City Council - Government Operations Committee Hearing on Docket #0138

Governing Body: Boston City Council - Government Operations Committee Meeting Type: Hearing Meeting Date: November 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM Attendees:

• Councilor Benjamin Weber (Vice Chair)
• Council President Ruthzee Louijeune
• Councilor Brian Worrell
• Councilor Edward Flynn
• Jose Masso (Chief of Human Services)
• Ashley Montgomery (Executive Director, Office of Returning Citizens)
• Michelle Goldberg (Central Staff Liaison)
• Ellie (Staff)

• Councilor Benjamin Weber (Vice Chair) opened the hearing, noting it was held virtually in accordance with Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025.
• The hearing was on Docket #0138, an ordinance codifying the Office of Returning Citizens, sponsored by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and referred to the committee on January 8, 2025.
• The ORC was created in 2017 by then-Mayor Marty Walsh's executive order and has since expanded under Mayors Janey and Wu.
• Ashley Montgomery has directed the office since 2024.
• A redlined version of the ordinance, developed in partnership between the sponsors and the administration, was distributed for discussion.
• Council President Ruthzee Louijeune emphasized her commitment to strengthening the ORC, highlighting its growth in capacity, ability to issue grants to nonprofits (especially those led by Black and Brown women with lived experience), and its vital role in reducing recidivism for the over 3,000 people returning to Boston from incarceration annually.
• Jose Masso (Chief of Human Services) provided context on the ORC's evolution under Mayor Wu's leadership:
  • Staff increased from 2 to 11.
  • Annual budget increased tenfold from approximately $200,000 to over $2.5 million.
  • This investment has expanded client services, particularly in housing and employment.
• Ashley Montgomery (Executive Director, ORC) presented an overview of the ORC's work:
  • Staffing: Fully staffed with 11 team members and a social work intern from Boston College.
  • Case Management:
    • Currently serves approximately 680 active clients.
    • Each case manager supports nearly 200 clients.
    • Clients remain engaged for an average of 368 days.
    • Receives roughly 15 new registrations weekly.
    • Offers open office hours two days a week; no current waitlist, but clients may wait up to 14 days for formal case manager assignment.
  • Workshops: Offers reoccurring workshops on credit, digital literacy, professional suiting ("Suits to Smiles" room), and BPL essentials. Also offers entrepreneurship, CORI sealing, housing, and employment workshops.
  • Employment:
    • Created 29 new employer partnerships this year.
    • Placed 86 clients in jobs year-to-date.
  • Housing:
    • Currently working with 92 clients.
    • Placed 49 clients into housing in FY25.
    • 61% of placements secured through BHA housing vouchers.
    • 24% of placements were in single room occupancies.
    • Assists with applications like RAFT and furniture assistance.
  • Grants:
    • Awarded over $4 million to organizations from FY23-FY25.
    • Awarded $250,000 to 12 organizations for Youth Reentry Grants in FY26 through participatory budgeting.
    • Two additional grant opportunities totaling $950,000 are available for housing and general reentry support.
  • Community Engagement:
    • Hosted a family cookout and a community Thanksgiving gathering with a turkey giveaway.
    • Partnered with Justice System Partners for a needs assessment with 312 participants.
    • Identified key barriers: transportation, digital equity, housing, and social supports.
    • Responses include extending office hours beyond Dimmock Street, enhancing housing support, hosting family-friendly events, and developing a peer support program.
    • Collaborates with the city's digital equity team for bi-monthly drop-in sessions.
  • Focus Groups: Conducted with community partners and incarcerated/formerly incarcerated individuals, highlighting strong leadership, dedicated staff, willingness to collaborate, and inclusivity.

• Original: "hereby established within the City of Boston, the Office of Returning Citizens, which shall provide support services for the formerly incarcerated to assist in their successful reintegration of the community."
• Redline: Changed "ensure their successful reintegration" to "assist in their successful reintegration."
• Outcome: Council President Louijeune accepted the change, acknowledging the difficulty of "ensuring" outcomes.
• Proposed Addition by Council President Louijeune: At the end of Section 1, add: "The office recognizes the value of returning citizens as both recipients of services or clients and as leaders helping to shape the vision and work of the office."
  • Discussion: Chief Masso expressed general agreement but raised a minor concern about the phrase "shaping the vision" if it implied commitments the office couldn't fulfill. Director Montgomery clarified the distinction between "clients" and "recipients of services," noting that not all service recipients are active clients.
  • Outcome: The proposed language was generally accepted, with a commitment from Chief Masso to review it with legal counsel for final wording by Friday.

• Advocacy and Legal Aid:
  • Original: "serve as an advocate for returning citizens by addressing barriers to reintegration, including employment, housing, original legal aid and access to health and mental health services."
  • Redline: Removed "serve as an advocate" and "legal aid."
  • Discussion: Director Montgomery explained the removal of "legal aid" because the ORC does not directly provide legal advice but refers clients to partners like Greater Boston Legal Services. Councilor Weber noted the inconsistency, as the ORC also doesn't directly provide housing or mental health services but advocates for them.
  • Outcome: Council President Louijeune accepted the change, viewing legal aid as a potential area for future growth.
• Coordination:
  • Original: "to coordinate re-entry services across city departments and nonprofit organizations, to support returning citizens, and ensure returning citizens have access to necessary resources."
  • Redline: Removed "and ensure returning citizens have access to necessary resources" and "community partners."
  • Outcome: Council President Louijeune accepted the change, noting "nonprofit organizations" covers "community partners."
• Employment and Workforce Development:
  • Original: "develop and promote programs that support the Employment and Workforce Development of Returning Citizens including partnerships with employers, job training programs, and CORI-friendly employment opportunities."
  • Redline: Changed "partnerships" to "collaborations" and removed "CORI-friendly employment opportunities."
  • Outcome: Accepted.
• Housing:
  • Original: "Assist returning citizens in securing stable housing through partnerships with housing providers and programs such as the Department of Corrections Housing Voucher Initiative."
  • Redline: Changed "partnerships" to "collaborations" and removed the specific example "such as the Department of Corrections Housing Voucher Initiative."
  • Outcome: Accepted.
• Healthcare Access:
  • Original: "ensure access to health care services including mental health and substance use treatment by coordinating with health care providers, insurance services, and community health organizations."
  • Redline: Changed to "work with organizations to improve access to health care services including mental health and substance abuse treatment" and removed specific coordinating entities.
  • Discussion: Council President Louijeune inquired about the impact of the ORC's new location at 30 Dimmock Street on healthcare access. Chief Masso confirmed the intentional choice of location for better partnerships with Dimmock and Whittier Street Health Centers.
  • Outcome: Accepted.
• Financial Independence:
  • Original: "Promote financial independence by offering financial literacy programs, entrepreneurship opportunities, and assistance with accessing financial services."
  • Redline: Changed to "promote financial independence by offering workshops and training," removing specific program examples.
  • Outcome: Accepted, allowing for flexibility in program offerings.
• Community Engagement:
  • Original: "engaged with local communities and stakeholders to raise awareness of the challenges faced by returning citizens and encourage public participation in supporting reentry initiatives."
  • Redline: Removed "and stakeholders."
  • Outcome: Accepted, with Chief Masso clarifying that "communities" implicitly includes stakeholders.
• Data Collection and Reporting:
  • Original: "collect and maintain data on returning citizens served by the office and provide an annual report to the mayor and the city council detailing the office's activities, outcomes, and recommendations for policy or program changes."
  • Redline: This entire bullet point was removed.
  • Discussion: Council President Louijeune and Councilor Weber expressed strong concern about the removal, emphasizing the importance of accountability and providing data to support the ORC's work, especially during budget season. Chief Masso explained the removal was due to concerns about feasibility and not "pigeonholing" the office, noting that reporting often occurs during budget season. He also mentioned that the Office of Black Male Advancement provides annual reports.
  • Proposed Revision:
    • "Collect and maintain data on returning citizens served by the office."
    • "Provide an annual written review to the mayor and the city council by April 1, detailing the office's activities, outcomes, and if any, recommendations for policy or program changes."
  • Outcome: Chief Masso agreed to review this revised language with legal counsel, acknowledging the value of an annual update for accountability and resource allocation.

• Original: "The Office of Returning Citizens shall be headed by an Executive Director, who shall be appointed by the mayor. The executive director shall serve as the principal advisor to the mayor and the city council on matters related to the reintegration of returning citizens." (Unchanged)
• Daily Operations:
  • Original: "oversee the daily operations of the office, including staff management, budgeting, and the implementation of reentry programs."
  • Redline: Changed to "oversee the daily operations of the office," removing specific examples.
  • Outcome: Accepted.
• Partnerships:
  • Original: "establish partnerships with public and private organizations to enhance the services provided to returning citizens."
  • Redline: Changed "establish partnerships" to "collaborate."
  • Outcome: Accepted.
• Compliance and Advocacy:
  • Original: "ensure compliance with all relevant laws and policies and advocate for legislative changes to approve outcomes for returning citizens."
  • Redline: This entire bullet point was removed.
  • Discussion: Council President Louijeune expressed concern about removing advocacy for legislative changes, citing the need for CORI reform. Chief Masso stated that collaboration with public and private organizations could cover advocacy, and compliance with laws is an inherent responsibility of a city employee.
  • Outcome: Accepted.

• Severability: Standard language for severability of provisions.
• Effective Date: 90 days after passage.
• Outcome: Accepted without discussion.

• No public testimony was received.

• The Chair intends to bring Docket #0138 up for a vote at the next City Council meeting.
• Final revisions to the ordinance, particularly regarding the annual reporting requirement and the proposed addition to Section 1, are to be submitted by Friday.

The hearing was adjourned.