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Councilors press ONS on Cantonese staffing after Chinatown concerns
Summary
Councilors pressed the Office of Neighborhood Services to recruit Cantonese-speaking staff to better serve Chinatown and other neighborhoods where residents primarily speak Cantonese; ONS said it is recruiting but had no immediate hire to report.
Boston — At a May 27 hearing, multiple councilors urged the Office of Neighborhood Services to prioritize hiring Cantonese-speaking staff after district offices and residents in Chinatown said language barriers limited access to services.
Councilor Flynn raised the issue directly, saying his Chinatown constituents "only speak Cantonese" and that neighborhood liaisons and the mayor’s office should have Cantonese speakers on staff. "I represent the large Chinese community ... they only speak Cantonese. That's why it's important to have a Cantonese speaker," Flynn said.
ONS Director Lindsay Santana acknowledged that, as of the hearing, ONS did not have a Cantonese-speaking staff member in the neighborhood services office and said the department uses a city translation hotline available in "11 to 12 different languages" as an interim measure. "Within ONS right now, not currently. No," Santana said when asked if Cantonese speakers are on staff.
Councilors pressed for a timeline. Santana said ONS was actively recruiting but had no candidates to report and committed to continue recruitment and follow up with council offices about urgent needs. "We are still doing the recruitment process," she said.
Why it matters: Chinatown and parts of the South End and Bay Village include residents who rely on Cantonese for daily communication. Councilors said on-the-ground liaison presence with Cantonese fluency is preferable to using third-party translators, particularly in crises such as fires and housing displacement.
No formal hiring decision was announced at the hearing. ONS said it would continue recruitment efforts and offered to follow up with council offices about interim arrangements to ensure effective communication with Cantonese-speaking residents.
