Welcome to the Committee of Housing, Community Development and Equity.

This is your chair speaking.

Uh City Council at Large, Kristen Strezzo.

Today is Wednesday, January 28th, 2026.

It is 6.01 p.m.

We are in City Hall.

And we also are hybrid virtually.

And with that, I'd like to call this meeting to order.

This is roll call.

Counselor Saeed.

Counselor Link.

Present.

Councilor Streso.

Present.

With two counselors present, we have quorum.

Now pursuant to chapter two, the acts of 2025 with meeting of City Council Committee will be conducted via remote participation.

We will post an audio recording, audio video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive rec record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Summerville website and local cable access government channel channels.

With that, our first agenda item is approval of the committee minutes of the uh equity gender of seniors families and vulnerable populations committee from May 27th, 2025.

Can we just do a quick roll call on that?

For approval.

And for approval of agenda item one, Counselor Link.

Yes.

Councilor Shrezo.

Yes.

Those are approved.

We should have just taken the uh second item for the amendment because we have now broken them together and all consolidating.

So super.

Um we also take a gender item two up to for approval, move for approval, the minutes of the housing and community development committee of November 18th, 2025.

And for approval of agenda item two, Counselor Link.

Yes.

Counselor Shazo.

Yes.

Those are approved.

And I can see that Councillor Said is now in the room at 6.03 p.m.

So if it's just not like that.

So it's January.

It's cold.

And I really want to thank you very much for being here tonight.

We're going to take this next agenda item item three, resolution 260058, but for discussion.

This is a resolution by Councillor McLaughlin that the administration collaborate with East Summerville Main Streets and the Ward 1 City Councilor to promote E out in East to support East Summerville immigrant home businesses.

He is aware that this agenda item is happening and always happy to have him speak on it or throw in his further reflections on this and keep that room open.

So that'd be future time.

But right now it's just us in our committee.

So here to speak on this item.

Well, I guess first I don't know what's in Council McLaughlin's head, uh, so I won't speak for him, but uh I am also award one resident, and I'll I'll just uh talk very briefly about why I think that this is an important uh conversation to have.

Uh as we know, ward one is where a lot of our immigrant own businesses um are and also the Somerville has endured a lot in the past couple of years, and especially with a lot of uh domestic terrorism happening, people residents not feeling safe.

We know that business is down.

We know that um people don't feel safe to sometimes even do something as basic as well, their kids to school.

It's a really stippling time to be doing and as well.

I know there's been a lot of active staff to respond to that.

I think the dialogue conversation checked in is not important.

And uh I did ask uh our um some of the main streets executive director to be here today, and I just would like to have her speak before we have I mean and great very much for economic development for being here tonight.

Uh and very much thank you for coming and thank you for just uh sharing thoughts and for the dialogue.

But I did start with that, but wanted to have um as I already executed doctor Lisa to be there to speak on this with that.

You can uh please identify yourself and just we don't mind tell us tell us what you're seeing here.

Yes, um excuse me, I am uh working through a cult, so um, but Brunzy Allen.

Um I'm the executive director at East Summerville Main Streets.

Um as Councillor Shresau mentioned, the past uh has been very difficult for the neighborhood.

Um we uh particularly the last six months has been um very hard.

Um we uh um have started initiatives like EDAB and East.

Um we definitely see a consistent turnout on Wednesday nights for appreciative to the city for me um helping us promote it.

Um but when you look at the numbers of what is happening right now, it is alarming um on many levels.

We uh um since July have had five immigrant owned businesses close um for context um during COVID during the first three years of COVID, we had three businesses close.

Um we uh during our December financial health survey um heard from businesses 60 percent of them have seen declined revenue um in the past 12 months.

We uh um we had several businesses note that they were at risk of displacement in that survey.

Um for the revenue uh we have businesses uh reporting COVID like revenue.

So um numbers as low as COVID, but importantly without the funding that came along with that.

So without um funding from the federal government, the state, and the city.

Um so this is really a cross sector as well.

We are restaurant heavy in East Somerville, but it's not just restaurants.

Um our barbershops are struggling, our um specialty stores are struggling as well.

So um we just um two two weeks ago saw our largest anchor restaurant close.

Um and it is an alarming trend, and it is difficult to see.

Um, and I am hopeful that there's support that we can um really work together on to help um this very vibrant business district that I'm sure we all want to see continue to be so vibrant and diverse.

Thank you.

Um really quick, can we please put the um can we put the the members on the screen instead of the the agenda?

It's super and all we have that, but it's kind of the uh this is broadcast live watching, so this is it.

I'll on that key, we'll go to the agenda we're on.

But yes, what's on this screen is to the public.

So right, okay, yeah, got that.

And uh probably about um also a secondary um would be something.

Oh, I'm exactly thank you though.

I forgot to ask where hospitality.

Um that's what your reporting is really troubling.

And then um also when I think of that uh and may I may I say the rest of the restaurant?

I remember last year we talked about LaBrassa and how um just a couple of months ago it was they were given uh they were kind of they were reaching out about that as well.

I remember this.

So with that, uh this feedback um would love to have just a dialogue on this and hear more to sign up from the economic development your thoughts and please introduce yourself.

Um just for the record, and thank you again for being here.

Um this is where I love our conversations to just talk about what we're looking at.

It's January now.

What are we before us?

So thank you.

Welcome.

Sure.

So I can take things off.

Um three of us will be here to participate in the conversation.

So for the record and for those at home, uh I'm Richard McCurney, Director of Economic Development for the City.

I'm here with uh Deputy Director Dana Whiteside and our senior planner for businesses at our own friend.

Um so wanted to give a little context uh to what we've been up to for the last couple of months specifically around eDA on East.

Um in the around Thanksgiving is when we kick things off, where we had a confluence of several things happening where EMI's promotion was starting to kick off.

Uh Data Square emotions were coming to us and say, hey, we've got to turn the narrative around here in Data Square around getting folks to come on going to local businesses.

Uh, we had all of our holiday events in all the different squares coming up.

Um, and so we worked with the communications office to uh really spin it up into a broader campaign uh where we revitalized the loyal to local campaign that we've had in various other times in the past.

Um, and what that has allowed us to do is really take uh various opportunities and turn into a citywide.

So that has been running now with a big push in December, uh working on some things more for January, but I would say Nar Wilson in his first three days uh had multiple events focused on loyal and local messaging.

So he did a big push on what's going on, just saying, hey, sale as grand businesses, did a push with that.

Um and he also did this with like a walk uh 40 out on east as well and on social media.

So we're trying to really utilize social media channels.

We had some challenges in the month of December.

A lot of we have planned for um interactive campaigns.

Uh ran into some technical issues uh with Instagram.

Uh and so we've actually moved migrated venues for those activities to Reddit.

Uh, some of those are very active Reddit community, and so we've shifted the communication solutions to get folks to Reddit.

And what they're doing with those campaigns is to say, you know, tell us your favorite place to go out, tell us your codesias restaurant.

Um they're really trying to drive people to crowdsource um their sharing out of where they're going and their what they're doing to support development.

Or that campaign also was an a whole series of ways you can support your local businesses without spending anybody for those who in our community that isn't coming option right now of how do you uh you know share feedback positively, uh, share negative feedback privately, some of those messages um again to try and engage our resident community and being supportive.

We also did a little bit of a pivot on a casino mitigation grant that we had, uh feedback specifically already still on these streets.

So we had uh gotten to see an invitation grant to do a bus ad campaign that was focused on women loyal to local businesses.

We have been planning to use existing ads from our um take all shapes to make a square campaign, recognizing that the square didn't quite resonate with every district, and we someone closed that doesn't have square and we wouldn't.

And we did a little bit of a pivot, and so we also then also use that amplified a little local message.

So it's the same as that you see on the buses and as you will see on uh the sandwich boards around town, the lawn signs, the um blue light stations, uh, it's really a full blast across the whole community to say a limitation that we have though as a city government, right?

That uh we can do sub-campaigns to that.

We can't, but it has to be in the framing of uh the whole citywide.

So that's one of the communications limitations that our agents office had.

And so the Wellow has allowed them to do a lot of completion of these smaller uh campaigns like EDA East, but they can't really just bigger and brother.

And the idea is that we're using the larger oil local campaign for December, January and February throughout the winter, so it hasn't really been to be feel like stack yet.

We want to talk about the calendar.

Yeah, we're gonna work on this calendar and making sure that we put all the districts that were like promoting something.

So Wednesday was released.

Um, we wish we could do more, but I think we do unless we change the rules.

Um, we are not supposed to promote like but we thought about like coming in February coming up another calendar.

And I just need to give Blades and the staff a compliment where everything may be in the summer now.

We talk very frequently, right?

To make sure if we need any help.

And I wish they could have like little maiden A working a full-time position because she's doing her best, and we also are providing help, but I can tell how hard it is for them to cover all those persons and we need a special attention when we were when it came on with funding.

We need we were making sure that we were helping the business to apply, not just to promote the refunding, but sit with them.

And I know that they do like beautifully, and also we always gave them something.

But if we could do more than we've been doing, we would see we could really appreciate all the intervention or these summer than they should do.

So I'd say to run a story on this little local term, you have another month uh to go.

So there is a lot of opportunity to work with communications office and continue to look at new ways of engaging.

Um and again, we've just really watched these reddit little groups to kind of get people engaging.

Um we're hoping we have to thought of them again and see where Instagram is.

There's like a technical situation.

Um that would be might be on it.

I'm not entirely sure though.

There's um limitations on how you reach out to the Instagram campaign managers.

I love it.

Um and I I wanted to say uh before I open the floor to uh our counselors, uh I wanted to thank you very much for the loyal to local campaign.

I love as well that it's not just siloed on the screen.

You are out there with your art signs, very present.

It's um the ever so real resident is catching on.

I hear about it, and I very much wanted to thank you for that.

Um and and your work to be very your your intentional, but that your your your the intention of really getting in some people's face about it is very uh clear and the yard side, the sandwich boards, the off-the-beaten pathway that um covering all bases, it's I want to think it's that very much uh counselors uh on the interwebs.

Do you uh like uh counselor site um brought to you from Ward Five?

How's it going?

Good, thank you.

Uh hello everyone.

Uh through you, uh Chair Strezzo, I would like to thank uh city staff for all you've been doing to help the businesses uh here, especially in East Somerville.

Um it is a tough time in Ward Five also.

I'm hearing from immigrant-owned businesses uh about how tough it is.

Uh so anything we can do um right now is helpful.

And um also thank you for um to the ward counselor who's not here tonight with us for this initiative.

Um yeah, I'm trying to encourage even my ward people to uh order from um ward one immigrant-owned businesses um and go out also on Wednesday for delicious food.

Um yeah, it's just like that's how you know a lot of people you know get to travel and try different foods uh in our city.

And um also thank you for the representative.

Um sorry, with like the hybrid, they didn't uh uh write down the name, uh representing um the neighborhood.

Um yeah, chair if you could help with that.

Um Lindsay Lindsay.

Yeah, Lindsay, yes, Lindsay.

Uh thank you, Lindsay, for coming today to this committee and giving us um a full picture.

I think we've been hearing about the businesses struggling, but I think it's important to have this conversation and um yeah, like just learning that five businesses.

Um we've lost five businesses, I think is quite alarming.

Um, so let's all as a community work so that um we don't have other businesses that so we don't we lose more businesses, whether it's in World One or other wards.

Um so yeah, thank you for coming here tonight.

Thank you, Counselor.

Um Counselor Lick.

Uh yeah, uh so uh through church.

So uh just thanks um to everyone uh also, you know, though this is um real simple important and I'm I'm really glad that we are talking about it.

I understand that the um so there's you know an issue of what maybe like you can't like focus on one square specifically.

Is there um other avenues for um maybe focus like uh I was just thinking about what um counselor Said was saying, and is there um the potential for like a campaign of immigrant-owned businesses, for example, where we could sign additional spotlights and it wouldn't be specific necessarily the ward one um but could uh but also would include um ward one uh so you know is there any opportunities like that that we can potentially have yeah it's very much yeah, immigrant yeah, it's we wish we could, yeah, but by promoting like as in maybe international business or something, but for immigrant business, we were afraid about them by making them like a talking against involved, especially next week.

Especially next week, you know, then we heard someone state that that spreads this would be disappointed so that yeah.

Yeah, okay, understood.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, a lot of people don't feel safe and certainly don't want to be highlighted in that way.

That makes total sense.

Yeah.

Um deputy director.

Sure, thank you.

Uh um another consideration if we think about the support we want to give to all the business districts, of course, obviously you summarized the topic of conversation tonight.

Um, something around messaging that I think we want to remind that we maybe heard from some of the businesses we talked to.

They appreciate the the idea of promoting the districts, but this idea of quote unquote help.

Um, they want us to be mindful of uh not positioning them as being worse now, meeting or being capable.

Um, as we're trying to be mindful in our language around supporting the districts to say support um you know enjoy and live and to give you a positive connotation so that we're uh treating these businesses as like a wonderful entities that they are and not completely in a less positive way.

So we're I want to name that as I think we're also doing mindfulness.

Thank you.

Oh, sorry.

Thank you, Dr.

I'm sorry, I interrupted you.

Um thank you, Dr.

Director.

I never would have considered that.

I mean uh yeah we're bringing that up.

Please sorry, can you and then the last thing I would mention just for context because you you offered it also uh share um the the business that you venture that has closed with that we we make some audience to that owner to offer our support and thinking about how to reactivate that space, find another use, et cetera.

So that's been an ongoing collaboration, but it's really important to us to nothing.

We do the moment the folks since the today we were able to reach some property owner just to give business sense of what they are.

I know there's been a lot of conversation with the owner as well with business.

They have a fantastic one.

But it's we are we are limited, we do not have any resources at the moment.

There are no grants that allow us to do business direct business support right now.

Uh we city well, so there's we have multiple businesses that closed January is typically the month that you see business closures happen.

Um sort of it's not surprising that we see closures happening processing for a few of the other like jones they closed with the December and boom.

There's there's definitely actually it is the typical month because you don't make your mergers in December or even so it's um this is the new this high year we hear have these stories and it is tricky for honor because we don't have any resources that we all would love to be able to offer to somebody to sustain.

If I may end up, um director is with the no grants uh to do direct business support.

I and I know that a lot of that was gone from our right.

I when we had it, so is there are there grants that exist out there in currently, or was that kind of a one-time thing is that ever or how can we how can we support or was that completely just an anomaly of a limited time?

I think a lot of it was COVID specific.

I think we've seen a lot of that being really COVID-specific era of supporting that business like sustainability was really a COVID era thing.

There are the majors are able to access more grants than cities in a lot of ways, but there are grants for untensive systems that are grants for support.

Um I think that was means also from uh what grants are out there at least that are available to questions.

Um I'm wondering if you do in any cross city discussions.

I know Came Bridge has a pretty robust grant um system.

And even pre-filled, there was just pre main disposition, but I know there was the store grants movement um initiative at the city.

Um it's twofold one in terms of cross-city, we talk to Cambridge, talk to each other um other municipalities about their grant programs, and also how they kind of working through what's happening um with specifically in Grandma.

We definitely are within conversation with the region and colleagues for me.

there was the storefront movement um initiative at the city um so i'm wondering um it has twofold one in terms of cross city we talked to cambridge talk to each other um other municipalities about their grant programs and also how they kind of working through what's happening um with specifically in primary we definitely are with we're definitely in conversation with the emergency box and brands recommend me we have a monthly meeting of sort of the greater Boston area economic development department um the challenge really is that C D D the community development block prints is the source that most programs utilize for um their business grant programs that came to it is very difficult to implement on a business specific basis it's possible the storefront program we've had pre-COVID uh did work but it didn't reach very many businesses it is also the funding source that we use to we use that funding source right now to supplement for living streets programs so it's I think we have to look at what the the team there's a you know the whole infrastructure folks are making the decision of how the fundament for C BG funds is allocated and what the opportunities are maybe shift some of that towards not business programs that's not a decision that we're making it's a decision of the DBC I think of a whole um committee that's supporting those decisions thank you um and do you talk to the other municipalities project in a variety of ways um I would say we don't have a bit a little bit for these and yeah this has a number problem yeah um yes that's maybe because it is city score which they um health are not committed like business owners so lots of restrictions recently with uh are there other um are our municipalities that are similar to ours are they reporting the same um devastation i i i imagine so but do you have any impressions that you're able to share um uh it seems pretty consistent level too that's seem fairly it's there's certainly their district where it's more concentrated than what it doesn't just a matter of the clientele clientele control volume what's going to be a business that's specifically targeting it their clientalies specific group they may not that maybe I mean that's we are seeing it it doesn't seem like this is a some of the specific challenges really a regional national challenge okay counselors do you have any other um thoughts or um looks like no uh so with that I'll um close this item and we are always happy for the dialogue you know we just have it again maybe at a future time but I very much appreciate the conversation and I I also want to say that um I appreciate the the um the insight that you're hearing from you but also um thoughts that uh like how how else to support the business community like you mentioned um by these positive reviews or maybe not just blasting a business because of one bad model or whatnot um finding more constructive ways um and I definitely would love to hear more thoughts on that in in future conversations because I think that um someerville residents would really like to hear that too and that's the first time I'm hearing that and I definitely want to get more so I can blast it out and send it out to the to my constituents as well because I think those are great cost effective ideas in addition to other ones and if it's okay oh share I have some screen but there's a little calendar where do you get these calendars we're going to get this this uh information do you have them should need for this I'll know at this point we don't know exactly right but still important to spread the one in that email absolutely we can you I haven't seen these and maybe I just walked past it which is possible but if you're able to leave them city hall regularly walk them yes and okay we can I believe another wonderful okay um thank you very much and I hope we have a great thank you so much sold January day um with that up close the item and move on thank you so great good news on item four uh I just received a text at director Carroll's here um so we can talk a little bit about this item so order number two six zero zero eight three uh this is my items and I'll go a little bit into the rationale why it's here tonight uh yeah the director of health and human services discussed the findings for the recent US surgeon general advisory of mental health and wellbeing of parents and its recommendations depend

So great good news.

Item four.

I just received a text.

Director Farrell's here.

So we can talk a little bit about this item.

So order number two six zero zero three.

This is my item, and I'll go a little bit under the rationale why it's here tonight.

The director of health and human services discussed the findings for the recent U.S.

Surgeon General Advisory of Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents and its recommendations to fetters for care parents and caregivers.

So this item.

No, I'm just poking the screen.

But the attached document side, please.

And we talked um in this document.

Is there any way to adjust?

I have to there's no attachment on the item.

Oh, really?

There this carry over from uh last cycle, I can see.

Yeah, I'm not seeing on either 2600 eight three or 250118.

So I do recall this pretty decent graphics too.

That's so okay.

Um technical difficulties, it's not attached to the second, but we'll fix that at the later time.

The point of it of this order is really recognizing that um parents are are really struggling right now.

Um guardians are really struggling, and here in Somerville, we take things hyper-local, and I love that about us.

And we really try to do things that aren't done in in different uh places.

And this order is here before us tonight.

And I really was planning on just keeping it in committee uh because I know that uh Dr.

Carroll was I wasn't sure if she was able to speak on it or just to have a deeper conversation.

So I wanted to inspect her time and wait until she was able to, but it looks like she's here tonight, which is super.

But the the point of it is like when we talk about all the diverse groups that um that we need to be focusing our resources on and helping to just stabilize instead and tread the water instead of sink below the water surface.

Parents and families and caregivers are definitely top of the list, and I'm sure you've all heard it too.

Um, and we can't gaslight the situation that a lot of families are just enduring from after school care or lack of it to preschool care or lack of it to resources to how inflation has affected the price of diversion formula or any of those basic necessities and how families are really screwed over in a lot of native space.

So I want the dialogue, I want the conversation.

Um so we'll get that attachment later.

But as for now, um director Carroll is is here tonight, and thank you so much, Director, for being here uh on the interwebs.

Thank you very much.

Um good evening, members of the committee and through the chair, thank you for having me.

I'm Karen Carroll, the director of health and human services.

I use she her pronouns.

Um I am happy to be here tonight to talk about this report and this recommendation that was brought forward by counselor Strezzo to have a look at this report from the Surgeon General, um, the findings and the recommendations, and then to take a minute and reflect on how our work in HHS is addressing some of the findings um and maybe where some of the gaps are.

So thank you first for the opportunity.

Um I'm gonna just do a quick overview, and then I have some specifics under the recommendations that I will share.

This is by no means a comprehensive look at all of the city's programs, um, both within the city, within HHS, um, and within our partner agencies.

There is a lot going on.

So I don't want to feel like I've omitted anyone or any particular program, but I'm going to just talk high level and give some examples of some of this work that we're excited about.

So the findings of the U.S.

Surgeon General Advisory on Mental Health and Wellbeing of parents and caregivers are significant.

And as the chair, Councillor Strezzo just mentioned, the report again reiterates that parents are experiencing very, very high levels of stress.

We have these disproportionate effects.

So we have certain groups of parents and caregivers who are experiencing mental health issues and stress at an even higher level than the rest of the community.

And again, it's based on these social determinants.

These are families that are experiencing violence within community or within their home.

There are families experiencing poverty, racism, discrimination.

Again, all of these core underlying structural societal issues that play a big role in disproportionately affecting some of our families more than others.

The report talks about the need for strong parenting that leads to healthy children, which also in turn leads to healthy communities.

And I think this is something that we really try to understand and remember in our work that when we are meeting with a veteran or a senior, we are also meeting with the needs of their family and their community and what's going on for them.

Recognizing that, you know, if our parents are healthy, our children are healthy, then our societies are healthy healthy and operating better.

HHS again tries to keep this whole person view in mind.

When we see folks at the Nnex for case management and SNAP enrollment or fuel assistance, we also have fidgets for kids and toys, an area for the children who are often there with their parents to feel safe and comfortable and play.

And that allows the parents to feel comfortable and relax and converse with our staff and get their needs met.

Again, we know that simple and small things like basic needs, diapers, period products, wipes, again, as Counselor Strezzo mentioned.

These things have a huge impact on the mental health and well-being of the family.

There are many studies around postnatal depression linked to dirty diapers, and that if a parent does not feel like they are able to care for their child and provide these basic needs.

Are you talking to me?

Sorry.

Did you lose me?

Yeah, I think you'll go.

I'm trying to get you the trying to get the the um what we're talking about.

Um give me one second.

Sure, sure.

Um I I don't want hold that thought, write it down, please.

Yep, yep.

I got it.

I got my notes.

Thanks.

But one second.

Okay, I'm sending this out, and then hopefully we can send it to the um the committee.

Uh in the room.

There it is.

Yeah, the okay.

This is the the um it's parents under pressure.

Okay.

And then uh counselors, you should be receiving it shortly, and uh we'll get it on the screen.

Thank you so much for putting it on the screen as well.

And this is 2022, 2024, which uh let's call it what it is, seems like a world away.

This was done under the Biden administration, which is sad that it feels so distant now, even in just a short span of time.

Um I refuse to let this hard work and the data and research and importance of this go under the radar just by because of um discriminatory approach to dismissing the needs of families and children uh at a federal level.

There I said it.

Okay, um, sorry, Director, please, please please continue.

And forgive my um interruption.

I wanted to have this to accompany what you were saying.

Yeah, that's great.

Thank you, and no problem.

Um, yes, as you can see, the report is up.

And even things like period pre-period products and basic supplies, diapers and wipes, can profoundly affect the well-being and the mental health of a parent as well as a child.

And have lasting effects.

Postnatal depression can have lasting effects to a family for many, many years.

So we know these things, and we try to always recognize the full story of what's at play here.

Things like the Hope Framework, which again, we could spend a whole evening on that, and maybe sometime one of our staff can come back and talk about the work that we're doing in HHS and throughout the city with the HOPE framework.

This is a framework that is a positive approach to protective factors with youth.

So traditionally we've told youth what they shouldn't do, what's dangerous and why.

And we find that it's actually more powerful to build up the strengths of youth, and it can even counteract some of the adverse things, adverse experiences, childhood experiences that that child might have had in their life.

So this is a framework that we're adopting as an HHS department, and we're now slowly beginning to roll it out with our colleagues in the city and other agencies.

We'll be running a training in the spring.

It's a very exciting program to me.

I have seen Dr.

Seggy, who is the sort of main researcher and founder.

And it's again a positive approach to a family instead of seeing the youth or the adolescent as a problem and you know, addressing it in that sense.

We're we're working with parents and family and caregivers and teachers to find the strengths and build on those and go from there.

So I think these are all ways in which we are embracing that finding that strong parenting, strong families, makes strong children, which makes strong communities.

One is to promote and increase programs and support and financial support to programs for parents and families.

So you're going to hear about some of those.

I just want to highlight how our participatory budgeting process last year kind of led us also, community-driven to support some of these family programs like food access, out-of-school time programming.

These were really big things that the community said to us they want, and they voted for it.

So we are able to use those funds also to support that programming.

Maternal leave, you know, we know this is really important for families, social infrastructure, and economic and social barriers to mental health.

So I'll go through some of the policy and systems things that we have worked on in HHS.

Again, this is not a comprehensive list.

Is working towards increasing access to child care in various ways, including tuition assistance, affordability planning with centers and a multi-tiered system of supports.

Again, we had our a lot of ARPA funding that, as you all know, went into early childhood education and tuition, and then those dollars ended, but we were fortunate enough to receive this grant to allow us to continue some of that work and those programs.

Summer Promise also leads the out-of-school time steering committee designed to increase access to care for school-aged children.

This work builds upon the many years of work that went into building out the robust early childhood system and has already led to quantifiable results for families.

Summer Promise works with an early childhood social worker to provide mental health supports and child care to child care centers and families.

The William James Interface Referral Service is available to help match families with mental health supports to meet their needs, and the Somerville Hub is designed as a single point of entry for families to a seeking a multitude of services.

In addition, some of the other policy work throughout HHS has been a real push to actually enrolling people in benefit to provide permanent sustainable access to all health care, but also to mental health access.

We find that if we can connect people to a medical home to insurance, then they are able to begin to receive the services they need versus putting band-aids and offering clinics, those kinds of things.

So we're really excited about the amount of enrollment efforts that the department has taken on in the last two years and our ability to do Mass Health enrollments and SNAP enrollments at farmers markets, at engagement centers, at drop-in places in the community.

So this is really important, and from a policy point of view, this is the most sustainable option for ensuring people have access to medical care that they need, including mental health care.

Now, I will say that even with insurance, it is difficult to find providers.

We there are wait lists and we struggle with that as well.

But the first step is getting people connected and getting them insured so that they can begin to access the system.

We, of course, every year at budget time, we plan, we review our data, and we always seem to need additional services to support our families, our case management, our food access, all of those things.

We integrate mental health care and access into our programs.

So when we, for example, the warming center that runs in the extreme cold months of the winter for the unhoused, that is written into the scope of the service, that there will be additional mental health support and resources available on site.

And we partner with other agencies in the community to try to integrate those services however we can.

We get creative around ways in which those funds are allowable and can be used to support youth and mental health for youth.

So we've added 0.5 of a counselor to an already existing part-time role in the schools this year, using those funds.

And again, our council on aging, as they are dealing with parents or grandparents who are raising children, caregivers.

We offer social work and support and caregivers support groups to those folks.

So it's something again that policy work we're thinking through and building into all of our efforts and work.

And those are again just to highlight a few.

This initial visit is designed to welcome new parents to Somerville and create a sense of community through follow-up outreach events, referrals to other childhood programs, play groups, et cetera.

And also to be a link or a contact if there are postpartum or other issues upon the arrival of a new child in a home.

So again, really, really critical times for families, those first few days and weeks.

And our summer baby home visiting program is able to offer families support in that time.

Again, coming back to basic needs for individuals that we uh have recently installed, many of you know, two public health vending machines with free basic need supplies in them.

And many of those are aimed at families and uh young people.

We offer diapers, wipes, period products, birth control, um, and these dispensers as well as period product dispensers are available throughout the city for free.

Um so these are just a few of the highlights that I I wanted to raise, but as I said in the beginning, this is an opportunity to review these recommendations and findings, and we know the need is enormous from our families, and we know that we can be doing more.

So it's a question of how do we um leverage resources and partnerships with our other community agencies, and um how do we support these families who are in credit in incredible need.

So I will stop for the moment.

Um I am not an expert on all of these programs.

Many of them are run by staff within HHS who are more than happy to come talk with you more or provide additional information, um, but also appreciated the opportunity to highlight some of the efforts that they are making.

Thank you, Director.

And yes, agreed.

It's um I'm grateful to hear about the work that's being done and and in the broader community, and I'm grateful that we have a chance to talk about it and get it out there in the public because a lot of the work is sometimes quiet and behind the scenes.

We don't really get to see um on the ground until maybe a little gloop here or there happens.

So thank you very much for highlighting that, Director.

And I very much wanted to commend you and thank you so much for those vending machines and taking parent property into account in those vending machines and diapers as well.

Um, and wipes and emergency contraception.

I am so grateful that that was included.

Cannot say that enough.

Um, because it is extraordinarily important, valuable, and um frequently dismissed.

Um, and yeah, I agree that I hope that this is an ongoing uh dialogue and conversation uh on this and how to modernize as well.

And I um very much in the concert glossary and bringing this forward.

I want to make I would definitely want to defend that, yes, um, addressing our unhoused population and those in poverty and families in poverty is vitally important.

I'm also talking about the average regular Somerville resident who may drive a Subaru or may bike their kids to school every day.

The average Somerville resident and family is extraordinarily suffering as well.

And those are also the points that I'm trying to highlight as well by bringing this conversation.

The work on the unhoused has been um fantastic and vitally important and consistently necessary.

We're also not talking about the parents that were struggling to get their kids through snowbanks this morning.

And um, and so I um in general, just for the entire committee, uh, some of the points that I wanted to bring forward um for the record on this.

This is nothing to do with your doctor.

I'm just talking, like meaning like I'm not like this.

Is not like what do you think about this age of justice?

That's not what I mean.

I'm just uh bringing this up for the general public to get this uh to think about when we talk about paternal mental health, even paternal mental health.

Um we know that paternal mental health has been under study.

Research from from this study uh said that uh or from this this document.

And this, of course, was 2024.

Um perinatal depression occurs in 8 to 14 percent of men between the first trimester of a partner's pregnancy and the end of the first year plus part of paternal perinatal anxiety may occur in project into 18% of men.

Um, and and we don't really talk about that.

And I remember when I first read this study, um, on that same page when we talked about uh maternal mental health, the leading cause of pregnancy related deaths is mental health conditions.

22%, including from suicides, an overdose, poisoning related to substance use disorders.

Um another critical period for maternal mental health is a child's early years, and we know that um that there's a lot of silent struggling.

And then the document was talking about um loneliness and the epidemic of loneliness.

And of course, we've seen this in the broad spectrum of not just parents but across many summer residents, but parents themselves, when we talk about the statistics brought forward in this study, the fact that uh nearly 48% of parents report the most days their stress is completely overwhelming compared to 26% of non-parents every single day is overwhelming.

Um 33% of parents report high stress compared to 20% of adults, and we know that impacts the children.

Um and then the symptom of loneliness and how, like, say, for instance, in this dark cold January night, how that coupled with the concept of every single day becomes one more completely overwhelming day, how our constituents in the city are are feeling that.

And so um my hope is that um and then when we talk about my hope is that we really get creative and think outside the box on how we are supporting families and parents and all caregivers in Somerville.

And my hope, and then I'll open the floor to colleagues.

My hope is that we're talking about how we can help eliminate that loneliness, or how sometimes with some of I've I've heard from some of our residents of color that they feel very unsafe talking to social workers because social workers are the ones that take the kids away.

So there's that reality too.

So if you're a parent that's just struggling, and social workers are there to talk to you about your feelings, and social workers are the ones that take your kids away, then what?

So um it's a it's a long extensive conversation, but with that, I'm happily open the floor and colleagues.

Do you have any questions, thoughts, impressions, etc.?

Uh counselor Ling.

Uh yes.

So uh Dr.

Carroll, first of all, thank you for for coming and uh speak so link to the chair.

Um I had a couple questions, and um I guess my first is uh we talked a lot about the different services uh that are being offered um to parents, and uh it occurs to me that a lot of these um especially our uh some of these safety net things are things like Head Start um or programs that are maybe receiving um like SAMHSA funding, which um for about I guess it was maybe two weeks ago, um it all kind of went away for a day.

Um there was so I I'm curious, you know, like do we have any um contingencies set up for like you know how to keep these programs alive if um if the worst happens uh director through the chair, um, you know, some we we it's a complicated question.

I think we are always trying to plan and anticipate.

Um, and I think the schools are in the same position as well, um, very concerned about funding that will be coming through and whether it will be reduced, and by how much.

Um so you know, the most of these programs would be too large, certainly for HHS to pick up in uh, you know, within our budget.

We are very creative when it comes to looking at alternative funds, grants, that kind of thing that might be able to support.

Again, this CPPI grant, I mentioned the full name earlier.

But it's replaced some of the ARPA funding we had and the programs we had for early childhood tuition.

But our team was able to very quickly put in a grant application and were successful there.

So that was over a million dollars that was received earlier or in the fall.

So that's great.

But there aren't as many grants and things.

So it's a complicated question.

I appreciate the question.

It's something we are always grappling with, you know, is this program sustainable?

Is how can we make our efforts sustainable?

So again, it comes back to some of the benefits, enrollment, making sure people have SNAP benefits, have Mass Health, because those will go with them over time.

But there's just not a re enough resources, even with those things, we know that there is incredible need.

So you know, yes and no.

And we, I suppose we would come to when we learn of cuts or major impacts, we would be speaking with the administration, the council, um, and there could be opportunity to look at emergency funds if there were any available.

But again, some of these programs are so massive that um be really challenging.

But thank you for the question.

And it's definitely one that's always on our minds.

Yeah.

Um, truly, Chair.

Uh thank you for your answer um for the work.

I know that like, you know, especially, you know, when we talk about all the different stresses, uh, daycare, for example, I think in in this region specifically is maybe the most expensive in the US.

So like these programs are just like so, so so essential.

Um I appreciate that.

Thank you very much.

Okay.

Um thank you.

And I want to clarify because I'm not uh just uh that I I am not saying that social workers are the ones that take kids away, but I'm trying to emphasize as well is the is the skepticism and the nervousness that sometimes residents of color have told me that they feel don't feel safe talking all this about to social workers or that, and so a lot of social workers do great jobs, and they know they're very devoted, and they know they work hard.

So I'm trying to say they don't want to clarify that.

Um, but there is an absolute uh there are there's numerous statistics that say that presents of color are that they are when it comes to child care and stuff like that, they are not seen always in the same light.

And and that uh we have statistics for that that the dog that they it doesn't that that that the service doesn't always help the way it should say about that.

Uh and that there is a skepticism in that deep um that that racial bias absolutely exists and that's not okay.

So with that director say go ahead.

Um through the chair, uh thank you, uh director for being with us tonight and uh for highlighting all the efforts uh to support families, um whether HHS or other city departments.

Um yeah, I think it's important to um just take a moment and also talk, you know, to discuss what we're doing.

And um it is just taking a moment here to recognize that it is um yeah, these are difficult times, um, especially for families, you know, where they have little ones making sure they're fed, you know, they go to daycare and they have everything they need.

Um I think what we will say is uh, you know, counselor is um grateful we're in Somerville and we are trying to uh you know work on whether it's rent stabilization when you think about family what they need, they need rent that they can afford.

We're fighting for rent stabilization.

We need they need um, you know, we are here, we are union uh city, we support unions when they're fighting for fair contracts, uh better benefits, that's important because that's what addresses um you know, all you know we know many women, immigrants and people of color are not paid fairly.

So when uh union um is uh you know, uh negotiating about a contract addresses that aspect, the financial aspect.

Um, there's also for for benefits, same um whether it's paid parental leave or uh having access to health care and um yeah if a parent needs to take time off um to focus on their mental health, they can do that as well, not worry about not being paid.

So yeah, just trying to think about what we're doing as a city, these are all obviously you know, fights that take years, you know.

Um to uh you know to like be able to uh accomplish, you know.

Um and right now we know that in the schools, um, the after-school programming is really important, making sure that every family uh who needs that to access that program gets in.

That puts the stress on the the families.

Um so yeah, I hope we can continue to uh work on these things at the local level at the state level, and let us know um as a council what we can do, especially when as you mentioned, some of the these grants go away, and how we can um find a way to um the funds to uh so that those programs continue to exist.

Uh thank you, counselor side.

Um counselor Link, did you move it as I yeah, yes, thank you.

Um thank you, Chair.

Uh so I uh just a clarifying question for my own um identification here uh to the chair's um director Carol.

Uh does um does health and human services actually um touch anything with the uh out-of-school time?

I it does um through the chair, yeah.

We um have an out-of-school time coordinator position within our summer promise program.

Um, and that rule also heads up the out-of-school time committee steering committee, I think it's called in conjunction with the schools.

So, yes, we have um constant, you know, uh liaison on there trying to figure out where the gaps are and how to best fill those.

Um, and as I mentioned, you know, we had those additional uh participatory budgeting dollars that were allocated to out of school time.

So that position has been very busy this year.

Um but in a good way.

Okay, wonderful.

Please address through the chair.

Thank you.

Yeah, Councillor Link.

Did you want to continue?

No, no, I just back through the chair, thank you.

Sure.

Okay.

Um with that, uh, thank you very much for um the conversation.

Any uh additional thoughts or anything.

Uh Dr.

Carroll, thank you so much for for showing up tonight and uh for your insight and your work on this.

Um and uh yes, um I'm hoping that that we can uh keep the dialogue going on this 2024.

We'll have some more uh updates hopefully soon.

I'm assuming that it might be state level um or um even citywide, because um I'm not sure what federal statistics would look like these days.

Um so I'll leave with two positive notes about living in Massachusetts, which is a little more local.

That gives me hope because I think although positivity is always helpful.

Uh say for instance that the fair share tax allows free breakfast and lunch for every fifth files in school child and the schools, and I think that helps, and then also we have free college for anyone who has not your seat seed.

Um so those little touch points hopefully help uh families, caregivers, parents, etc.

For a better quality of life.

Um and that I think is a little positive touch on sometimes feeling like some really dark times.

With that, I'd love to keep this in committee.

Uh thank you very much.

And thanks again, Director, for having the conversation and the update.

Thank you.

Thank you for having me.

Good night.

Always um, and with that, we have one agenda uh item actually.

I was gonna ask the administration about if there were any thoughts about that.

Chris versus uh so we're done with that.

I already know, but would love to hear your thoughts, uh administration, Jesse Lewis, uh representing the committee.

Jesse Luce, uh representing the committee.

Oh, I I kept it in committee, but uh can we stop to second?

Yeah, good.

I totally forgot.

You're like applying the wall today.

It's great to have you.

Uh, in his debut appearance, I'd like to uh and we release our director of helping you with services, which I probably buddy told again.

Um grateful because I signaled that that's where we were going.

So that's on me.

Um, but uh just here we are in month one.

I'd love to hear as there have been conversations, or just give us something uplifting.

Thank you for though.

Yeah.

Uh meeting for the record, my name is Jesse Moose.

I'm thinking publicly.

Uh currently legislative leading on Rodassi, unable to attend meeting issue that conference in the regards.

Uh she will be reviewing this recording of the meeting at a later date and follow up any outstanding discussion items, not about just that, but also two other items uh questions that have come up uh regarding item 26 uh dash we have number four nine.

Unfortunately, Mr.

Not have enough time to prepare responding.

But we will work from parent response and look forward to seeing discussion item at that time.

So that is on order 260049.

Just really quickly um repeat that that the director uh housing and housing report to the council how many new housing units have been approved for development year by year since the adoption of some revision 2040 and of those numbers, how many permanent affordable and how the department defines affordability.

Um so yes, uh happy to keep that in committee um and talk about it at the later time.

And yes, uh so no discussion on that, keeping committee.

We ran out of agenda items.

Very good shot.

Every shall we do?

So with that, uh I I think I think we're out of committee items, and we should just uh uh move to uh end our discussion as one of the meeting.

Okay, and on adjournment, Councilor Sae.

Yes, answer link.

Yes, answer Shah.

We are adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you.