Boston City Council panel hears testimony on proposed fire victims relief fund

BOSTON — July 10, 2025 — Boston City Council committee examines gaps in fire victim support, weighs dedicated relief fund. The Committee on City Services and Innovation, chaired by Councilor Enrique J. Pepén, held a nearly two-hour hearing Thursday on Docket No. 0314, co-sponsored by Councilors Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Brian Worrell, and Ruthzee Louijeune. American Red Cross Massachusetts CEO Holly Grant told the panel the organization assisted 584 Boston residents displaced by fires in the past year, providing just over $154,000 in cash — an average of $723 per client — against a citywide average hotel rate of $417 per night. The city's Office of Housing Stability, led by Director Danielle Johnson, reported spending close to $1 million this fiscal year on hotel assistance alone. East Boston Social Centers co-chair Fabrizio Pice, who lost his family's home in a 2024 fire, testified that the neighborhood's Eastie Fire Fund raised more than $50,000 in about a week but that per-family payouts of $1,500 to $2,000 "only takes you so far." Director of Neighborhood Services Lindsay Santana noted state anti-aid law bars the city from seeding a fund with operating dollars, meaning any Boston fire relief fund would require private or philanthropic financing.