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| 波士頓慈濟新春祈福。 |
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| 波士頓慈濟聯絡人吳建發(右三)和慈濟人陳裕逢(又一)，李以蕙(左三)，彭淑敏(左二)等人，歡迎駐波士頓經文處處長徐佑典，杜麗雲夫婦(右四、五)，僑教中心主任歐宏偉(右二)，羅倫斯中心主任等人。 |
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| 陳志新老師與波士頓慈濟鼓隊成員。 |
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| 慈濟師兄陳裕逢(右)等人會後奉茶。 |
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| 吳建發(右)，陳裕逢(左)與波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉。 |
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| 波士頓慈濟師兄師姐點心燈，獻祝福。 |
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| 波士頓慈濟聯絡人吳建發代表證嚴上人發福慧紅包給出席者。 |
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| 波士頓經文處處長徐佑典，杜麗雲夫婦領得福慧紅包，滿心歡喜。 |
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| 波士頓慈濟人在新春期間帶竹筒回娘家。 |
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| 波士頓慈濟師兄師姐合影。 |
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| 夥伴醫療公司(Partners HealthCare )執行長David Torchiana 宣佈四月底退休。(檔案照片，周菊子攝) |
| MAYOR WALSH AND BOSTON TAX HELP COALITION KICK OFF 2019 FREE TAX PREPARATION SERVICES |
BOSTON - Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today joined the Boston Tax Help Coalition and other community partners at the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment to highlight free tax preparation services available to low- and moderate-income Boston residents. The Coalition provides free tax preparation services at more than 30 partner locations throughout the City to help residents who earn $55,000 or less per year maximize the Earned Income Tax Credit and claim the full refunds they are due.
"The free, IRS-certified tax services offered by the Boston Tax Help Coalition are an opportunity for hard-working Boston residents to save money," said Mayor Walsh. "I thank our dedicated volunteers who make these efforts possible, and encourage the thousands of residents who are eligible for these services to take advantage of them."
The Coalition serves approximately 13,000 taxpayers per year and last year enlisted hundreds of volunteers to return $24 million in refunds and credits directly to taxpayers.
"As a business owner, I have saved a lot of money on having my taxes prepared at the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment," said Cynthia Jones, founder and CEO of The Women's Group of New England. "I am now moving forward and growing my business. I am so thankful for the staff at the Center. They were there when I needed them."
In addition to tax preparation, the Coalition provides clients with other services to improve their financial health. For example, the Coalition connects taxpayers to Bank On Boston, an initiative launched by Mayor Walsh that helps residents identify banking services that are safe, affordable, and non-predatory. Trained financial guides also offer taxpayers the Financial Check-Up, a key component of Boston Builds Credit, the City's free credit building program. A Financial Check-Up is a one-on-one session in which a taxpayer can review his or her credit score and obtain personalized credit-building strategies. The Boston Tax Coalition offers Financial Check-Ups at 15 tax sites, up from 12 last year.
New this year, the Coalition will also be using the Financial Check-Up as an outreach tool to identify taxpayers who aspire to homeownership. These taxpayers will be eligible for Homebuyer Readiness workshops and individualized financial coaching and credit building assistance to help them work toward that goal. These services will be available at the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment, with additional workshops offered through community partners across the city.
These homeownership services are made possible by a $175,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation as part of the organization's NeighborhoodLIFT program, a $6.75 million commitment to boost sustainable homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods.
"Wells Fargo is passionate about helping individuals, families and communities achieve their goals," said Jennifer Crampton of Wells Fargo's Community Lending and Investment division. "These local initiative grants will help most Boston area residents who want to become homeowners - a goal that aligns perfectly with the NeighborhoodLIFT program. We are excited to work together to make lasting changes for the better."
"The beginning of the tax season is our favorite time of year," said Alan Gentle, manager of the Roxbury Center for Financial Empowerment. "We see many residents who have been getting their taxes done with us for years. Plus, we're able to connect taxpayers with other services offered by our bilingual staff - from financial coaching to small business assistance to, now, homebuyer assistance."
The Boston Tax Help Coalition is part of the Mayor's Office of Financial Empowerment.
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| MAYOR WALSH BREAKS GROUND ON PHASE 1 OF THE LENOX/CAMDEN REDEVELOPMENT IN ROXBURY |
BOSTON - Tuesday, January 29, 2019 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Boston Housing Authority (BHA) Administrator Bill McGonagle today kicked off a $23 million redevelopment of 367 affordable housing units at the Lenox/Camden Housing Development. In Phase One, BHA's developer Beacon Communities, will improve and preserve 72 units of affordable public housing on Camden Street in Roxbury. Phase Two will include the renovation of the adjacent Lenox site, which is slated to begin next year.
"This renovation marks an important new chapter for this historic development, and I am proud to begin our work together today to make his neighborhood stronger than ever," said Mayor Walsh. "This redevelopment will not only modernize these buildings to make them more energy efficient, safe and accessible, but will help us continue to set a national standard for quality public housing."
The Camden development will undergo substantial renovations to all 72 of its apartment units, including new kitchens, bathrooms, paint, flooring, and windows. The project will modernize the building, bring energy-efficiency improvements, improve accessibility throughout the site, and create four fully handicap accessible units, as well as landscaping improvements. The Camden project is expected to create more than 60full-time jobs by the time of the project's completion in June 2020.
"One of our top priorities at the BHA is to improve the quality of life of our residents and ensure that they can count on their affordable housing as long as they need it," said BHA Administrator Bill McGonagle. "This project will give our residents an upgraded site that is accessible, environmentally friendly, and vibrant, and it will protect the site's affordability for decades to come."
"Beacon is proud of our long partnership with the Boston Housing Authority and grateful to the many city and state and federal agencies and other partners who made this transaction possible," said Beacon Communities CEO Dara Kovel. "The rehabilitation will allow for Camden Apartments to serve as a quality affordable housing resource for many years to come."
Camden was one of the first city projects authorized under the Commonwealth Veterans Assistance program, allocated to support returning veterans after World War II, and the only housing development of its kind built in Lower Roxbury. Camden's history helped the site secure federal and state historic tax credits through the Massachusetts Historical Commission and the National Park Service.
The planned renovations represent an investment of more than $23 million that will preserve Camden's long-term affordability through new operating subsidies and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The state public housing subsidy will be replaced by 48 federal Project-Based Vouchers for low-income residents, and 24 subsidized vouchers that will be funded through the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program. Funding partners for the project include MassHousing, the Department of Housing and Community Development, BlueHub and Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston. RBC Capital Markets is providing equity associated with the project's tax credits.
"We are proud to support the revitalization of the Lenox/Camden Housing Development with more than $15 million in direct funding and federal tax credit equity to preserve this important resource for Boston residents," said Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Janelle Chan. "Our partnership with the Boston Housing Authority and Beacon Communities will improve the quality of life for residents and ensure the building will remain affordable for future generations of families."
The Camden/Lenox renovation strongly aligns with the City's housing goals outlined in Housing a Changing City: Boston 2030. Mayor Walsh recently increased the City's overall housing targets from 53,000 to 69,000 new units by 2030 to meet Boston's population growth. These updated housing goals build on Mayor Walsh's commitment to increasing access to home ownership, preventing displacement and promoting fair and equitable housing access.
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| 丹麥高等教育及科學部長Tommy Ahlers。(周菊子攝) |
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| 波士頓丹麥創新中心負責人暨丹麥科學領事 Torben Orla Nielsen。(周菊子攝) |
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| 丹麥駐華府大使Henrik Bramsen Hahn。(周菊子攝) |
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| 丹麥創新中心慶祝成立，舉辦了一場生物醫藥座談。 (周菊子攝) |
