Affordability & Jobs
To help Residents to have access to good, local jobs, Katjana’s administration
- Created pay equity standards for all employees union and non-union employees
- Launched a Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot to aid our lowest-income residents – the first of its kind in Somerville
- Committed more than $5 million in pandemic relief to local businesses
- Committed $500,000 in grant support for the nonprofit Arts at the Armory
- Created development carve outs of up to 550,000 square feet of new arts space to propel our vibrant arts community. We will work with our arts community to seize these opportunities
- Created and expanded workforce training, through our schools’ adult learning center, SCALE, and our City Division of SomerPromise
- Expand job training for all ages, including launching “Let’s Get Workin’: a partnership between DPW and the High School’s Center for Career and Technical Education to offer paid, hands-on job training in professions like HVAC, plumbing, and carpentry
- Launched new efforts to market businesses and skill-building support training
- We hired our first ever Digital Bridge Coordinator to build internet and device access as well as digital literacy for our most vulnerable neighborhoods. The fast pace of that work has already garnered Somerville recognition as a Digital Inclusion Trailblazer. Digital literacy helps residents to find good jobs
