Loading...
12-18.1   Purpose.
   The purpose of this Section is to establish a Special Commission to End Family Homelessness. The purpose of this Section and the Special Commission is to develop an actionable and measurable plan to end family homelessness in the city. The intent of this Section is to ensure no family is homeless in Boston.
(CBC 1985 12-18.1; Ord. 2021 c. 2 § 1)
12-18.2   Establishing the Special Commission.
   (A)   The Special Commission will include 11 members and one alternate appointed by the Mayor, as follows:
      (1)   One member who represents child care providers who specifically work with homeless children;
      (2)   One member who represents an emergency food distribution center or an emergency food provider;
      (3)   One member who represents the Boston Continuum of Care;
      (4)   Three members and one alternate who represent the Family Shelter Providers Roundtable;
      (5)   Three members who have family homelessness or housing insecurity lived expertise;
      (6)   One representative (member or staff) from the Boston Legislative Delegation in the Senate, appointed after consultation with the Boston Legislative Delegation Chair; and
      (7)   One representative (member or staff) from the Boston Legislative Delegation in the House, appointed after consultation with the Boston Legislative Delegation Chair; and
      (8)   The following seven people or their designees, ex officio:
         (a)   A Boston City Councilor designated by the Council President;
         (b)   The City Chief of Health and Human Services;
         (c)   The City Chief of Housing;
         (d)   The Superintendent of Boston Public Schools;
         (e)   Governor of the commonwealth;
         (f)   Secretary of Health and Human Services; and
         (g)   Secretary of Housing and Community Development.
   (B)   The Special Commission meetings will be open to all members of the Family Shelter Providers Roundtable. Additionally, representatives from the following Commonwealth Agencies will be considered important partners to be called upon as needed: the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Developmental Services, the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Early Education and Care, the commonwealth’s Rehabilitation Commission, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Public Health.
   (C)   The Special Commission will exist for as long as it takes to develop a comprehensive, actionable plan to end family homelessness, up to five years from the founding of the Commission. The Special Commission will ensure this plan focuses on homeless families in the city.
   (D)   Special Commission members shall serve without compensation, except for Commission members with lived expertise of family homelessness or housing insecurity. These members will receive a stipend at the current rate of the Boston Continuum of Care consumer compensation schedule.
   (E)   Members will elect a Chair for the Commission every year with a simple majority vote. If there is a tie, the alternate member of the Family Shelter Provider Roundtable will cast a vote.
   (F)   The Special Commission will first convene within 60 days of the effective date of this Section. Should there be a vacancy or resignation in any of the above positions, the Chair of the Special Commission will appoint a new representative within 90 days. This representative may be from within the same Agency or Organization as the former Commission member or may be appointed from another equally relevant Office or organization. Members of the Special Commission will remain members as long as the Commission exists or unless voted to be removed by a majority vote of the Commission. Should the Chair of the Commission leave his or her position for any reason, the Commission members will elect a new Chair, with a simple majority vote. If there is a tie, the alternate member of the Family Shelter Provider Roundtable will cast a vote.
   (G)   The Commission will establish further rules to govern Commission proceedings and meetings within 90 days of the founding of the Commission. The Commission will have the power to amend their governing rules as necessary.
   (H)   The Advisor to End Family Homelessness will staff the Commission and work to implement the Commission’s plan to end family homelessness.
(CBC 1985 12-18.2; Ord. 2021 c. 2 § 1)
12-18.3   Responsibilities and Authorities of the Special Commission.
   (A)   The primary responsibility of the Special Commission is to create a coordinated plan to end family homelessness in the city. In alignment with the Boston Continuum of Care, as the Special Commission sees fit, the Commission will:
      (1)   Identify the current gaps in resources for homeless families and the necessary steps to fill those gaps;
      (2)   Discern the impact of the lack of stable housing for homeless/housing insecure children;
      (3)   Conduct a cost analysis of the family homelessness currently and a cost analysis of providing the necessary resources to end family homelessness; and
      (4)   Generate a thorough plan that would guide the city’s and the Continuum of Care’s resources into a coordinated effort that will lead to the end of family homelessness.
   (B)   This Special Commission will meet Quarterly. Additional meetings may be held to work on specific issues as they relate to the overall work of this Commission. The Special Commission will file a bi-annual (every six months) progress report with the Clerk and the Continuum of Care to update the City and community on the plan’s development during the entirety of the Commission. Within the first year, an actionable plan will be presented to the Clerk and will begin to be implemented as necessary over the ensuing years. The plan may be adjusted and refined over the course of the Commission.
   (C)   The Special Commission will create Subcommittees to focus on specific areas of need, which may include early childhood, education, housing development, workforce development, health and well-being, food access and security, racial equity and family reunification. Subcommittee membership will include at least one member of the Commission. Subcommittees will meet monthly or more often as needed. The Special Commission Subcommittee members will serve without compensation, except for Subcommittee members with lived expertise of family homelessness or housing insecurity. These members will receive a stipend at the current rate of the Boston Continuum of Care consumer compensation schedule.
   (D)   At any point, the Special Commission may be called upon to testify to and update the Boston City Council on the city’s progress to end family homelessness.
   (E)   If the Special Commission determines necessary, the Special Commission is authorized to continue meeting beyond the five-year Commission limit to ensure the plan is implemented; provided, the Special Commission continues to provide bi-annual reports to the Clerk.
   (F)   The Commission reports submitted to the Clerk and any documents pertaining to the governing of the Commission will be publicly available.
(CBC 1985 12-18.3; Ord. 2021 c. 2 § 1)
12-19   IMMIGRANT ADVANCEMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE.
12-19.1   Purpose.
   The city recognizes that a large percentage of its inhabitants were born abroad or are the children of parents who were born abroad. It is important for members of this community to fully and equitably participate in economic, civic, social and cultural life in the city. It is therefore desirable that the city promote the utilization of city services by all its residents, including foreign-born inhabitants, speakers of foreign languages and undocumented immigrants. Further, the city has a strong interest in advancing the rights of immigrant residents and removing barriers that unnecessarily impede immigrants from integrating into the city in an equitable manner.
(Ord. 2023 c. 10)
12-19.2   Establishment of the Office of Immigrant Advancement.
   (A)   There shall be established in the city the Office of Immigrant Advancement (hereafter known as the “Office”) which shall be under the charge of an Officer known as the Executive Director of Immigrant Advancement (hereafter called the “Director”). The Office shall be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed by the Mayor.
   (B)   The Office shall:
      (1)   Ensure that any service provided by a City Agency shall be made available to all immigrants who are otherwise eligible for such service to the same extent such service is made available to citizens unless such agency is required by law to deny eligibility for such service;
      (2)   Support the city in creating a welcoming environment for immigrant residents where they can experience belonging, stability and integration;
      (3)   Ensure that immigrant communities can actively participate in government and other civic and community efforts;
      (4)   Promote the recognition and public understanding of the contributions of immigrants to the city; and
      (5) Advance systemic reforms of laws, policies and practices in support of immigrant residents.
(Ord. 2023 c. 10)
12-19.3   Director Responsibilities.
   The Director, or designee, of the Office shall have the power and the duty to:
   (A)   Advise and assist the Mayor in developing and implementing policies designed to assist immigrants and speakers of languages other than English in the city, in consultation with the Office of Language and Communication Access, with respect to language accessibility;
   (B)   Enhance the accessibility of city programs, benefits and services to immigrants and speakers of languages other than English, in consultation with the Office of Language and Communication Access, by establishing outreach programs in conjunction with other City Agencies and the Council to inform and educate immigrants and speakers of languages other than English of relevant city programs, benefits and services;
   (C)   Conduct research and advise the Mayor on challenges faced by immigrants, including, but not limited to, obstacles to accessing city programs, benefits and services, and on socio-economic trends related to such persons;
   (D)   Monitor and conduct analysis on local, state and federal laws, policies, enforcement tactics and case law regarding issues relating to and impacting immigrant affairs, including potential strategies for addressing such developments and maximizing the positive impacts to local immigrants;
   (E)   Promote equitable treatment of immigrants by City Offices, Departments, Board and Commissions and other governmental Agencies;
   (F)   Make recommendations and provide coordination and support to City Departments and Agencies concerning public policies, programs, services and regulations, including sections of the charter and the administrative code, as they affect or may affect immigrants;
   (G)   Serve as liaison between the city and its immigrant communities, in order to support the safety, growth and general welfare of such communities;
   (H)   Solicit community and stakeholder input regarding the activities of the Office, including, but not limited to, the Office’s consultations with relevant agencies on implementation of sections of the charter and the administrative code that are relevant to immigrants; and
   (I)   Perform such other duties and functions as may be appropriate to pursue the policies set forth in this Section.
(Ord. 2023 c. 10)
12-19.4   Reporting Requirements.
   (A)   All City Departments shall cooperate with the Office and provide information and assistance as requested; provided, however, no information that is otherwise required to be provided pursuant to this section shall be disclosed in a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state or local law relating to the privacy of information or that would interfere with law enforcement investigations or otherwise conflict with the interests of law enforcement.
   (B)   The Office shall annually provide to the Boston City Council and post on the Office’s website a report regarding the city’s immigrant population and the activities of the Office during the previous calendar year, including, but not limited to, the following information, where such information readily is available:
      (1)   The size and composition of such population, including, but not limited to, demographic information, socio-economic markers, and estimates of the immigration status held by members of such population, if any;
      (2)   Information regarding the needs of such population including, but not limited to, social services, legal services, housing, public benefits, education and workforce development needs;
      (3)   Information regarding barriers faced by such population in accessing such services, and recommendations on how the city could address such barriers; and
      (4)   Information and metrics relating to each programmatic initiative of the Office, including initiatives that are conducted in partnership with other Offices or Agencies, including, but not limited to:
         (a)   Total program capacity, disaggregated by service type;
         (b)   Number of intakes or program eligibility screenings conducted;
         (c)   Number of individuals served, disaggregated by service type;
         (d)   Number of matters handled, and aggregate data on the outcomes achieved, disaggregated by service type; and
         (e)   With respect to legal services initiatives, the number of individuals directly supported or referred to other legal services providers, disaggregated by service and case type.
(Ord. 2023 c. 10)
Loading...