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Council approves series of federal workforce and HUD grants totaling millions
Summary
The council referred and passed orders accepting multiple federal grants — workforce development, HUD housing grants, and Reskilling/RESEA funding — to the relevant committees and approved several on suspension. Approvals will fund youth employment, career centers, homelessness services, and housing programs.
The Boston City Council on June 18 moved a package of federal and foundation grants to committee and approved several on suspension, covering workforce programs, job training, climate resiliency jobs, and federal HUD housing awards.
The clerk read dozens of dockets from the mayor’s communications and committee reports. The Office of Workforce Development will receive multiple Department of Labor grants and state-conveyed funds to support WIOA youth employment programming, reemployment services (RESEA), dislocated worker assistance, and career-center administration. The Council referred dockets 1188–1190 and 1192–1201 to the Committee on Labor, Workforce, and Economic Development for oversight.
The Committee on Housing and Community Development recommended passage of four HUD-related orders (dockets 0888–0886) to accept projected federal allocations: an estimated $16.9 million in community development block grant (CDBG) funds, approximately $4.94 million in HOME investment partnership funds, an estimated $4.0 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA), and $1.51 million in Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds. Councilor Braden, committee chair, said the awards are ‘‘not to exceed’’ authorizations because final federal allocations were not finalized at filing; the committee reported actual allocations that fall within the not-to-exceed amounts.
Committee chairs urged prompt authorization so programs and contracts can move forward: the grants support youth employment, shelter and rapid rehousing, housing rehabilitation, down-payment assistance, and workforce training programs tied to climate resilience. Councilors accepted the committee reports and passed the orders by voice vote in the chamber.
Why it matters: The package funds core workforce and housing programs that provide job placement, shelter, homelessness prevention, and affordable housing activities administered by the mayor’s offices and workforce department. Several dockets were referred to committee for detailed oversight and program-by-program review.
