Services Institute, Inc., serves multiple neighborhoods across Boston
and has participated in COVID-19 emergency relief efforts benefitting immigrant
communities in Dorchester, Hyde Park, Mattapan, South Boston, and Jamaica Plain, among
others. They have expertise in supporting immigrant youth, immigrant workers,
Temporary Protected Status recipients, and the undocumented, with a particular focus on
the Haitian community.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Total number of individuals Nov. 2021 -
Output – 614
served June 2022
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goal of this project is to connect Haitian asylum-seeking families to
support services that can comprehensively address their psychosocial, legal, and basic
needs. The administrator will use funding to hire support staff in order to meet these
goals.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Emergency Assistance for Migrants
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Immigrant Advancement
Project Expenditure Category: 2.37-Economic Impact Assistance: Other
Unique ID: 9109
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Immigrant Advancement Website
Description: Immigrant-serving community based organizations will use this grant
funding to support the provision of emergency and supplemental housing assistance for
recently-arrived immigrants to the City of Boston experiencing housing instability.
Structure and Objectives: Under this project, grantees will provide households with
supplemental funding to help reduce instances of homelessness by supporting access to
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financial assistance in order to maintain or secure housing.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project will support individuals and families with
incomes of equal to or less than 30-80% AMI. Recipients have limited to no access to
federal benefits-granting programs to help supplement their incomes, are experiencing
delays in securing employment, and are from systematically marginalized populations that
also face challenges and barriers due to language.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output # of individuals assisted 250 291 12/31/2026
Boston Food Sovereignty Program
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9017
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Food Justice Website
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 initiative 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
Structure and Objectives: 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.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: OFJ used targeted advertising in priority neighborhoods
and worked with organizations that provide direct services to target populations. Raised
beds were awarded to low-income residents, prioritizing applicants from target
neighborhoods.
Performance Report:
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Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
CSA boxes distributed to
Fall 2021 through
Output low-income, elderly, and/or 1800 1800
Summer 2022
disabled Boston residents
Fall 2021 through
Output Gardening workshops 20 57
Summer 2022
Raised beds installed at low Fall 2021 through
Outcome 100 291
income households Summer 2022
Farmers, gardeners, or CBOs
Fall 2021 through
Output building raised beds and providing 10 5
Summer 2022
TA
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Evaluation Design: Over the course of six weeks, MONUM fellow Jessica Young
interviewed the five grantees of the Food Sovereignty Grant, stakeholders at Boston Public
Schools, Boston Public Works, and Boston Housing Authority, and several raised bed
recipients. For the most part, the interviews were conducted during site visits. Interviews
covered feedback on the following 1) application process and logistics 2) capacity and
staffing 3) Maintenance and follow up 4) Impact and Value and 5) Reflections on the CSA
program
Research question(s): Overall questions that framed the conversation:
● Did the Food Sovereignty Grant reduce food insecurity for raised bed recipients?
● What long-term impact did the grant have upon grantees and raised bed recipients?
● How could the City of Boston scale this grant up for higher impact?
Some sample questions asked growers and raised bed recipients (when applicable):
● Was the grant application process accessible?
● Did you need to hire new staff to complete installations?
● Were you connected with people that are experiencing food insecurity?
● Have you heard stories or updates from residents?
● What do you see as the impact of this grant program in your community?
● Is there a structure in place for maintaining the raised beds?
● Do you provide gardening education for raised bed recipients?
● What would you change about the process?
● What other ways can we help connect the urban farming and gardening community?
In addition to these questions, grantees were asked to report quarterly on the following
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● # of and type of activities conducted
● Challenges experienced
● # of raised beds built
● Budget expenditures
● Demographics of recipients
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 08/24/2022
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 2,091
BPHC Staffing Supports
Cabinet / Department Owner: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 3.1-Public Sector Workforce: Payroll and Benefits for
Public Health, Public Safety, or Human Services Workers
Unique ID: 9037
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: These funds support temporary, contract staff positions that provide testing,
vaccination, and contact tracing services to staff and thus protect City of Boston residents
and their families and friends. These funds also support childcare staffing for our
employees allowing them to continue providing services. More than ½ 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. Childcare service availability has been significantly negatively impacted in
the City due to COVID.
Structure and Objectives: ARPA funds are being utilized to support ongoing staffing for
employee nursing support, childcare services throughout the grant period.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Funds staff for testing, vaccination, & contact tracing at
BPHC, which protects City of Boston residents. These funds also supported childcare
staffing for our employees allowing them to continue providing services. More than ½ 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. Childcare service availability has been significantly
negatively impacted in the City due to COVID.
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Additional Federal Reporting Questions
How many full-time equivalent (FTE) government employees are responding to COVID-19
through this project? 1
Boston School Food Distribution without Cost
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.1-Household Assistance: Food Programs
Unique ID: 9018
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Food Justice Website
Description: This project will support BPS families and neighboring community members
by offering Culturally Relevant Food Distribution at No Cost. This project seeks to
complement school meals and increase food access for BPS families and communities
near schools—keeping dignity, freedom of choice, and cultural relevance front and center
of solutions.
Structure and Objectives:
1) Increase access to healthy and culturally relevant foods provided at no cost for BPS
students and families, and communities surrounding the schools,
2) Increase power and dignity for people to choose food
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: By partnering with Community Hub Schools and
community-based organizations near Community Hub Schools, OFJ is targeting BPS
schools with higher proportions of low-income, muliti-lingual students who are from
some neighborhoods that experience higher rates of food insecurity compared to the city
average: Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Output Number of transactions made 5400 6986 12/24/2024
Output Total number of items taken 4500 148143 12/24/2024
Culturally relevant items
Outcome ordered in addition to typical 30 16 12/24/2024
items
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Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes
Evaluation Design: The grantee will create qualitative data collection methods to gather
feedback from families about the schedule (time/day of distribution), food options
available, if the food distribution is meeting their needs, and feedback on how to improve.
The grantee will also create quantitative data collection methods to gather information
from families on: Race/Ethnicity, Language Spoken, Neighborhood, Number of food items
distributed, and Number of individuals served.
Research question(s): The number of foods distributed by neighborhood, the type of foods
distributed by category, the amount of regionally produced food distributed, and the
number of people/ households served. The experiences of participants with regard to the
increased dignity afforded by this pilot will also be included in the evaluation.
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 12/31/2024
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of households served: 5,220
Tech Goes Home Grant
Cabinet / Department: Department of Innovation and Technology
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9085
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Department of Innovation and Technology Website
Description: This project implements a long-term connectivity response using resources
through our broadband provider(s) to bring a connectivity safety net to families and
seniors. It will provide under-served Boston residents with the opportunity, tools,
education, and/or access required for digital skills development. It will focus on reducing
entrenched barriers to technology adoption and Internet access in Boston.
Structure and Objectives: Engage 100+ new community-based organizations across
Boston to host TGH programming, expand access for thousands of Boston residents, and
enable instructors to connect families with new federal programs offering affordable,
reliable internet access.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The project will provide under-served Boston residents
with the opportunity, tools, education, and/or access required for digital skills
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development. Services to income-eligible Boston populations will be prioritized.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Instructors trained to support TGH
Output learners and other community members 100 26 Annually
enrolling in ACP
Attendees to webinars with information
Output 250 58 Annually
on enrolling in the ACP
Number of Learners TGH provided
Output 400 155 Annually
direct 1:1 support to
TGH learners and graduates contacted
Output directly to offer information and 1-on-1 1000 544 12/31/2023
guidance to enroll in the ACP
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
South Boston Community Health Center Grant
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9086
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This is a one-time investment of funds, directed by the Boston City Council,
to support the expansion of activities at the South Boston Community Health Center.
Structure and Objectives: This is a one-time investment of funds, directed by the Boston
City Council, to support the expansion of activities at the South Boston Community
Health Center.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project focuses on our city's most vulnerable
populations, disproportionately affected by the pandemic.
Performance Report:
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Type of Progres
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric s to Goal
Execution of subaward recipient
Output 1 1 3/31/2023
contract
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
Villa Victoria Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion Grant
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9087
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: Grant agreement to Villa Victoria Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA) for
operating expenses. IBA empowers and engages individuals and families to improve their
lives through high-quality affordable housing, educational, financial, and cultural
programs.
Structure and Objectives: Grant agreement to Villa Victoria Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción
for operating expenses.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: IBA provides affordable, high-quality and safe housing
for Boston's low-moderate income individuals and families. Their educational and financial
programs are targeted at empowering residents (majority BIPOC) in achieving upward
economic mobility.
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
The Phoenix Grant
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9088
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Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This project is a one-time investment of funds, directed by the Boston City
Council, to support the expansion of activities at The Phoenix gym. The Phoenix operates
a free gym offering access to fitness equipment and classes to people in recovery from
substance use disorder.
Structure and Objectives: This project is a one-time investment of funds to support the
expansion of activities at The Phoenix gym. The Phoenix operates a free gym offering
access to fitness equipment and classes to people in recovery from substance use
disorder.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The project is expected to serve Boston's most
vulnerable residents, particularly those affected by substance use disorder, homelessness
and food insecurity.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Fully-executed subaward recipient
Output 1 1 4/30/23
contract
Output Number of unique participants 3000 3320 Annual
Outcome Percent reporting feeling empowered 75% 82% Annual
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
NamaStay Sober Grant
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9089
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This is a one-time investment of funds, directed by the Boston City Council,
to support the expansion of activities at NamaStay Sober. NamaStay Sober offers yoga
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and meditation-based programming to support those pursuing recovery from substance
use disorder.
Structure and Objectives: This is a one-time investment of funds to support the
expansion of activities at NamaStay Sober. NamaStay Sober offers yoga and
meditation-based programming to support those pursuing recovery from substance use
disorder.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Funds promote equity by targeting at-risk residents with
services to those with mental health and substance use disorders.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output Subaward recipient contract execution 1 1 1/31/23
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children Grant
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9090
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: Grant agreement to St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children for operating
expenses. St. Mary’s Center is a multi-service organization supporting women and families
that believes shelter is not enough to erase the devastation of cyclical poverty and
homelessness. Grounded in social justice, they empower families to achieve emotional
stability and economic independence through education, workforce development, and
permanent housing.
Structure and Objectives: Grant agreement to SMCWC for operating expenses. St. Mary’s
Center is a multi-service organization that empowers families to achieve emotional
stability & economic independence through education, workforce development, &
housing.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: SMCWC services women and children experiencing
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poverty and homelessness. They promote equity among their employees (84% of
personnel are people of color) and also allow equitable public access to their services.
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
Gavin Foundation Grant
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9091
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This is one-time investment of funds, directed by the Boston City Council, to
support the expansion of activities at the Gavin Foundation. The Gavin provides
important services to those pursuing recovery from substance use disorder and re-entry
from incarceration.
Structure and Objectives: This is one-time investment of funds to support the expansion
of activities at the Gavin Foundation. The Gavin provides important services to those
pursuing recovery from substance use disorder and re-entry from incarceration.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Funds promote equity by targeting at-risk residents with
services to individuals with mental health and substance use disorders and those pursuing
reentry from incarceration.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output Women served by Eileen’s House 75 80 Annually
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
Support for Families of Victims of Violence
Cabinet / Department: Mayor’s Office of Housing
Project Expenditure Category: 2.17- Housing Support: Housing Vouchers and Relocation
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Assistance for Disproportionately Impacted Communities
Unique ID: 9110
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Housing Website
Description: Grant agreement to Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for operating expenses.
The funds will be used to support families of victims of violence.
Structure and Objectives: Grant agreement to Louis D. Brown Peace Institute for
operating expenses.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: LDBPI employs a majority of BAIPOC employees in order
to best serve their constituents comprised of mostly BAIPOC families. They provide
training, tools, technical assistance and professional development to
providers/stakeholders so they can serve and advocate for families impacted by murder
equitably and effectively.
Evaluation & Evidence
Will an evaluation be conducted on the project? No, an evaluation hasn’t been and will not
be conducted.
Project Goals: To provide support to families of victims of violence.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, please cite the evidence for why this intervention
is appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated towards evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many households have received eviction prevention services as a part of this project?
0
How many affordable housing units have been made available as a part of the project? 0
East Boston Community Soup Kitchen Grant
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9093
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Office of Food Justice Website
Description: Food insecurity increased during the acute phase of the pandemic and still
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remains high. The Greater Boston Food Bank reported that in MA, pantry use among
adults with food insecurity increased from 1 in 3 in 2020 to 1 in 2 in 2021. The higher
demand has not been matched with greater resources for smaller pantries such as EBCSK.
This project will directly support operations of EBCSK.
Structure and Objectives: Goals: 1) gain an understanding of common challenges faced by
smaller pantries like EBCSK in order to 2) support EBCSK operations and 3) apply these
learnings to address challenges experienced by other small food pantries.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The Food Security Design Fellow with the Office of Food
Justice has provided best practices to EBCSK to design solutions that consider equitable
outcomes. In particular, the EBCSK has used the funds to facilitate the purchase of
culturally appropriate food, including Halal meat, aligning with their commitment to
honor the traditions and preferences of those we serve.
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
Harvest on the Vine Food Pantry Grant
Cabinet / Department: Office of Food Justice
Project Expenditure Category: 2.34- Assistance to Impacted Nonprofit Organizations
(Impacted or Disproportionately Impacted)
Unique ID: 9092
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Office of Food Justice Website
Description: Food insecurity increased during the acute phase of the pandemic and still
remains high. The Greater Boston Food Bank reported that in MA, pantry use among
adults with food insecurity increased from 1 in 3 in 2020 to 1 in 2 in 2021. The higher
demand has not been matched with greater resources for smaller pantries such as Harvest
on Vine. This project will directly support operations of Harvest on Vine Food Pantry.
Structure and Objectives: Goals: 1) gain an understanding of common challenges faced by
smaller pantries like Harvest on Vine in order to 2) support Harvest on Vine operations
and 3) apply these learnings to address challenges experienced by other small food
pantries.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The Food Security Design Fellow with the Office of Food
Justice will work with Harvest on Vine to design solutions that consider equitable
outcomes. The Food Security Design will especially consider factors like race, primary
language spoken and accessibility and will apply a human-centered design approach
throughout the project.
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Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Output Number of co-design sessions held 12 14 12/23/2024
Output Pounds of fresh produce distributed 5000 2000 12/23/2024
Percentage of foods distributed that are
Output 75 60 4/24/2024
whole foods
Additional Federal Reporting Questions:
How many non-profits have been served as a part of this project? 1
Arts & Culture
Reopen Creative Boston Fund
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36-Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9006
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
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 cancellation of all live 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 booking full
seasons of artistic content as well as consumers' comfort level returning to in-person
activities.
Structure and Objectives: Grants were made up to $50,000 to cover costs for restarting
programs and reopening facilities. Eligible costs included payroll, facilities expenses, and
costs related to ongoing organizational shifts.
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
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artists directly, and the grantee’s demonstrated commitment to DEIB (diversity, equity,
inclusion, and belonging). All applications were scored on these questions in addition to
their financial need as a result of COVID-19. The Boston Cultural Council grant is also only
available to organizations with budgets under $2M and includes many first time grantees,
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 aimed to make it that much easier for those small and historically underserved
organizations to access these federal funds.
Performance Report:
Type of
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric
Organizations supported by Reopen
Output 75 By 2022
Creative Boston
Facilities / Venues supported by
Output 10 By 2022
Reopen Creative Boston
Outcome Arts and culture offerings 22 By FY2023
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
If aid is provided to industries other than travel, tourism, and hospitality (EC 2.36),
please describe if the industry experienced at least 8 percent employment loss from
pre-pandemic levels, or the industry is experiencing comparable or worse economic
impacts as the national tourism, travel, and hospitality industries as of the date of the
Final Rule, and rationale for providing aid to the industry: The Arts and Culture sector
has been identified as one of the hardest hit industries due to the cancellation of all live
events and venue closures in 2020.
Support for Cultural Ecosystem
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36-Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9120
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
Description: This project will cover $2,000,000 for a new BCYF Arts Access program (RFP
responses due 4/26/24) and $350,000 of the Cultural Access Pilot with Boston Museums.
Structure and Objectives: This project is bringing free arts programming to community
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centers that are serving populations most impacted by COVID-19. It is also granting to
cultural institutions to support free access to those museums.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project will ensure that populations that have
historically not had access to the social/emotional benefits of arts, culture, and creativity
are able to access both our cultural anchor institutions and instructional classes close to
where they live.
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
If aid is provided to industries other than travel, tourism, and hospitality (EC 2.36),
please describe if the industry experienced at least 8 percent employment loss from
pre-pandemic levels, or the industry is experiencing comparable or worse economic
impacts as the national tourism, travel, and hospitality industries as of the date of the
Final Rule, and rationale for providing aid to the industry: The Arts and Culture sector
has been identified as one of the hardest hit industries due to the cancellation of all live
events and venue closures in 2020.
Elevating and Investing in BIPOC-led Cultural Organizations
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36-Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9053
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
Description: As we begin to recover from the significant financial and social impacts of
the COVID-19 pandemic, we see investing in Boston's artists and creative economy as a
crucial step to creating a healthier, more vibrant, and more welcoming city. This level of
funding support would put the City on par with major American cities in terms of per
capita operating support to cultural organizations.
This proposal aims to tackle the systemic lack of investment in BIPOC and immigrant
cultures in Boston. Lack of public and philanthropic funding for cultural infrastructure in
Black and Brown communities has prevented creative innovation, sustainability, and
growth. Addressing this head-on with ARPA funds would be an investment in the future
cultural anchors that we want to see thriving in the city. This would take the form of
multi-year grants for organizations, grants for cultural facilities and venues, contracts
with festivals and event producers, and support for individual creative workers. We would
directly engage with an advisory group throughout this process to ensure that ARPA
funding is distributed in a way that is equitable and provides the most benefits to Boston's
cultural ecosystem.
Structure and Objectives: To invest in transformational multi year grants to BIPOC and
Immigrant cultural organizations. Funds will be committed over a four-year period, giving
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organizations a path to thrive in Boston and bring their services and impact to scale.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Cultural Investment Grant (CIG) is a $7 million multi-year
investment through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It aims to grow and sustain arts
and cultural organizations that have a clear vision of a creative, equitable, and more just
city. CIG will build capacity for organizations working with communities in Boston that
have been most harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly communities of color.
Grant amounts will range from $400,000-$1 million distributed over four years.
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Please provide additional rationale for providing aid to an industry outside of the travel,
tourism, and hospitality sectors: This funding will put the City on par with major American
cities in terms of per capita operating support to cultural organizations.
Creative Neighborhood and Downtown Activations in our Public Spaces
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36-Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9052
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
Description: The proposal would fund place-based activations around the City for artists,
cultural workers, and communities. Activities would include City-produced & contracted
events in target areas that further City policy goals and initiatives such as reanimating
downtown, creating a sense of community connection to new infrastructure investments
like those along Blue Hill Ave, or working with Main Streets. Additionally this would
support and expand existing programs that work to reduce barriers and expand
opportunities for Boston residents to be active citizens in their communities, like the Love
Your Block program. This work cuts across several departments including: MOAC, ONS,
Streets, Tourism, MONUM, & Small Business.
While Boston aims to activate spaces in all of our neighborhoods, the City is also seeking
to ensure its Downtown core is flourishing. In addition, the City Hall Plaza renovation
presents a unique opportunity for the City to contract with local businesses, artists,
events, and cultural organizations, ensure a space for civic engagement, & host programs
that prioritize the many intersectional BIPOC communities in Boston.
Structure and Objectives: To facilitate joy & community building across Boston, the City
will make strategic investments in on-going placemaking programming including an
expanded Boston Winter Express, Night Markets in Boston’s cultural districts and night
time programming.
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Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This placemaking fund will support individuals, nonprofit
organizations, collectives, fiscally sponsored groups, and/or businesses working alongside
community partners to implement creative activations across a variety of scales in Boston,
with a priority for projects that center communities who have been impacted by
long-standing systemic inequities. Priority will be given to activations that occur or
include the following neighborhoods: Mattapan, Roxbury, Dorchester, Hyde Park, East
Boston, and Chinatown.
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Please provide additional rationale for providing aid to an industry outside of the travel,
tourism, and hospitality sectors: This proposal addresses the challenge of reactivating our
public spaces meaningfully connecting people to their communities at a time when local
economies have shifted.
Arts Corridor
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.36-Aid to Other Impacted Industries
Unique ID: 9054
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
Description: These funds will be used to invest in artists, activations, and placemaking
activities along the Art Corridor in District 7 through strategies including: (1) grant
opportunities for artists' professional development and free community events, (2)
City-commissioned murals on public or private buildings that are pre-approved for
artwork, and (3) activation grants for community and artist-led artworks, events, and
public realm interventions. In addition, the Mayor's Office of Arts + Culture will partner
with the Office of Small Business to focus funds on small business beautification. These
projects are currently in the program design and planning phase, with applications
expected to open in 2023.
Structure and Objectives: MOAC onboarded a Creative Placemaking Project Manager who
has drafted an RFP for three consultants to carry out this work with the goal of supporting
small businesses and raising the profile of a community heavily impacted by COVID-19.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: It will hire local artists and creative practitioners in a
very racially diverse and predominantly Black neighborhood. Results will include
increased access to the arts, neighborhood beautification, and contracts for local artists
and creative workers.
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
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Please provide additional rationale for providing aid to an industry outside of the travel,
tourism, and hospitality sectors: Both the Arts and Culture and Tourism sector have been
identified as two of the hardest hit industries.
Allston-Brighton Community Spaces
Cabinet / Department: Boston Centers for Youth & Families
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Health Communities: Neighborhood Features
that promote health and safety
Unique ID: 9055
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Centers for Youth & Families- Jackson Mann Website
Description: The Jackson/Mann Community Center (JMCC) is the only BCYF center in
Allston-Brighton. Given the projected growth of population in Allston-Brighton, the City
has an exciting opportunity to partner with residents to plan a welcoming,
state-of-the-art community center. Currently, the Community Center offers after school
and teen programs, adult literacy programs, and a variety of sports programming. JMCC is
also a community space for civic group meetings and other neighborhood entities that
utilize the gym. The Center also serves as an emergency shelter in emergencies/disasters,
a cooling center during heatwaves and a polling location for five voting precincts. For all
these reasons, it is imperative that BCYF ensure continuity of services in Allston-Brighton.
This project will compliment the City's plan to build a full-service BCYF community
center in Allston-Brighton by supporting the transition to a short-term facility, providing
key programs and services while working with stakeholders on the long-term plans. The
planning process for the new BCYF facility has several phases that start with a siting
study. On October 20th, the first community meeting of the siting study took place.
Structure and Objectives: Structure and objectives will be articulated within the next
quarter.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Equity and inclusion of the diverse communities in the
Allston-Brighton community is of paramount importance and critically important to the
success of this project. The City of Boston and BCYF are committed to promoting
equitable outcomes as follows:
● Address inequities using data to inform key decisions like resource allocation and
programming needs.
● Actively engage residents and partners in the process that reflect the diversity of this
vibrant community.
● Create mechanisms and opportunities to amplify voices that have not traditionally
been heard, particularly those of underrepresented communities.
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● Strive to remove barriers (to access and information) that prevent an inclusive and
welcoming environment.
● Remain open and make space for collecting and responding to feedback and
suggestions for more equitable practices.
Active Engagement for Seniors
Cabinet / Department: Age Strong Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Health Communities: Neighborhood Features
that promote health and safety
Unique ID: 9056
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Age Strong Commission Website
Description: Over the past few years, the demand for programming focused on older
adults has grown. Without a strong citywide senior center network, programming varies
significantly by neighborhood and target population. This project aims to create new
programming where it doesn’t currently exist and expand it where it is lacking, thus
promoting equitable and diverse programming that meets community needs. To shape the
program, we will gather input from older adults and community partners. Based on their
feedback, we will coordinate internal programming with the goal of equitable expansion
and increased engagement. By launching 15 new weekly classes in nine neighborhoods and
continuing existing ones, we strive to ensure that all older adults have access to quality
programming, enhancing their well-being and social connections.
Structure and Objectives: Structure: Increase community partnerships to expand
outreach and programming in underserved communities. Objective: Decrease negative
health outcomes resulting from social isolation.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project is entirely focused on promoting equitable
outcomes. We identified areas of inequity, particularly highlighted during the pandemic,
and designed this project to address these gaps. The project promotes equitable outcomes
by enhancing access throughout the planning and implementation phases. Key strategies
include:
● Linguistically and Culturally Appropriate Programming: Offering grant opportunities
and programs that are tailored to the linguistic and cultural needs of our target
populations, ensuring inclusivity.
● Neighborhood Focus: Implementing programs in neighborhoods where our target
populations reside, such as Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, South End, Hyde Park,
West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, and West End.
● Effective Communication: Using linguistically and culturally appropriate channels to
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communicate program details, ensuring all older adults are informed and able to
participate.
● Free Access: Providing all programs free of charge to eliminate financial barriers.
● Participant Involvement: Giving participants the opportunity to shape all aspects of
the programs, ensuring the offerings meet their needs and preferences
● By addressing these key areas, This project aims to create a more equitable
environment for older adults across Boston, ensuring they have access to quality
programming that improves their well-being and social connections.
Nazzaro Community Center Senior Programming
Cabinet / Department: Age Strong Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Health Communities: Neighborhood Features
that promote health and safety
Unique ID: 9057
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Age Strong Commission Website
Description: The program is a vital community initiative targeting older adults in Boston,
addressing the need for cohesive, citywide programming. It offers a variety of activities
including fitness, arts, and cultural events, all facilitated by local vendors. Emphasizing
inclusivity, the program provides bilingual classes, catering to the linguistic diversity of
the community. These activities combat loneliness, improve physical and mental health,
and help older adults manage chronic diseases, enhancing their overall quality of life. This
initiative responds to increasing advocacy for more older adult -focused programming
across Boston, reflecting the community's call for equitable access to enriching activities.
Structure and Objectives: Structure: Increase outreach and expand programming in the
North End that meets the interests and needs of older adults. Objective: Decrease
negative health outcomes resulting from social isolation.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The Nazzaro project promotes equitable outcomes by
increasing access and breaking down barriers to participation. We are committed to
addressing digital access and language challenges to ensure all older adults feel welcomed
and included. By offering bilingual classes, we cater to the linguistic diversity of the
community. Additionally, we have met with stakeholders to identify preferred types of
programming and are focused on creating accessible options for those with physical and
cognitive challenges. Our door-to-door outreach ensures we reach residents without
internet access, further enhancing inclusivity and equity in our programming.
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Workforce and Career Development for Creative Workers
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.10-Assistance to Unemployed or Underemployed
Workers (e.g., job training, subsidized employment, employment supports or incentives)
Unique ID: 9008
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website): Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
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. An RFP will be
released for providers who can assist with a variety of immediate needs for workers,
including: financial and business workshops, financial wellness and business development,
building working capital, asset-building, microenterprise development, pricing work,
marketing and fundraising strategies, and legal technical assistance for sole proprietors.
Structure and Objectives: The goals of the project are to help artists and creative workers
stabilize their financial health by helping them grow their business, build a savings
practice, and participate in workshops and training that further their careers.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project builds on an existing program that focused
both on low-income workers and workers of color. We built requirements into the RFP to
ensure that populations hardest hit by COVID-19 are prioritized with these services, and
also rated providers more favorably if they have language access programs. The resulting
pending contracts are 58% with W/MBE and include our first artist services provided
entirely in Spanish.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: RFP for consultants who can create professional/business development
programs for artists, with a focus on COVID demographics and post-COVID content
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: We tailored the RFP to respond to changes in creative industries resulting
from COVID-19 and prioritized communities that were also hardest hit by COVID-19.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of workers enrolled in sectoral job training programs: 0
Number of workers completing sectoral job training programs: 0
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Number of people participating in summer youth employment programs: 0
Direct Support for Creative Workers
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture
Project Expenditure Category: 2.29-Loans or Grants to Mitigate Financial Hardship
Unique ID: 9007
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture
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 in performing arts and live
events businesses who lost significant portions of their income continue to have difficulty
returning to pre-COVID-19 income levels
Structure and Objectives: To support individual creative workers who have been
negatively economically impacted by COVID-19 due to the cancellation of paid work.
Additionally, funding supported low-income and BIPOC creative workers specifically.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Review criteria for funding includes prioritizing creative
workers who have been most impacted by COVID-19, including BIPOC and immigrant
individuals and low-income individuals. Additionally, we prioritized individuals living in or
serving geographies of Boston that were most impacted by COVID-19. By including this in
the weighting of review criteria in the application, we ensured that these populations
were most served. Lastly, we are always working to improve our communications and
process to make sure that BIPOC and Immigrant residents take advantage of City services.
Evidence of this can be found in the majority BIPOC/Immigrant demographics of the
applicants to the Opportunity Fund, and the fact that respondents' demographics closed
mirrored the demographics of Boston.
Performance Report:
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Artists served through Direct
Calendar Year
Output Support for Creative Workers 150
2022
Program
Evidence & Evaluation:
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If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn’t been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Closeout Artist Relief Fund, Support Art Train Projects, and increase the
allocation of grants to individual artists for community events and professional
development for those living in areas hardest hit.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: The Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture collected data on individual creative
workers during pandemic closures, finding that 87.1% reported experiencing cancellations
of classes, residencies, gigs, performances; 75.2% experienced closure of spaces to create
and present their work; and 53.9% experienced cancellation or reduction of hours and/or
pay from “day jobs,” side gigs, or part-time employment. The majority of respondents also
reported not being able to make up lost income due to COVID-19.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of small businesses served: 146
Behavioral Health
BPS Student Behavioral Health Supports
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Schools
Project Expenditure Category: 2.25-Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic, Social,
and Emotional Services
Unique ID: 9009
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: BPS Behavioral Health Services Website
Description: Expand student and family supports in the Boston Public Schools for
behavioral health, including additional dollars to ensure a full time social worker in every
school.
Structure and Objectives: 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: The project considers equity by directing work to our
most impacted and most historically marginalized communities.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
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Full time social worker or social
Output worker equivalent positions hired and 13 100% Annual
placed in schools
Output Social Work Counseling Sessions 443 100% Annual
Output Students served and rate of service 489 100% Annual
Output home visits (virtual and in person) 43 100% Annual
Restorative Justice circles kept to
Output 83 100% Annual
resolve harm or infractions
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals of this project are to provide social work support to families
impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Mental Health Services/Suicide Response
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.12-Mental Health Services
Unique ID: 9039
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Program Website: DeeDee’s Cry LOSS Team Website
Description: DeeDee’s Cry will create a new LOSS (Local Outreach to Suicide Survivor)
team to promote a healthy grief process and trauma protection for Boston residents who
are impacted by suicide and to increase education on resources regarding suicide
prevention and behavioral concerns. The overall intended outcome of the project is to
increase awareness of mental health issues in the City and increased access to mental
health services in targeted communities. The mission of the DeeDee’s Cry LOSS Team is to
be dedicated to helping those people who have tragically lost someone to suicide while
working to reduce the incidence of suicide within our community, through available
education, awareness, and prevention services.
The L.O.S.S. Team coordinator and volunteers provide bereavement service that is specific
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to suicide. Note: If the LOSS team is contacted in the event of a sudden or traumatic
death, we will provide referrals to other organizations that can best support the family.
The L.O.S.S. Teams are activated either from a referral by the local police department,
district attorney and/or family referral. The L.O.S.S. Team coordinator and volunteers will
be dispatched to support families and friends who have lost a loved one, friend, or
colleague to suicide throughout Greater Boston.
Structure and Objectives: Family members and friends impacted by death suicide often
do not access services or are delayed in accessing services. The response team would aim
to shorten that time. This project is to advance plans to create a response team.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The goal of this project is to ensure our support is
targeted to BIPOC by partnering with organizations and CBO's that focus on that
population.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Develop a framework for death by suicide response team, advocate for
going support for the team, and connect response effort to prevention efforts.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: We are working with National Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS)
Team effort to learn and use the emerging effective they have developed and adapting
them to Boston’s culture and needs. https://losscs.org/launch-a-loss-team/
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $225,000
Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness/Workforce & Pipeline
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.12-Mental Health Services
Unique ID: 9117
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Program Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: Workforce & Pathway programs for behavioral health help fill a significant
gap in behavioral health workforce needs, especially as behavioral health issues have
increased in recent years and identified as a priority need by the Boston Community
Health Needs Assessment -Community Health Improvement Plan (CHNA-CHIP). This
project allows the City of Boston to build a more diverse, culturally and linguistically
responsive workforce, meeting the needs of all Boston citizens, prioritizing
neighborhoods experiencing a behavioral health workforce shortage, and where
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disparities in mental health outcomes among Black, Latinx, and immigrant and otherwise
historically marginalized residents have been indicated in available data. This project aims
to prioritize historically marginalized students in entering and graduating from programs
(certificate and degree) that prepare them to enter the behavioral health workforce in
Boston, with a priority focus on youth-facing providers. This project aims to support
non-clinical and clinical training programs, assist students in placements to city
departments, high school and college pipeline programs, and increase enrollment in
behavioral health programs.
Structure and Objectives: Increase enrollment/graduation from behavioral health (BH)
training, certification and/or degree programs; prioritize students from historically
oppressed populations serving similar populations; increase the number of diverse BH
providers in BPS.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: Pathway programs help fill a significant gap in workforce
needs and allow us to build a more diverse workforce that is more culturally and
linguistically responsive. Our project covers non-clinical training programs, clinical
training support, placements in BPHC and city departments, high school and college
pathway programs, and staff and administrative needs to run the program. Our vendors
will address SDOHs, health disparities, & health equity; demonstrate history of
collaboration/support of students from diverse backgrounds; for those completing
internship, placement or engaged in workforce in community behavioral health
organizations/settings, these organizations/settings must show they provide BH care to
diverse Boston residents, with priority to serve youth from BIPOC and LBGTQ+
communities.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Individual youth being served by
Output 1400 502 3 years
programming
Students enrolled in Behavioral Health
Output 245 104 3 years
academic programming or BH licensure
Non-youth clients being served by
Output 1000 44 3 years
programming
Individuals placed in Behavioral Health
Output 100 19 3 years
positions
Increase in supervision and training
Output hours for BH staff supported by 2500 1992.5 3 years
programming
Output Students receiving supervision and 325 177 3 years
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Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
training supported by programming
Unique supervisions supported by
Outcome 36 20 3 years
programming giving supervision
Increase in community partnerships
Outcome 10 23 3 years
developed for workplace placement
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: To increase the number of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals, those with low
incomes, people with limited English proficiency, and other traditionally underserved
groups in non-clinical training programs, clinical training support, placements in BPS and
city departments, high school and college pathway programs that serve Behavioral Health
needs.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness/Capacity & Resilience
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.12-Mental Health Services
Unique ID: 9116
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Program Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: People who work with Boston residents are being confronted with the
mental and behavioral health needs of residents but aren’t fully equipped to help. Capacity
building and training for Boston’s workforce would enable City employees,
youth-providers, and community members working directly with residents to better
support them, reduce strain and vicarious trauma on employees and community members
and more fully promote holistic wellness practices for employees, community members
and residents alike.
Structure and Objectives: This would cover City and BPHC staff training programs,
training programs for the community, and staff and administrative needs to run the
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program. This funding will also support internal workforce resilience programming.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project's goal is to increase behavioral healthcare
support to workforce and community members providing BH services to residents across
the City and City staff members, by building supportive capacity building in trauma
informed care and evidence-based mental health supports for youth and youth-providers.
This will be of particular urgency within communities of Color, and in other underserved
populations. Project(s) will seek to prioritize capacity and training in organizations in
neighborhoods that often face disproportionate barriers to care and experience the most
need for BH care support for constituents, students, and youth experiencing BH issues
and needs.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Programs/Organizations participating in
Output 50 7 3 years
capacity building trainings
Workforce resiliency (etc)
Output 15 5 3 years
trainings/workshops received/completed
Youth receiving
Output 100 0 3 years
trainings/workshops/certifications
Adults receiving
Output 100 17 3 years
trainings/workshops/certification
Participants with increased knowledge of
Outcome 100 75 3 years
trauma-informed care practices
Programs integrate trauma-informed
Outcome 100 0 3 years
care practices into organization structure
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Capacity building and training for the general workforce would enable city
employees, adults serving youth, and community members working directly with
residents to better support constituents and their behavioral health needs.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
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Center for Behavioral Health & Wellness/Communications
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.12-Mental Health Services
Unique ID: 9059
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Program Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This project will develop and implement a City-wide, youth-informed
communications/public awareness campaign to promote general behavioral health and
positive help-seeking behavior. The campaign will be based on tenets of cultural
competence, racial justice, and linguistic appropriateness to engage and effectively reach
Boston’s youth and other key audiences. Both grants vendors have a principal focus on
engaging and supporting youth and others from BIPOC and other historically
marginalized communities. Their aims are to engage and educate communities about
broadly reducing the stigma associated with engagement in behavioral health support and
treatment, how/where to seek support and treatment, and provide tools for peer support
and individual support in promoting mental health and wellness.
Structure and Objectives: Provide youth opportunities to discuss impact of BH; work to
reduce stigma and contributing factors; collaborate with communities across Boston,
especially youth.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This project is largely based around the need for equity
in Behavioral Health (BH) communications. Its primary function is outreach to
underserved communities. The reach of campaign messaging aims to prioritize
neighborhoods in Boston where youth are experiencing the most BH impact; use
intersectional approach to recognize youth who reside in neighborhoods that often face
barriers to care or who are members of certain groups (e.g., BIPOC, immigrant, and/or
LGBTQ+ youth).
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Output Youth engaged in programmatic activity 200 216 1 year
Unique neighborhoods engaged in
Output 15 7 1 year
programmatic activities
Workshops/Community Engagement
Output 15 9 1 year
sessions to support mental health
Evidence & Evaluation:
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If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Communications campaign aims to address how youth perceive and
understand mental health in relation to lived experience, including within the cultural
experience outside of the traditional western/medical system, how youth currently deal
with their mental health and those of their peers, how youth currently engage in coping
skills, and addressing the stigma regarding mental health. The Arts and Wellness project
fostered community conversation about mental health with a youth panel and artwork
exhibition, as well as offered important resources and creative therapeutic opportunities
(i.e., sessions on poetry, creative writing, crochet) to address youth behavioral health.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Mental Health Crisis Response Pilot
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.12-Mental Health Services
Unique ID: 9058
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Program Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This is a community led pilot designed to help improve mental health crisis
responses that will be piloted in one or two high need/priority neighborhoods. The
program is meant to provide a community response model alternative to police response
to mental health crises for residents in Boston.
Structure and Objectives: This project is shaped by those with lived or professional
experience in mental and behavioral health care. It allows for the development of
non-police, community-based response to individuals experiencing mental health crises
where appropriate.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: This pilot will serve neighborhoods in Boston identified
as priority-need via data collection. Those with mental and behavioral health issues are
the focus of service, and those working with this community will be leading the response
process. Communities of Color and those of lower or moderate income have been
significantly impacted by the exacerbation of mental health issues due to COVID, and are
expected to be both lead participants and beneficiaries of this project.
Performance Report:
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Type of
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric
Output Reduction in crisis calls serviced by police 10% 6 months
Self-reported improved perception of care from
Output 10% 6 months
those receiving services
Increase in mental health crisis responses ending
Outcome 10% 6 months
with medical treatment
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is an evaluation being conducted on the project: Yes, an evaluation has been or
will be conducted.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $400,000
Evaluation Design: The evaluation has not been designed yet.
Research question(s): The evaluation has not been designed yet.
Y/N can disaggregate outcomes by demographics: Yes
Estimated date of completion: 12/31/2024
Neighborhood Investments to Reduce Violence
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 2.22-Strong Healthy Communities: Neighborhood Features
that Promote Health and Safety
Unique ID: 9121
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This is a project that was substantially completed in 2021. In brief, this
funding was directed toward 4 non-profit organizations that provided community
violence prevention and intervention services to residents and supported them during
pandemic recovery.
Structure and Objectives: The structure of this project is 4 large grants that provided an
infusion of funds to violence prevention and intervention organizations at a time during
an uptick of violence in Boston.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: All program activities are delivered in neighborhoods
that are hot spots for violence.
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Substance Use Services/Coordinated Public Health Response in Target Areas
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9046
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: Led by the Office of Recovery Services, ARPA funds will support 5 core
priorities for individuals with substance use disorder: (1) workforce development, (2)
short-term/transitional housing and low-threshold spaces, (3) harm reduction services,
(4) coordinated public health response in target areas, and (5) strategies to address the
uptick in HIV. Within (4), funds will be used to: 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. Storage
service to address the collection and storage of personal belongings for unsheltered
individuals for up to 60 days. Enhance transportation to treatment and services outside of
Boston. Enhance engagement between the task force and the community by creating
funding opportunities to support targeted efforts.
Structure and Objectives: Increase security measures, behavioral health support and
medical care on the street and in the Engagement Center.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The core focus of the program centers on Boston's most
vulnerable and disenfranchised individuals.
Performance Report:
Progress to
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Goal
Increase number of people
Output Annual
accessing medical services 100 27689
Increase nursing staff
Output Daily
available to assist 2 1
Output Transports to care 500 3665 Weekly
Individuals belongings
Output Annual
stored 50 178
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Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Minimize biohazard waste (i.e. discarded syringes) to improve public health
and safety. Engage vulnerable populations in the process of community improvement.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $733,726
Substance Use Services/Exploring Additional Engagement Centers
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9113
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: The BPHC currently runs a large engagement center space located at 26
Atkinson Street. There is a need to create smaller day spaces in the city for people to
gather and congregate safely. While the capacity of this center is at 75, increased
crowding on the street outside the center has been observed, particularly in warmer
temperatures. This funding request will provide funding for three additional smaller
Engagement Centers in the City of Boston, located in neighborhoods with demonstrated
need and at locations with existing infrastructure to provide supportive harm reduction
services and referrals.
Structure and Objectives: Through this project, BPHC will partner with 3 community
organizations to provide safe day-space with medical care, snacks and referral to
programs in impacted neighborhoods.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: By definition, the project focuses on the most impacted
residents, addressing the needs of our city's most vulnerable.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Individuals attending
Output Quarterly
City-funded day spaces 200 294
Number of wellness sessions
Output Quarterly
held 25 12
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Number of recovery/support
Output Quarterly
groups held 15 43
Output Case management sessions held 50 419 Quarterly
Outcome Naloxone doses distributed 150 413 Quarterly
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Improve health outcomes and treatment and housing referrals for homeless
citizens and those impacted by substance use disorder and mental health issues.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0.00
Substance Use Services/Recovery Services Encampment Responses
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9112
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: This project seeks to continue the Recovery Services encampment response
services funded by previous ARPA funding and scheduled to end June 30, 2022. These
services have been pivotal to the stabilization of homeless individuals with SUD both
throughout the encampment crisis and during post-tenting clearing and stabilization.
Without continued support, Recovery Services will not be able to sustain the level of
services or support provided at the Engagement Center and new satellite sites in new
locations. This project will include continued expanded medical and behavioral health
supports through Boston Health Care for the Homeless, cleaning efforts, enhanced
transportation to services outside Boston, expanded services to address housing stability,
biohazard encampment response and provision of security.
Structure and Objectives: BPHC will partner with 5 organizations to provide security,
housing referrals, employment assistance, treatment referrals and sanitation services to
reduce the encampment's footprint and impact on the community.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: By its very nature, this project promotes equity by
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targeting at-risk residents with services to unhoused individuals with mental health and
substance use disorders.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Increase number of people
Output 100 301 6/30/2024
accessing housing services
Increase in individuals accessing
Output 100 142 6/30/2024
low-threshold spaces
Increase number of placements
into transitional housing by
Outcome 50 91 6/30/2024
Substance Use Services/Low
Threshold Spaces
Increase number of housed
Outcome 10 26 6/30/2024
individuals
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: 1. Reduce the size of the encampment by providing residents with positive,
meaningful alternative (housing, employment)
2. Reduce the impact of encampment activities on nearby neighborhoods
3. Improve the sanitation and overall conditions at the encampment site
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $200,000
Substance Use Services/Community Engagement to Address Substance Use and
Unsheltered Residents
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9038
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
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Description: This project funds will support a community engagement process with three
communities in Boston and advance the City’s initiative to expand capacity building to
communities outside of the Mass/Cass neighborhood. Faith and community leaders of up
to three neighborhoods will expand opportunities to engage with community members,
businesses, residents and the City to create a more coordinated approach to dealing with
the unique challenges historically impacted by the “war on drugs,” the most recent
increase in fatal overdoses among Black men, and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19
on communities of color. This team will be led by a community coalition and will develop
relationships with individuals spending time on the street and be a resource to the
businesses/residents to create consistent communication and support to address needs
and challenges as they arise.
Structure and Objectives: Through this project, BPHC will partner with 2 community
organizations to engage high-risk citizens in relationships centered on employment,
housing and recovery discussions.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: By its very nature, this project promotes equity by
targeting at-risk residents with services to unhoused, unemployed, addicted and
disenfranchised individuals.
Performance Report:
Progress to
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
Goal
Number of interactions
Output between the team and 4433 3387 Quarterly
individuals.
Output Number of service referrals 211 425 Quarterly
Combined hours of recovery
Output coaching and motivational 32 39 Quarterly
interviewing.
Number of interactions
Output between the team and 516 124 Quarterly
businesses.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Increase engagement with disenfranchised members of the community in
order to improve housing, employment and recovery outcomes.
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If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Substance Use Services/Workforce Development
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9043
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Boston Public Health Commission Website
Description: Led by the Office of Recovery Services, ARPA funds will support 5 core
priorities for individuals with substance use disorder: (1) workforce development, (2)
short-term/transitional housing and low-threshold spaces, (3) harm reduction services,
(4) coordinated public health response in target areas, and (5) strategies to address the
uptick in HIV. Within (1), funds will be used to: 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 specific
neighborhoods. Add peer-led street cleaning services in the Mass/Cass area.
Structure and Objectives: Increase peer-led syringe collection and cleaning program.
Expand community-led mobile outreach in Nubian Square.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The core focus of the program centers on our City’s most
vulnerable and disenfranchised individuals.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Provide paid workforce
Output 100 112 Annual
opportunities to individuals
Provide on-the-job training to
individuals returning from
Output 20 112 Annual
incarceration and/or
experiencing homelessness
New treatment, medical or
Output 75 1562 Annual
wellness referrals
Outcome Sustained supervised employment 50 22 Annual
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Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
for 6 months
Engaged treatment, medical or
Outcome 50 59 Annual
wellness services
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Engage homeless, addicted and other vulnerable citizens in meaningful
work that improves safety and reduces the threat of disease in the community.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: Moderate evidence suggests that peer engagement improves outcomes for
individuals and communities.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $478,570
Substance Use Services/Harm Reduction
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9045
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Description: Led by the Office of Recovery Services, ARPA funds will support 5 core
priorities for individuals with substance use disorder: (1) workforce development, (2)
short-term/transitional housing and low-threshold spaces, (3) harm reduction services,
(4) coordinated public health response in target areas, and (5) strategies to address the
uptick in HIV. Within (3), funds will be used to: Provide services to address substance use
disorder exacerbated by the pandemic, including: Mass & Cass specific expenses related
to direct outreach and expansion of services hours, and specific outreach to vulnerable
populations on substance use disorder. 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. Sterile syringes and supplies.
Structure and Objectives: Increase syringe access at 26 Atkinson street and on evening
outreach routes. Expand access to transitional housing and syringe services through the
Roundhouse Low Threshold Housing Program
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Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The core focus of the program centers on our City’s most
vulnerable and disenfranchised individuals.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Increase number of placements into
Output transitional housing by Substance Use 50 657 Annual
Services/Harm Reduction
Output Increase number of syringes collected 100,000 6,088,413 Annual
Increase number of doses of Narcan
Outcome 5 39,948 Annual
given
Outcome Reduction in 311 calls for needles 10 18,995 Annual
Outcome Increase in people accessing services 5 16,054 Annual
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Provide harm reduction and general health welfare services to the City’s
most vulnerable unsheltered individuals and improve the quality of the impacted
neighborhood for residents.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $146,375
Substance Use Services/HIV
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Health Commission
Project Expenditure Category: 1.13-Substance Use Services
Unique ID: 9042
Status of Completion: Completed
Description: IDB supports the provision of HIV services across the care continuum
through multiple funding streams including: CoB, RWHAP, EHE. The three priority
populations for the Boston Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA): are 1) heterosexual women of
color; 2) persons who inject drugs (PWID) and 3) MSM (men who have sex with men) of
color. Within these groups, there is a need to expand HIV care affecting our immigrant
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communities (non-US born individuals), transgender individuals, & youth (20-44 years).
These priority populations underscore a critical need to ensure an equity lens to planning
and implementation of HIV services. The changing landscape of public health in Boston
presents an opportunity for BPHC to conduct more nuanced and comprehensive
assessments of the state of HIV in Boston, specifically with a focus on understanding key
risk factors for HIV transmission, how we prioritize equity in our current approach, and
the gaps in HIV prevention and treatment. This assessment will allow BPHC to understand
the current unmet needs more fully in addressing HIV in Boston, review how internal &
external resources are aligned & distributed for maximum benefit.
Structure and Objectives: Will lead to better understanding of unmet needs for
addressing HIV in Boston, how internal & external resources are aligned & distributed,
inform the next procurement for prevention funding, & build on existing Suffolk County
HIV strategic plans
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: In addition to the continued emphasis of social
determinants of health at all levels of the assessment, BPHC will utilize its equitable
community engagement framework to ensure the voices of those groups most impacted
by HIV are at the forefront of the assessment. Finally, the results of the assessment will
influence the funding of new and existing investments in the prevention and treatment of
HIV in Boston. This will include the identification of new partnerships that promote
equitable access to care across the HIV continuum.
Performance Report:
Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Output Number RFP applications reviewed 2 3 Annual
Number of IDB programs engaged
Output 4 4 Annual
in the RFP review process
Number of IDB workgroup
Output 10 10 Annual
meetings completed
Output Number of focus groups completed 8 8 Annual
Output Number of surveys completed 256 185 Annual
Number of BIPOC/minority-owned
Output 3 3 Annual
CBOs/groups engaged
Number of other survey methods
Output 2 2 Annual
completed
Number of prevention
Outcome 5 3 Annual
opportunities identified
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Progress
Type of Metric Metric Goal Timeframe
to Goal
Number of new investments in
Outcome resources in underserved 4 2 Annual
communities
Number of new funding
Outcome 2 1 Annual
recipients/partnerships
Number of improvements to IDB
Outcome 3 2 Annual
infrastructure/processes
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: To evaluate the current needs of people at risk of or living with HIV post
Covid-19 Emergency Response., better understand how internal & external resources are
aligned & distributed, and inform the Infectious Disease Bureau's strategic vision for
STI/HIV prevention and early intervention services.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: N/A. This project is a needs assessment. The results of the assessment will be
used to ensure the most appropriate and needed evidence based interventions are
available for people at risk or living with HIV.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
BPS Family Mentoring and Leadership
Cabinet / Department: Boston Public Schools
Project Expenditure Category: 2.25-Addressing Educational Disparities: Academic, Social,
and Emotional Services
Unique ID: 9010
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Program Website: Boston Public Schools Website
Description: Whereas Boston Public Schools values strong family-school partnerships in
support of student achievement, and recognizes that parents deserve and have the right
to the appropriate resources to aid in informed discussions with school and district
leaders, our intention is to develop a Parent Mentoring program that both builds the
confidence and skills of parents to be active in their children’s school life and further
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creates conditions in which schools demonstrate the value parents contribute to their
school community and their students’ learning.
Structure and Objectives: 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.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: A Parent Mentoring program in schools will strengthen
parent leadership and professional skills, building a strong understanding of the American
education system including equitable literacy, multilingual education, special education,
inclusive learning, anti-racism, equity and social justice, as well as the important role their
engagement plays in these outcomes.
Performance Report:
Type of
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric
Parents enrolled that transition be the parents
Output TBD Annual
ambassador roll
Parents trained as facilitators and recruiters
Output TBD Annual
for SSC, SPC, or Parent University
Improved parent representation on SSC and
Outcome TBD Annual
SPC
Self efficacy and satisfaction of parents
Outcome TBD Annual
participating in classroom based programming
Outcome Parent ambassador self efficacy TBD Annual
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: When parents gain leadership skills, they can be powerful advocates for
equity.
If there is strong or moderate evidence, cite the evidence for why this intervention is
appropriate: No strong or moderate evidence
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Early Childhood
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Workforce Hiring and Retention for Childcare Sector
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Early Childhood
Project Expenditure Category: 2.11-Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care
Unique ID: 9033
Status of Completion: Completed
Link to Website: Office of Early Childhood Website
Description: 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. To incentivize hiring, the
Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement will provide direct grants to childcare businesses
in the City that have hired new childcare staff (or rehired previously laid-off staff) since
July 1, 2021. The grant will be for the providers to reimburse themselves or it will be
intended as a bonus for the employees they hire or re-hire. The intended outcomes of this
program are to draw qualified caregivers back into the childcare workforce with better
pay, help childcare workers remain in the field with augmented pay, and help childcare
businesses retain their workers with annual bonuses. To avoid more FCCs from
permanently closing.
Structure and Objectives: Provide all 457 family child care providers a one-time flexible
spending grant for their businesses to provide additional financial support to stabilize
providers as they continue to recover from the negative economic impacts of the
pandemic
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: These funds will empower women, specifically women of
color and immigrants. In Boston, 92% of childcare providers are women, 62% are people
of color, and 39% are immigrants. Also, by providing a one-time grant, we keep qualified
caregivers and prevent more closures that lead to a further gap between the supply and
demand of childcare and increased prices. These increases significantly impact the most
vulnerable families and children and lead to more women leaving the workforce to stay
home.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Organizations share
information about the hiring
Outcome 15 100 In the first week
and retention program on social
media
Recipients open email about Within 1 week of
Outcome 100% 97.6%
grant program sending
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Individuals reach out to MOWA
Within first month
Output with questions about the 50% 75%
of the program
program
Within one month
Childcare businesses apply for
Output 457 446 of sending
grants
application
Family Child Cares that remain In the first year of
Output 457 457
open in the City of Boston receiving the grant
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: Draw qualified caregivers back into the childcare workforce with better
pay, help childcare workers remain in the field with augmented income, and help childcare
businesses retain their workers to prevent more FCCs from permanently closing.
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”): Studies have found that
FCCs fared worse than centers in most measures of economic hardship that directly
impact individual providers. Additionally, FCC providers assumed the burden of increased
financial risk, taking on personal credit card debt and skipping rent or mortgage payments
to keep their programs afloat. They also found that subsidized programs holding contracts
with Head Start or the State Department of Education were more stable and better able to
financially support their staff during the pandemic. A national survey of childcare
providers found that nearly 40% of programs might permanently close without significant
public investment (National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2020c).
National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2020c). Holding on until help
comes: A survey reveals child care's fight to survive.
Yoonjeon Kim, Elena Montoya, Sean Doocy, Lea J.E. Austin, Marcy Whitebook, Impacts of
COVID-19 on the early care and education sector in California: Variations across program
types, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Volume 60, 2022, Pages 348-362, ISSN
0885-2006
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of children served by childcare and early learning services
(preschool/pre-K/ages 3-5): 3,720
Number of families served by home visiting: Not applicable
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Childcare Business Development
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Early Childhood
Project Expenditure Category: 2.11-Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care
Unique ID: 9032
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Office of Early Childhood Website
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 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.
Structure and Objectives: Structure: Training in technology, marketing, and grants for 50
FCCs, & trainings on developmental screenings & grants for 100 FCCs. Objective: Help
childcare providers serve more children and increase the quality of the early interventions
they provide.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: All trainings and materials are in Spanish and English.
Coaching is based on participants’ preferred communication method and timing. The
program is designed to work with their comfort level with technology to ensure their
success.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Proposals submitted in response to
By June 30,
Output RFP for technology and marketing 3 1
2022
workshops
Output Proposals submitted in response to 5 1 By June 30,
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RFP for developmental screening 2022
workshops
Output FCC applicants for the workshops 75 90 Annual
FCC operators completing By June 30,
Outcome 165 152
developmental screening workshops 2024
Increase in family childcare
Outcome businesses in Boston conducting 100 75 Annual
developmental screenings
FCC operators completing marketing By April 30,
Outcome 50 48
and technology workshops 2023
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals of this program are to 1) improve FCC marketing and technology
skills to help 50 Boston childcare providers serve more children and increase their
outreach and income 2) teach 100 FCC providers how to conduct developmental
screenings and follow up with families if additional early intervention is warranted, to
increase the quality of their 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”): Experts estimate one in
six children have a learning delay or social emotional concern, yet only 20-30% of those
needs were identified before entering school. If social emotional problems are identified
and addressed early, children are less likely to be placed in special education programs,
and later in life, they are less likely to experience school failure and unemployment (Ages
and Stage, 2021). The pandemic has exacerbated these numbers. BOA’s 2021 report found a
15% decrease in total number of ASQ screenings in Boston and a 40% drop in the number
of eligible children receiving services during the pandemic (Boston Opportunity Agenda,
2021). Additionally, studies have found disparities in which children access screenings and
interventions based on race, primary language, and socioeconomic level (Wallis et al., 2021;
Gallegos et al. 2021). Boston FCC’s primarily serve children of color from low to moderate
income households which research has shown to be less likely to access developmental
screenings and interventions. Therefore, working with Boston FCCs to implement best
practices for developmental screenings and supports for families they serve is critical for
Boston’s young families who are still struggling through the impacts of the pandemic.
References:
1. Component Seven: Surveillance and Screening Facilitator Manual, Medical Home
186
Initiatives for Children with Special Needs. As cited in “Why Screening Matters”.
ASQ Ages and Stages Questionnaires,
https://agesandstages.com/about-asq/why-screening-matters/ Accessed
November 2, 2021.
2. Gallegos, A. et al. (2021). Racial Disparities in Developmental Delay Diagnosis and
Services Received in Early Childhood. Academic Pediatrics, 21(7).
3. Kate, W. et al. (2021). Provider Responses to Positive Developmental Screening:
Disparities in Referral Practices. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral
Pediatrics.42(1).
4. Boston Opportunity Agenda. (July, 2021). Boston’s Child-Care Supply Crisis: The
Continued Impact of a Pandemic.
https://www.bostonopportunityagenda.org/-/media/boa/boa-early-ed-202107/
boa_early-ed-crisis-202107_final.pdf
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
Number of children served by childcare and early learning services
(pre-school/pre-K/ages 3-5): 375
How many families have been visited as a part of the project?: 0
Stimulus Funds for Childcare Centers
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Early Childhood
Project Expenditure Category: 2.11-Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care
Unique ID: 9071
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Office of Early Childhood Website
Description: In order to support the childcare sector we will provide grants to childcare
centers in the City of Boston. Grants will be designed to meet three objectives: immediate
wage and benefit relief (uses include but are not limited to hiring and retention bonuses,
new benefits, educational debt remediation, etc); consulting work to design a new
compensation structure focused on equity; and a sustainability plan for the compensation
plan based on the state reimbursement system, braided funding streams, and other
funding sources. This investment further strengthens Boston’s early education and care
ecosystem, giving centers time to recover and rebuild their finances by the time the ARPA
funding runs out in 2024 and creates equitable compensation structures while informing
public policy efforts.
187
Structure and Objectives: Grants to childcare centers in Boston. So they provide
immediate wage & benefit relief, get consulting work to design a new compensation
structure of $22/hour for teachers by Dec 2025, & a sustainability plan to implement it.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the
early education and care ecosystem. Low wages for many early childhood educators lead
to high staff turnover, while high childcare costs impose financial burdens on working
families. The childcare workforce in Boston is 92% women, 62% people of color, and 39%
immigrants. These funds will increase the low wages and provide benefits to these
communities, without imposing financial burdens on working families. They give child
care centers the financial and technical resources to create a compensation strategy to
increase the wages of their early educators, and a sustainability plan to continue
implementing their compensation strategy without this source of funding.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Anticipated # of current staff to
Outcome 953 1034 By December 2025
receive compensation
Outcome Anticipated # of new staff hired 230 282 By December 2025
# of compensation plans
Outcome 22 22 By December 2025
received
Outcome # of sustainability plans received 22 22 By December 2025
Anticipated # of classes to
Outcome 47 22 By December 2025
reopen
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals are that child care centers in the City of Boston produce new
compensation plans that move towards equitable and just compensation for childcare
workers. By providing wage and benefit relief (uses include but are not limited to hiring
and retention bonuses, new benefits, educational debt remediation, etc), and they create
sustainability plans for their new compensation plans, which take into account EEC
reimbursements and other investments in childcare to continue implementing their
compensation plans in the future.
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 historical and
pervasive undervaluing of labor performed by people of color, especially women,
combined with reliance on a market-based system that depends mostly on parents’ ability
188
to pay, has made early care and education one of the most underpaid fields in the
country.” (McLean, et. all, 2021) Early educators working with younger children face an
average of 7.7 times higher poverty rates than teachers in the K-8 system (McLean, et. all,
2021). Not only are early educator wages lower than those of comparable workers, but
there are also racial and ethnic wage disparities within the workforce (Lee, et. all, 2022).
Black early educators are paid, on average, $0.78 less per hour than their White peers.
“Early educators’ poverty-level wages are compounded by a lack of access to basic health
and well-being supports like health insurance and paid sick leave. The pandemic brought
into focus the severe consequences of these long-standing realities, as many educators
have been forced to choose between a paycheck or their own health and safety and that of
their families.” (McLean, et. all, 2021)
Several studies have found that low pay, unequal wages, and lack of access to benefits
make it hard for childcare centers to recruit and retain the high-quality early educators
that young children need to thrive (Lee, et. all, 2022, and McCormick, et. all, 2022 ). The
low retention in the child care workforce is a persistent challenge that has been
associated with negative outcomes for children, staff, and centers (Totenhagen, et. all,
2016 ,McLean, et. all, 2021, and McCormick, et. all, 2022).
To help increase retention, child care centers should seek to increase pay, recruit staff
with more experience, and aim to improve job satisfaction among staff . (Totenhagen, et.
all, 2016). According to the Early Childhood Workforce Index (2021) in order to stabilize
the early care and education sector, make sustainable progress on appropriate
compensation for all early educators, and make teaching young children an attractive
career, there is a need to ….increase funding, accompanied by explicit policies and
mechanisms designed to raise compensation fairly — through wage and benefit schedules
— to undo the wage gaps. McLean, C., Austin, L.J.E., Whitebook, M., & Olson, K.L. (2021).
Early Childhood Workforce Index – 2020. Berkeley, CA: Center for the Study of Child Care
Employment, University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved from
https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/report-pdf/
Lee, Y., Zeng, S., Douglass, A. et al. Racial and Ethnic Wage Disparities Among
Center-Based Early Educators. Early Childhood Educ J (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01317-2
Kate I. McCormick, Mary B. McMullen, Melissa S. C. Lee. (2022) Early Childhood
Professional Well-being as a Predictor of the Risk of Turnover in Early Head Start & Head
Start Settings. Early Education and Development 33:4, pages 567-588.
Casey J. Totenhagen, Stacy Ann Hawkins, Deborah M. Casper, Leslie A. Bosch, Kyle R.
Hawkey & Lynne M. Borden (2016) Retaining Early Childhood Education Workers: A Review
of the Empirical Literature, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 30:4, 585-599,
DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2016.1214652
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
189
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
How many children have received childcare or early learning services as a part of the
project? 4,124
How many families have been visited as a part of the project? 0
Growing the Early Education and Care Workforce
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Early Childhood
Project Expenditure Category: 2.11-Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care
Unique ID: 9072
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Office of Early Childhood Website
Description: ARPA funding would expand the supply of childcare and enhance the
available workforce by supporting aspiring early educators in accessing apprenticeships,
earning their Associate’s degree, gaining licensure from the Massachusetts Department of
Early Education and Care (EEC), and receiving business development training from the
Childcare Entrepreneurship Fund. A three-year infusion of funds can significantly grow
both the number of FCCs in Boston and the number of trained educators to be placed in
center-based programs.
Structure and Objectives: Support aspiring & current early educators in accessing
apprenticeships & earning a degree debt-free, & gain licensure from EEC. To expand the
supply of childcare, increasing the number of FCCs & trained educators to be placed in
centers in Boston.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: These funds will serve childcare educators and ensure
that those entering the field and those upskilling can do so debt-free. The childcare
workforce in Boston is 92% women, 62% people of color, and 39% immigrant (ACS,
2014-2018). The selected applicants will deliver the material in different languages, and
locations, and in partnership with several childcare centers in the City of Boston. They are
required to provide wrap-around services like free childcare, computers, and other
educational materials.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Outcome Proposed CDA Renewals 30 0 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence CDA Renewals 30 0 By December 2025
Outcome Completed CDA Renewals 30 0 By December 2025
190
Type of Progress
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric to Goal
Outcome Proposed CDA 210 171 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence CDA 210 171 By December 2025
Outcome Completed CDA 210 65 By December 2025
Outcome Proposed Teacher Lead Certification 135 133 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence Teacher Lead Certification 135 129 By December 2025
Outcome Completed Teacher Lead Certification 135 60 By December 2025
Outcome Proposed Director's Certification 125 22 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence Director's Certification 125 21 By December 2025
Outcome Completed Director's Certification 125 8 By December 2025
Outcome Proposed AA Degree 90 85 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence AA Degree 90 51 By December 2025
Outcome Completed AA Degree 90 0 By December 2025
Outcome Proposed BA Degree 130 66 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence BA Degree 130 66 By December 2025
Outcome Completed BA Degree 130 9 By December 2025
Outcome Proposed MA Degree 75 5 By December 2025
Outcome Persistence MA Degree 75 5 By December 2025
Outcome Completed MA Degree 75 0 By December 2025
Outcome # of family childcare providers licensed 75 29 By December 2025
Outcome # of family childcare providers open 75 28 By December 2025
Outcome # of family childcare providers enrolled 75 43 By December 2025
Outcome Round 2 Proposed BA Degree 25 0 By December 2026
Outcome Round 2 Persisted BA Degree 25 0 By December 2026
Outcome Round 2 Completed BA Degree 25 0 By December 2026
# of family child care providers
Output 3 2 By December 2026
participating in incubator
Output # of children served in the incubator 28 0 By December 2026
Proposed Teacher Lead Certification in
Outcome 18 0 By December 2026
Haitian Creole
Conferred Teacher Lead Certification in
Outcome 18 0 By December 2026
Haitian Creole
191
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals are to expand the supply of childcare and enhance the available
workforce by supporting aspiring early educators in accessing apprenticeships, earning
their Associate’s degree, and gaining licensure from the Massachusetts Department of
Early Education and Care (EEC) debt-free. To reduce the workforce shortage in Boston,
decrease the supply and demand childcare gap, and support providers and 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”): High turnover rates
lower the quality of education children receive (Helburn & Culkin, 1995 in Wells 2015)), and
thus limit the potential positive outcomes. Low retention in the child care workforce is a
persistent challenge that has been associated with negative outcomes for children,
families, centers, and childcare providers (Totenhagen, et all, 2016). Studies have found a
number of positive outcomes for providing scholarships to aspiring early educators. The
outcomes found were with respect to educational achievement, increased compensation,
reduced turnover, and improved knowledge, skill, and practice (Lipscomb, et all, 2015).
Other studies found that government-funded professional development incentive
programs support child care centers to meet the goals of a high-quality, educated, and
stable workforce (Totenhagen, et all, 2016).
Shannon T. Lipscomb, Sara A. Schmitt & Megan E. Pratt (2015) Professional Development
Scholarships Increase Qualifications of Diverse Providers, Journal of Early Childhood
Teacher Education, 36:3, 232-249, DOI: 10.1080/10901027.2015.1062829
Casey J. Totenhagen, Stacy Ann Hawkins, Deborah M. Casper, Leslie A. Bosch, Kyle R.
Hawkey & Lynne M. Borden (2016) Retaining Early Childhood Education Workers: A Review
of the Empirical Literature, Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 30:4, 585-599,
DOI: 10.1080/02568543.2016.1214652
Michael B. Wells, Predicting preschool teacher retention and turnover in newly hired Head
Start teachers across the first half of the school year, Early Childhood Research Quarterly,
Volume 30, Part A, 2015, Pages 152-159,ISSN 0885-2006,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.10.003.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
How many children have received childcare or early learning services as a part of the
project? 0
How many families have been visited as a part of the project? 0
192
Streamlining Access and Enrollment
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Early Childhood
Project Expenditure Category: 2.11-Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care
Unique ID: 9070
Status of Completion: Completed 50% or more
Link to Website: Office of Early Childhood Website
Description: The Office of Early Childhood will use the funding to create a user-friendly,
multilingual process, accessible via a dynamic, streamlined web portal, for enrollment in
early education programs three to five, including UPK seats, other center-based
programs, and family-based programs; and align the enrollment process so that all
families know what options are available for their children.
Structure and Objectives: Create a user-friendly, accessible, & streamlined web portal
that is a one-stop-shop for enrollment in early education programs for children 3-5 so all
families in Boston know what options are available & can enroll their children.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: By engaging the families and the UPK providers
throughout the process, we ensure that the website we create is easy to use, accessible,
and transparent. Understanding families' needs allow us to include the information that
families need to know their options and make decisions, making enrolling their child easy.
While the provider's input allows us to understand what makes enrollment easier on their
end. We will include families and providers that represent the City of Boston, including
BIPOC, not native English speakers, immigrants, low-income, or experiencing difficulties
with technology. Communities that have faced significant barriers to these services in the
past.
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
Project Goals: The goals for the project are to create a user-friendly, multilingual,
accessible, & streamlined web portal that is a one-stop-shop for enrollment in early
education and care programs for children 3-5. So all families in the City of Boston know
what options are available to them and can enroll their children in a program that closely
responds to their needs around childcare, and increase the number of children enrolled in
early education 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”): Research conducted on
community information (CI) portals finds that the challenge is the need to improve the
193
mediation between the community services and people for which CI portals promise
useful and usable information (Hider et. al, 2014). Similarly, other studies found that
government portals have the potential to improve public administration efficiency by
increasing convenience, performance, and accessibility of public information and service
to users. And that to achieve this, it needs to be grounded on an in‑depth understanding of
target users' needs and perceptions (Lai et. al, 2010). Fundamental needs that determine
the use and acceptance of e-government portals, no matter the specific area of
government they focus on, are ease of use, usefulness, and privacy (Wirtz, 2015.
Hider, P., M. Given, L. and Scifleet, P. (2014), "Community information portals: content and
design issues for information access", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 435-449.
https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-02-2014-0013
Lai, C. S. K., & Pires, G. (2010). Testing of a Model Evaluating e‑Government Portal
Acceptance and Satisfaction. Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation, 13(1),
pp35-46.
Bernd W. Wirtz, Robert Piehler & Peter Daiser (2015) E-Government Portal Characteristics
and Individual Appeal: An Examination of E-Government and Citizen Acceptance in the
Context of Local Administration Portals, Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing,
27:1, 70-98, DOI: 10.1080/10495142.2014.965082
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Launch explore function for 0 - 5
Outcome 100% 100% 4/24/2024
childcare
Launch apply function for
Outcome 100% 100% 4/24/2024
Universal Pre-K
Launch explore function for
Outcome 100% 0% 12/24/2024
school age (K - 12)
Lauch apply function for school
Outcome 100% 0% 12/24/2024
age (K - 12)
Outcome Outreach and communication 100% 25% 12/24/2024
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
How many children have received childcare or early learning services as a part of the
project? 0
How many families have been visited as a part of the project? 0
194
Non-Standard Work Hours Childcare Pilot
Cabinet / Department: Mayor's Office of Early Childhood
Project Expenditure Category: 2.11-Healthy Childhood Environments: Child Care
Unique ID: 9073
Status of Completion: Completed less than 50%
Link to Website: Office of Early Childhood Website
Description: Essential workers in health care, education, and construction are critical to
the City of Boston’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This grant application will
increase the ability of essential workers to find, access, and pay for early childhood
programming, including childcare. The Office of Early Childhood will provide grants to
applicants in the City of Boston that increase the number of childcare providers who offer
non-traditional hours and provide support for families and childcare providers that
address additional burdens related to non-traditional hours
Structure and Objectives: Increase the number of childcare providers who offer
non-traditional hours & financial support for families and providers. To increase the
ability of essential workers to find, access, & pay for childcare.
Promoting Equitable Outcomes: To achieve the Pilot's mission to improve the economic
self-sufficiency of low-income Black, POC, and immigrant home-based child care
providers and single-mother families in Boston. The project is considering: 1) Close
partnerships with strong base-building organizations, 2) Deep community-based outreach
and recruitment activities, 3) Financial support both for child care providers and for
families, and 4) Close partnerships with high-quality training programs.
Performance Report:
Type of Progress to
Metric Goal Timeframe
Metric Goal
Childcare providers offering
Outcome 36 10 By December 2025
extended hours
Anticipated # of families to
Outcome 24 0 By December 2025
receive scholarships
# of families enrolled in
Outcome 50 11 By December 2025
extended hours
Outcome # of children served 54 13 By December 2025
Evidence & Evaluation:
If there is no evaluation being conducted on the project: No, an evaluation hasn't been and
will not be conducted.
195
Project Goals: This project aims to increase the number of childcare providers who offer
non-traditional hours and provide financial support for families and childcare providers to
address additional burdens related to non-traditional hours. To reach two goals: 1)
essential workers can find, access, and pay for childcare, and 2) provide financial support
for child care providers to improve their financial stability, instrumental in organizing and
increasing the supply and availability of childcare for the 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”): The coalition has been
conducting extensive research about nonstandard-schedule child care before and after
the Pilot launch. They found that " one of the biggest gaps is our system’s inability to
accommodate families with nontraditional schedules." And that "with so many workers
facing nonstandard hours, with women in the workforce as a rule rather than an
exception, and as grandparents transition from potential caregivers to potential care
recipients, child care options available around the clock have become a necessity. Worker
protections like fair scheduling and paid family medical leave will also play an important
role in supporting working families...Stronger public investment in the care sector is
critical to support the provision and accessibility of care during nonstandard hours, and
to ensure care providers earn living wages and benefits that reflect the full value of their
labor."
Bivens et al., It’s time for an ambitious national investment in America’s children.
Economic Policy Institute, April 2016
Parker, Kim and Eileen Patten, The sandwich generation: Rising financial burdens for
middle-aged Americans. Pew Research Center, January 2013.
Total project spending allocated toward evidence-based interventions: $0
Additional information for specific expenditure categories:
How many children have received childcare or early learning services as a part of the
project? 24
How many families have been visited as a part of the project? 0
196