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Boston Office of Returning Citizens details staffing gains, housing efforts and data plans at budget hearing
Summary
City officials described a fully staffed Office of Returning Citizens, new case management tools, partnerships with nonprofits and a small pool of housing vouchers during a May 19 committee hearing on the FY26 human services budget.
Boston City Council Committee on Ways and Means Chair Brian Worrell heard a presentation May 19 on the Office of Returning Citizens’ FY26 budget and programming, where officials outlined staffing increases, new case-management technology, grant awards and housing placements aimed at connecting people returning from incarceration with housing and jobs.
The presentation matters because housing and employment are recurring barriers for people exiting custody, and the city described both pipeline-building efforts with employers and a limited set of housing resources tied to the Boston Housing Authority and local grant funding.
Jose Maso, chief of human services for the city of Boston, introduced the Office of Returning Citizens (ORC) and said the office is part of the Human Services Cabinet that coordinates services across multiple departments. Ashley Montgomery, executive director of the ORC, said the office is now “fully staffed,” and highlighted three operational changes: hiring a director of case management, adding a community outreach specialist,…
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