MOLLY GRIFFIN NAMED NEW LIAISON FOR BACK BAY, BEACON HILL, FENWAY, AND MISSION HILL
Mayor Kim Janey announced the appointment of Uju Onochie as the neighborhood liaison for Roslindale and the African Community City-wide and Molly Griffin as the neighborhood liaison for Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fenway and Mission Hill for the Office of Neighborhood Services (ONS). They will serve as the primary contact for constituents and businesses to connect with the Mayor’s Office, and will facilitate the delivery of services in collaboration with City departments.
“I am pleased to welcome Uju and Molly to the Office of Neighborhood Services,” said Mayor Janey. “As neighborhood and community liaisons, they will play a crucial role in engaging their neighbors, especially our most vulnerable populations. I know both of these talented new leaders will serve their communities well.”
“I’m very excited to work for and learn more about the city I grew up in, and meet so many community members,” said Griffin. “I look forward to working with community leaders to continue great partnerships with the City.”
2021 OPEN NEWBURY STREET DATES ANNOUNCED
Mayor Kim Janey announced Open Newbury Street will turn Newbury Street into a pedestrian-only walkway for three Sundays in August (August 15, 22, and 29) from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. As Boston emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Open Newbury Street provides exciting new opportunities for businesses to engage their customers on repurposed street space, and allow pedestrians to enjoy the full width of this famous Boston street. For more information, visit the event’s website at boston.gov/open-newbury. Businesses are asked to submit their plans for any of the Open Newbury days using this form.
Next month, the City of Boston will announce additional open streets events to take place in multiple Boston neighborhoods in the early fall. Pending analysis and feedback, the City will also consider additional Open Newbury Street dates in September 2021.
BOSTON RESIDENTS ENCOURAGED TO CLAIM THEIR CHILD TAX CREDIT
Mayor Kim Janey today announced a citywide push to ensure that all eligible families in Boston receive their Child Tax Credit (CTC), a newly expanded federal tax credit that experts believe could cut child poverty in half.
While most families will receive the money automatically in monthly payments from July to December, 2021, families who do not file taxes will need to
take action to claim the CTC. The Mayor’s Office of Financial Empowerment is conducting outreach to these families to ensure an estimated 5,100 Boston children do not miss out on dollars crucial to their care and well-being.
Learn more.
BOSTON UNIVERSAL PRE-K ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR
Boston Universal Pre-K (Boston UPK), an initiative of the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and the City of Boston, has opened applications for prekindergarten seats in community-based settings for the 2021-2022 school year. Prekindergarten (pre-k), also known as K1, is offered in the City of Boston at no cost to families. Eligible students must be Boston residents and turn four years old on or before September 1, 2021. Three-year-old students in the new, limited pilot program in community-based settings must turn three years old on or before September 1, 2021.
Boston offers a mixed-delivery pre-k system, which includes options in both BPS classrooms as well as community-based centers across the city. Boston UPK is entering its third year of serving pre-kindergartners in community-based settings, including child care centers and neighborhood community centers. Read more here.
PILOT PROGRAM OFFERING FREE FARES ON ROUTE 28 FOR THREE MONTHS THIS FALLMayor Kim Janey has announced that the City of Boston will begin a
free fare pilot on MBTA Route 28, starting August 29 for three months to November 29. Route 28 riders will be able to board buses at all doors without needing to pay a fare.
Route 28 is one of the MBTA’s highest ridership bus routes both prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic, carrying approximately 12,880 riders every weekday pre-pandemic. Ridership is generally steady throughout the day compared to most other routes that see low off-peak ridership. The route runs from Mattapan Square to Ruggles Station by way of Nubian Square and Roxbury Crossing. It serves as a vital connection for the residents of Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester to the MBTA’s key bus, subway and commuter rail networks. The neighborhoods are home to families that pay a higher percentage of their household income on transportation compared to most other neighborhoods. For more information on the Route 28 Pilot Program, visit
boston.gov/28bus and
mbt a.com/28pilot .
CITY OF BOSTON LAUNCHES RFI FOR FEEDBACK ON THE FUTURE OF GREEN JOBSMayor Janey’s Fiscal Year 2022 operating budget includes $1 million for green jobs, in addition to $3 million in federal recovery funds. We are committed to training and developing career pathways for residents in the green jobs of the future, in support of an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we accelerate green jobs initiatives over the coming years, we invite you to respond to this Request for Information with your ideas about green jobs training and hiring in Boston. A Request for Information allows the City to explore new ideas without committing resources to a particular concept. Responses will inform conversations and programming about how the City can help accelerate the green economy in service of the Mayor’s climate justice goals. The Request for Information may be found at
bit.ly/boston-green-jobs-rf i . The deadline to submit a response is August 18, 2021.
Learn more.
2021 FOOD SOVEREIGNTY GRANT APPLICATIONS NOW OPENMayor Kim Janey and the Mayor’s Office of Food Access (OFA) today announced that $300,000 in funding is now available through the 2021
Food Sovereignty grants, using funds the City received through the American Rescue Plan Act. The Food Sovereignty Grant program will fund urban farming and
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) projects to give Boston residents better access to healthy and affordable food, and support non-profit Boston-based farmers throughout different seasons. Interested Boston-based farmers are encouraged to apply
here by August 16, 2021 at 5 p.m.
Learn more.
FINDINGS, RECOMMENDATIONS FROM OFFICE OF POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY ANNOUNCEDMayor Kim Janey released findings and recommendations following her charge to Attorney Stephanie Everett and the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency to deliver a plan for review and reform of the police department internal affairs procedures, based on Director Everett’s investigation into the Patrick Rose case. The report reviews what internal affairs policies and procedures were in place during the time of the Rose case. The report further identifies which of those policies and procedures have appropriately been changed since 1995 and recommends additional reforms where needed.
Learn more.
