BOSTON RECEIVES $26.3 MILLION HUD GRANT FOR HOMELESSNESS

BOSTON RECEIVES $26.3 MILLION HUD GRANT FOR HOMELESSNESS

BOSTON - Thursday, January 11, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today that the City of Boston has received more than $26.3 million in federal funding in support of Boston's homelessness programs. Boston was awarded the funding as the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the results of its annual McKinney Homeless Continuum of Care funding competition, which awarded $2 billion in grants nationally. "Having weathered record-breaking cold weather these past few weeks, we are reminded just how critical these funds are to our work on the issue of homelessness," said Mayor Walsh. "We have made significant progress in so many areas, but our work is not done. These funds from HUD are critical to continuing this work, and I want to thank HUD and the entire Massachusetts delegation for their continued support on this issue." "This funding is critical to local Massachusetts programs that are on the front lines of helping those who might otherwise be living on our streets," said David Tille, HUD New England Regional Administrator. "Investments in these programs that find a stable home for our homeless neighbors not only saves money but quite literally saves lives." The HUD funding will be applied to programs that support Boston's Way Home, the City's plan to end chronic and veteran homelessness. Through the efforts of Boston's Way Home, Boston has ended chronic veteran homelessness, and has housed nearly 1,300 formerly homeless people. The programs funded cover a range of services and supports, including housing search, the creation of housing for chronically homeless people, rapid re-housing funds, and stabilization services to allow newly housed chronically homeless individuals to receive the supports they need to succeed.   During Mayor Walsh's inauguration earlier this month, he announced the launch of Boston's Way Home Fund, which has a goal of raising over $10 million over the course of four years to create 200 new units of supportive, sustainable, long-term housing for chronically homeless men and women. The Continuum of Care is a federal program designed to end homelessness by supporting community-wide systems of care, providing funding not only to state and local partners, but also to nonprofit providers who are part of the Continuum. This approach creates a more strategic use of resources, while improving coordination and integration between programs. It has also been found to improve data collection and performance measurement; and has the benefit of allowing communities to tailor programs to the particular resources, organizations, and challenges of that community. The application for the 2017 Continuum of Care competition was submitted by the Supportive Housing Division of the City of Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development, in partnership with all of the organizations that make up Boston's Continuum of Care. The application consisted of hundreds of data points and narratives about Boston's system and programs, along with 41 individual project applications to support thousands of the most vulnerable Bostonians on a path to permanent, sustainable supportive housing. In 2016, Boston was awarded over $24 million in HUD grants, and in 2015 Boston was awarded over $23 million in funding. Organizations funded include Bay Cove, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, Casa Myrna, FamilyAid, Heading Home, HomeStart, Kit Clark Senior Services, Project Home, Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, Metro Housing Boston, New England Center and Home for Veterans, Pine Street Inn, St. Francis House, and Victory Programs. For more information on Boston's plan to end homelessness in Boston, please visit here.

臺灣駕照換麻州駕照全州27個監理所皆可辦理

駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處處長賴銘琪代表中華民國交通部

與美國麻薩諸塞州監理處處長Erin Deveney簽署駕照互換協議。

                (Boston Orange)駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處賴銘琪處長本（10）日代表中華民國（臺灣）交通部與美國麻薩諸塞州交通局監理處副處長 Craig Coldstream簽署修訂駕照互換協議，使麻州受理國人申換駕照之據點由現行1個監理所擴大為全州27個監理所，大幅提昇國人申換麻州駕照之便利性。

        為便利旅居海外國人，並促進與麻州經貿、文化及教育等之雙邊交流合作關係，駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處歷經3年多之磋商爭取及交通部之全力配合協助下，於2016年3月2日與麻州政府完成簽訂駕照互換協議。舉凡非短期停留麻州之國人，包括臺商、學者及逾1,500位我國留學生均大受其惠。據統計，自2016年3月2日簽署迄今（1月9日止），國人申換麻州駕照共計1,037件，頗見便民實效。

        本次修訂協議將自2018年1月16日生效，凡年滿18歲持我國有效普通小型汽車或普通重型機車駕照，目前居住於麻州且具美國一年或以上效期簽證之國人，備齊相關文件及費用，即可至麻州任一監理所（27個申換據點地址請詳附件）直接申請換發麻州駕照，免筆試或路考。基於互惠原則，取得我國居留證且居留期限超過1年之麻州有效小型汽車（D類）或機車駕照持有人，亦可檢附相關文件免試申換臺灣相同類別駕照。

    鑒於麻州法律不許可同時持有兩張駕照，因此麻州監理處於核發駕照時，須收取臺灣駕照並轉交駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處保管，申請人於返回臺灣前，可持麻州駕照至該處換回我國駕照，並於返回麻州時，持我國駕照至該處換取麻州駕照使用。

    另由於鑒於麻州交通規則號誌及駕駛習慣與國內仍有差異，駐波士頓臺北經濟文化辦事處特別提醒申請換照之國人，仍需詳讀該州駕駛手冊（網址為https://www.mass.gov/service-details/drivers-manuals），正確瞭解及遵守該州道路交通法規及號誌，以確保行車安全。至於申請換照之程序及應備文件，請參考該處所撰換照須知；倘有疑問，請洽詢該處領務組（電話:617-259-1350）或參閱麻州監理處網站（https://www.massrmv.com/ChecklistsforBranchTransactions.aspx），亦可洽麻州監理處聯絡人Ms. Denise Blakely，電話:857-368-8110。(圖與文:駐波士頓經文處提供)

城市	地址	營業時間
Boston	Haymarket Center, 136 Blackstone Street, Boston, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Braintree	10 Plain Street, Braintree, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Brockton	490 Forest Avenue, Brockton, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Chicopee	1011 Chicopee Street, Chicopee, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Easthampton	116 Pleasant Street, Easthampton, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Fall River	1794 North Main Street, Fall River, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Greenfield	18 Miner Street, Greenfield, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Haverhill	4 Summer Street(City Hall) Haverhill, MA	Mon-Fri – 8 am-4 pm
Lawrence	73 Winthrop Avenue, Lawrence, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Leominster	500 Research Drive, Southgate Business Park, Leominster, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Lowell	77 Middlesex Street, Lowell, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Martha’s Vineyard	11 A St., Airport Business Park, Edgartown, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-12 noon,                   1 pm-5 pm
Milford	14 Beach Street, Milford, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Nantucket	16 Broad Street, Nantucket, MA	Mon-Fri – 8 am-12 noon,                   1 pm-4 pm
New Bedford	212 Theodore H. Rice Boulevard, New Bedford Industrial Park, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
North Adams	33 Main Street, North Adams, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-12 noon,                   1 pm-5 pm
Pittsfield	333 East Street, Pittsfield, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Plymouth	40 Industrial Park Road, Plymouth, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Revere	9c Everett Street(Bell Circle), Revere, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Roslindale (Boston)	4210 Washington Street, Roslindale, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Southbridge	4 Larochelle Way, Southbridge, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
South Yarmouth	1082-1084 Main Street, South Yarmouth, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Springfield	1250 St. James Avenue, Springfield, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Taunton	One Washington Street, Taunton, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Watertown	550 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Wilmington	355 Middlesex Avenue, Wilmington, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm
Worcester	611 Main Street, Worcester, MA	Mon-Fri – 9 am-5 pm

Governor Baker Visits Goodwill’s Quarterly Clothing Collaborative

Governor Baker Visits Goodwill’s Quarterly Clothing Collaborative

Governor Baker met with individuals participating in a program created through partnership between Boston Career Link and the Department of Correction

For high-resolution and more photos, click here.

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Secretary of Public Safety and Security Daniel Bennett, Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta and executives from Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries  visited Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries’ quarterly “Clothing Collaborative,” which makes donated business clothing available to male and female job seekers who participate in Boston Career Link (BCL).

For nearly 20 years, BCL has served as a Massachusetts One Stop Career Center, offering job training and placement programs to assist job-seekers in their efforts to obtain and retain meaningful employment. Last year, leveraging support from the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Department of Transportation, the Massachusetts Department of Correction entered into an agreement with BCL to provide services to pre-release individuals, including registration, orientation and employment services. Currently, 98 individuals have attended orientations, registration and completed a career action plan and 88 individuals have been employed.

AG HEALEY STATEMENT ON DACA RULING

AG HEALEY STATEMENT ON DACA RULING

BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today issued a statement following the ruling by a federal judge that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) must remain in place while legal challenges to the Trump Administration’s decision to rescind DACA are pending:

“Yesterday the court confirmed a fundamental truth: Dreamers are Americans. They grew up in our neighborhoods and attend our schools. They serve in our military and start businesses in our communities. For now, the court’s decision requires the federal government to keep its promises. I look forward to continuing to defend the Dreamers while we wait for Congress to do the right thing and extend permanent protection to these young people.”

AG Healey previously filed suit challenging the administration’s decision to rescind DACA and sent a letter urging President Trump to maintain and defend DACA.

BROCKTON COMPANY TO PAY NEARLY $500,000 FOR NOT PAYING WORKERS MINUMUM WAGE, OVERTIME

BROCKTON COMPANY TO PAY NEARLY $500,000 FOR NOT PAYING WORKERS MINUMUM WAGE, OVERTIME

50 Employees to Receive Restitution of up to $15,000 through AG Settlement

            BOSTON – A Brockton warehouse and related transportation company, which package and deliver products to local restaurants, agreed to pay more than $460,000 to resolve intentional minimum wage, overtime, and record keeping violations, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today. As a result, approximately 50 employees will receive restitution averaging thousands of dollars for each. 

In a settlement with the AG’s Office, New England Market, LLC and owner ZhiQing Wang have agreed to pay more than $393,000 for alleged violations including intentional failure to pay minimum wage, overtime, and keep true and accurate records, with workers receiving more than $8,600 in restitution on average.

Foodland Distribution, LLC and owner BuYing You have agreed to pay more than $75,000 for alleged violations including intentional failure to pay minimum wage and keep true and accurate records, and workers will receive approximately $3,000 in restitution on average. 

“This company cheated its workers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars and paid well below minimum wage,” AG Healey said. “We brought this action to ensure that these workers are treated fairly and receive the wages they earned.”

New England Market, a warehouse in Brockton, and Foodland Distribution, which provides transportation for New England Market, are owned by the same family and are functionally operated as one establishment.

An investigation by the AG’s Fair Labor Division revealed that there was a systemic underpayment of minimum wage to workers at both companies, and in the case of New England Market, overtime as well.

Investigators also found that the companies were lacking both accurate time records and complete payroll records. In response to a payroll demand, the companies provided deficient paperwork which lacked both contemporaneous timekeeping records and complete payroll records. None of the records matched up and some appeared to have been fabricated. 

AG Healey’s Fair Labor Division is responsible for enforcing state laws regulating the payment of wages, including prevailing wage, minimum wage and overtime laws.

Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in their workplace are encouraged to file a complaint at www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor. For information about the state’s wage and hour laws,workers may call the Office’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465 or go to the Attorney General’s new Workplace Rights website www.mass.gov/ago/fairlabor for materials in multiple languages.

This matter was handled by Assistant Attorney General Amy Goyer and Supervising Investigator Jennifer Pak of Attorney General Healey’s Fair Labor Division

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW TOOLS TO PREVENT DISPLACEMENT

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES NEW TOOLS TO PREVENT DISPLACEMENT

BOSTON - Wednesday, January 10, 2018 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the Office of Housing Stability has established two new resources to prevent displacement and eviction of tenants in Boston, one geared toward landlords and one toward tenants. The guiding principle behind both new resources is that if appropriate information and mediation is offered early in the process, many evictions can be avoided.     "We have to work together to keep our communities stable, and ensure families have access to good homes in good neighborhoods," said Mayor Walsh. "When landlords and tenants have the information they need and open lines of communication, evictions can be prevented, or have their impacts lessened. I'm grateful to all of the City's good landlords who work with their tenants to avoid conflict, and I'm proud that we're also helping tenants learn more about their rights and responsibilities."   To further prevent evictions, the City has rolled out its first ever online guide to tenants' rights when served with an eviction notice. The guide, which is also available to download, walks tenants through the steps they can take to respond to the eviction process from the moment they receive a notice to quit. The guide includes information about mediation, a guide to preparing for court, and information about resources and rights available to tenants in the event a judge orders them to leave.     The Office of Housing Stability has found that tenants often do not fully understand all of their rights in an eviction proceeding, and in some cases, may be forced to leave when they otherwise might be able to stay or to receive some sort of compensation or assistance. For example, families facing a no-fault eviction have the right to file a motion asking the court to delay the eviction for up to six months so they can find new housing, and if someone in the household is disabled or over 60 years old, they may request up to 12 months. Tenants who might not otherwise know these rights can now access them in the guide, which provides easy to understand, actionable suggestions for eviction response and information about available resources.     Last month, the Office of Housing Stability hosted a workshop on preventing evictions from subsidized housing. In partnership with HomeStart, the workshop was targeted to managers, owners, resident service coordinators and other professionals who work at properties that receive subsidies. The seminar included a panel presentation on eviction prevention strategies and resources and offered an opportunity for industry professionals to hear about best practices, challenges, and goals.   Launched in 2016, the City of Boston's Office of Housing Stability is one of the first of its kind in the nation. The office is designed to keep communities intact by helping tenants maintain their housing. The office's work includes supporting tenants who are in crisis; creating and offering resources, programs, and information for both tenants and landlords to learn about their rights and responsibilities; and researching and creating policies that aim to prevent displacement. The office also oversees the Metrolist, a clearinghouse for income-restricted and affordable housing opportunities in Boston and neighboring communities, and hosts evening clinics to offer housing support for tenants and landlords to meet after regular business hours, when it may be more convenient.  The office also partners with the Community Dispute Settlement Center to provide mediation for landlord-tenant conflicts.   As part of the Administration's commitment to preventing displacement, Mayor Walsh filed an anti-displacement package at the State Legislature, which includes the Jim Brooks Community Stabilization Act; an act that would allow tenants and nonprofits the right of first refusal to purchase properties subject to foreclosure or short sale; the right to counsel in housing court; and would create state income tax credits for renting unsubsidized units at below market rates.   This guide to tenants' rights is part of the Walsh Administration's commitment to creating more affordable housing in Boston, and ensuring families are able to stay in their homes. To date, the Walsh Administration has committed more than $100 million in funding to the creation and preservation of affordable housing. Today's announcement builds on the City's preservation and anti-displacement goals, outlined in Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030, Mayor Walsh's housing plan, and the housing goals laid out in Imagine Boston 2030, Boston's first citywide plan in 50 years. As part of both plans, Boston has prioritized increasing the overall housing supply, with a focus on creating and preserving affordable housing.

BCNC Receives Top Ratings by Charity Navigator and GuideStar

BCNC Receives Top Ratings by Charity Navigator and GuideStar

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC)’s strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, as well as a Gold Seal on GuideStar’s nonprofit profile.

Charity Navigator (www.charitynavigator.org) is America’s largest independent charity evaluator. BCNC is the only Asian-American organization in Massachusetts to receive the highest rating. GuideStar (www.guidestar.org) is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. More than 8 million visitors per year and a network of 200+ partners use GuideStar data to grow support for nonprofits.

“It is truly a testament to the intention and care our staff bring to the work to be counted among the nation’s leading nonprofits for accountability, transparency, and financial health,” said BCNC Executive Director Giles Li. “We understand that serving over 3,000 constituents every year requires us to hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we are honored to be recognized for doing so.”

“BCNC’s exceptional 4-star rating sets it apart from its peers and demonstrates its trustworthiness to the public,” according to Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator. “Only a quarter of charities rated by Charity Navigator receive the distinction of our 4-star rating. This adds BCNC to a preeminent group of charities working to overcome our world’s most pressing challenges. Based on its 4-star rating, people can trust that their donations are going to a financially responsible and ethical charity, when they decide to support BCNC.”

Since 2002, using objective analysis, Charity Navigator has awarded only the most fiscally responsible organizations a 4-star rating. Charity Navigator uses 17 metrics, focused on governance and ethical practices as well as measures of openness, to assign its ratings. These metrics reveal which charities operate in accordance with industry best practices and whether they are open with their donors and stakeholders.