Boston, Massachusetts

During the 2020 election, we used our City brand to help bring trust and clarity to the voting process. Getting people excited to vote during an election can be tough. That’s even more true at the height of a worldwide pandemic. When the Digital Team was tasked with helping the Election Department come up with some 2020 Election designs, we jumped at the opportunity. By leaning on the City of Boston brand, we were able to get out simple, concise designs and messages to the public. We provided information that was friendly and easy-to-understand, all while remaining official.

First-time homebuyers will receive up to $40,000 and City service contractors will be guaranteed State prevailing wage rates. Mayor Kim Janey today announced a pair of measures to promote economic opportunity in the City as part of her agenda for Boston’s equitable recovery, reopening, and renewal. With $2.4 million committed to this program in the Mayor’s FY22 budget proposal, the Boston Home Center's first-time Homebuyer Program has been expanded to provide up to $40,000 in assistance to income-eligible, first-time homebuyers who seek to purchase a home in Boston. This change more than triples the average amount of assistance previously offered by the City. These homebuyers will also be informed earlier in the buying process about the amount of financing they are eligible to receive from the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) Boston Home Center. The Mayor has also issued an executive order today, guaranteeing the prevailing wage set by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards for workers on key City of Boston service contracts, starting July 1, 2021.

Community singing series enlivens public parks all summer long. These free, outdoor singing events will take place over five weekends, beginning Saturday, July 17, through Sunday, August 15. “We Sing: Boston” will take place in neighborhoods in and around Boston, including Dorchester, Chinatown, and Mattapan. We invite community members of all ages and skill levels to join in singing, games, prizes, and socializing in a park near you!

BOSTON - Thursday, June 10, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey and Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) today announced that registration has opened for a variety of summer teen programs. The programs are expected to run from Monday, July 12 through Friday, August 20. Interested youth can apply here.

A program for Bostonians with special needs that provides structured activities and fun!. Boston Centers for Youth & Families, the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency, is now accepting applications for Camp Joy. Camp Joy is a summer program for Boston residents ages 3 to 15 with disabilities. The program provides structured activities designed to help participants to make new friends, have fun, learn, and grow.

Review recent changes to the Police Reform Policy at the Boston Police Department. On June 8, 2021 the Boston Police Department (BPD) issued a revised Gang Assessment Database rule. Changes to this Rule include:. clarification of the purpose of the Gang Assessment Database in preventing and reducing violence and victimization...

BOSTON - Wednesday, June 9, 2021 - In a cross-departmental effort to support both Boston’s climate-ready resiliency and the creation of new affordable home ownership units, Mayor Kim Janey today announced that the property at 108 Walter Street in Roslindale was transferred to the Boston Conservation Commission and will be added to the Roslindale Wetlands Urban Wild, providing close to an acre of buffer at the edge of the Roslindale Wetlands, as well as a more accessible point of entry to the existing urban wild. In 2020, the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) acquired 104-108 Walter Street in Roslindale to expand the Roslindale Wetlands Urban Wild and create affordable housing. The parcel at 104 Walter Street has been designated for affordable homeownership units.

There are 12 affordable homeownership units in Brighton. Six condos for households at or below 80% AMI (Area median income):. *The 1-bedroom 80 percent AMI units are built-out for persons with mobility impairments. All condominiums have hardwood floors, central air, and washer and dryer hookups. To qualify for the 80%...

Welcome to the Department of Neighborhood Development’s monthly newsletter. June is Pride month, when LGBTQIA communities worldwide remember the 1969 Stonewall Riots, celebrate the achievements that have been made to gain recognition and civil rights, and highlight the changes that are still needed. June is also the month that we recognize Juneteenth, the oldest national commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. From its Galveston, Texas origin in 1865, the observance of June 19th as the African American Emancipation Day has spread across the United States.

The City of Boston is launching a new green jobs initiative to support equitable recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Janey’s Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) budget includes $1 million for green jobs, and another $1 million dedicated to zero waste and mobility jobs. The pandemic exposed and exacerbated systemic inequities that have been prevalent in our city and our nation for too long. As we recover from the pandemic, we are committed to an equitable recovery that focuses on the needs of our most vulnerable residents, with training and career pathways for residents in the jobs of the future. Investing in green jobs now means investing in an equitable and thriving economy and working towards a climate resilient future.

BOSTON - Monday, June 7, 2021 - Building on her commitment to equity and her focus on engaging all of Boston in the City’s governance, Mayor Kim Janey today took two key steps to democratize Boston’s budget building process. The first step was signing off on a ballot question to amend the City of Boston Charter that will strike a more equal balance of budgetary powers between the Mayor and the City Council. The amendment will now be sent to the Attorney General’s office for placement on Boston’s municipal ballot this November. The second step was to allocate an additional $1 million in the City’s proposed FY ‘22 Budget, dedicated to the immediate creation of the City’s first Office of Participatory Budgeting.

The heat emergency will last from Sunday, June 6, through Tuesday, June 8. Mayor Kim Janey has declared a heat emergency in the City of Boston beginning Sunday, June 6, 2021, and lasting through Tuesday, June 8, 2021. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 90s. “It will be...

The Boston Parks and Recreation Department and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) have announced the 2021 Boston Parks Summer Fitness Series, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. The series will offer 25 free weekly classes both virtually and in 18 City parks from June 6 to October 2.

This Community Advisory Board will work to development guidelines for the climate resilience, equity, and environmental justice aspects of the Wetlands Protection Ordinance. The Conservation Commission is committed to enhancing the quality of life in Boston by protecting water and land resources. In 2019, the City enacted a local Wetlands Protection Ordinance (the “Ordinance”) that gives the City greater authority to protect its wetlands. Wetlands in Boston, such as ponds, marshes, swamps, and bogs, are crucial to controlling flooding and protecting Boston's neighborhoods and green space from sea level rise.

The application is to demolish the house and garage at 64-66 Lane Park in Brighton. Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) received a complete application to demolish the house and garage at 64-66 Lane Park in Brighton, 02135. We post each complete Demo Delay application to provide the public with information about...

The application is to demolish the house at 123 Nottinghill Road in Brighton. Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) received a complete application to demolish the house at 123 Nottinghill Road in Brighton, 02135. We post each complete Demo Delay application to provide the public with information about proposed demolitions as early...

The application is to demolish the three-story building at 89 Shirley Street in Roxbury. Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) received a complete application to demolish the three-story building at 89 Shirley Street in Roxbury, 02119. We post each complete Demo Delay application to provide the public with information about proposed demolitions...

The application is to demolish the one story commercial building at 7-11 Curtis Street in East Boston. Boston Landmarks Commission (BLC) received a complete application to demolish the one story commercial building at 7-11 Curtis Street in East Boston, 02128. We post each complete Demo Delay application to provide the...

This month, we look at different resources and guides for assistance in preparing to transition from pandemic isolation. As we begin this month, over half of all residents in Massachusetts are fully vaccinated from Covid-19. Along with most other states Massachusetts has already started the transition to full reopening, signalling a hopeful end to a long period of isolation. However, even as the coronavirus pandemic begins to wind down, we are only just beginning to tackle the fallout. Many are struggling with practical issues including reduced incomes, lowered access to local services due to isolation, and difficulty finding affordable/available childcare. Calls to local mental health lines have nearly doubled due in part to the stress and trauma of the last year. Finally, many workplaces, including the city, are returning their workers to pre-pandemic on-site hours, which can be very difficult to readjust to on a mental and practical level.

Cross-departmental collaborative approach seeks to address the continuum of care of violence prevention. BOSTON - Friday, May 28, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey, the Office of Health and Human Services and Public Safety, and the Boston Police Department yesterday announced the City of Boston’s 2021 Summer Safety Plan. The plan is guided by the public health lens of prevention, intervention, response and recovery initiatives. To prevent violence, the City will direct activities, programs and policies on constructive engagement. For intervention, Boston will employ strategies for behavioral change or improve specific outcomes for specific communities. The City will respond to violence by mitigating community impact and meeting the immediate needs of victims and families. The recovery from violence will ensure ongoing and long-term support for individuals, neighborhoods, and communities as a whole.