BOSTON (July 14, 2025) — Boston Metropolis Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata sponsored a listening to to debate creating an emergency aid fund for hearth victims and to discover long-term options for hearth prevention and emergency response. Earlier this yr, she launched the listening to order as a part of her ongoing work following a wave of residential fires that displaced households throughout Boston and left many with out steady housing, meals, or monetary sources.
“These tragedies don’t finish when the flames exit — they ripple by our streets, faculties, church buildings, and neighborhood areas as households and neighbors navigate profound loss. In East Boston, we’ve seen unbelievable acts of solidarity, with neighbors launching donation drives, delivering meals, and organizing fundraisers. It’s time for the Metropolis to step up with a standardized, citywide response that ensures nobody is left behind. A Hearth Sufferer Fund with clear eligibility standards and equitable distribution can function a lifeline throughout somebody’s worst second,” mentioned Councilor Coletta Zapata. “I’m grateful for the considerate dialogue with my colleagues, the administration, and neighborhood members, and I look ahead to persevering with this necessary work.”
Coletta Zapata believes {that a} devoted Hearth Sufferer Fund would provide speedy help to people affected by emergencies, masking pressing wants akin to housing, meals, and clothes. The Councilor has proposed exploring philanthropic and strategic partnerships to sustainably fund the initiative and pointed to different cities like San Francisco which have efficiently carried out a municipal aid fund.
Through the listening to, Councilors have been joined by members of the administration together with Lindsey Santana, Govt Director of the Mayor’s Workplace of Neighborhood Companies, Adrian Jordan, Chief of Emergency Preparedness, Paul Burke, Commissioner and Chief of the Boston Hearth Division, and Danielle Johnson, Director of Workplace of Housing Stability. Emergency help is managed by a collaboration between a number of Metropolis departments, together with the Workplace of Neighborhood Companies, Emergency Administration, and the Workplace of Housing Stability, alongside the Purple Cross. The Hearth Division ensures security and sufferer help, whereas Emergency Administration and the Purple Cross tackle speedy wants. The Workplace of Neighborhood Companies works with residents ensuring wants are elevated, and the Workplace of Housing Stability helps residents perceive their rights, entry momentary shelter, and hook up with sources, together with monetary help for housing prices. Neighborhood organizations usually step in to fill remaining gaps, organizing fundraisers and accumulating clothes and different necessities.
The listening to highlighted the important want for speedy, versatile monetary help for households recovering from emergencies, which frequently go away households with unexpected prices exceeding $10,000. Representatives from the Purple Cross shared that, along with case administration and psychological well being help, they supply a median of $723 in speedy help to assist cowl pressing wants akin to transportation, meals, clothes, or hire. San Francisco has efficiently created structured Hearth Aid Funds, with private and non-private {dollars} administered in partnership with trusted nonprofits guaranteeing quick, versatile help to households based mostly on want. Councilor Coletta Zapata convened the listening to to discover how Boston might implement the same, structured fund to handle current gaps and higher help residents in disaster. The dialogue additionally underscored the necessity to maintain landlords accountable, noting that Massachusetts regulation requires them to supply $750 in tenant relocation help after a fireplace or fire-related injury — a duty many usually fail to fulfill.
Boston residents testified in help of the proposed devoted Hearth Sufferer Fund, highlighting the necessity for a standardized and equitable course of to assist households rebuild within the aftermath of a fireplace and to ease the burden on already stretched Metropolis departments and neighborhood organizations.
A recording of the listening to could be discovered at www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHFbtvBYxtw.
This listening to is co-sponsored by Councilor At-Giant Ruthzee Louijeune and District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell. This docket will stay within the Committee on Metropolis Companies and Innovation Know-how and future conversations can be held.
For press inquiries, please contact the Workplace of Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata at (617) 635-3200 or by way of e mail at gabriela.ramirez@boston.gov.
