Letters to the Editor

Supporting Our Seniors

To the Editor,

My name is Gerly Adrien. I am running a people-powered campaign to become your next Mayor. As a long-time Everett resident and current City Councilor At-Large, I want to introduce to you my Supporting Our Seniors plan.

Last week, I hosted three Senior Meet and Greets in Everett to listen to what is most needed from Seniors. I also reached out to people who I knew and gained insight from listening on the doors.

We need to invest into our Seniors. Programs such as nutrition services, hand-delivered nutrition services, such as Meals on Wheels, supportive services, transportation services, activities to promote social activities and wellness, employment and community service, elder rights protection, long term care and family caregiver support, are crucially important.

At a time where more older adults than ever need assistance and support to make ends meet, we need to be leading in services and programs to ensure there is continued support. It is crucially important to empower Seniors to remain healthy and financially secure in their own homes.

I am committed to making sure that seniors have the financial and medical resources to enjoy their golden years.

•Seniors to feel secure and safe in staying in their homes

*Create the Homeowners and Tenants Protections Office at City Hall.

*Allow for longer grace periods for past-due taxes.

*Partner with the Everett Housing Authority and allow for greater City/resident control of the Everett Housing Authority.

*Invest in a home repair program where the city can provide aid to homeowners in need of home improvements.

*Give residents control to be part of the neighborhood planning efforts on what is being developed or built in their neighborhood. 

*A housing case manager and advocate to explain tenant and landlord rights.

*Working to make Everett senior housing a priority.

*Decrease property taxes for Seniors.

*Provide accessibility in their homes.

•Provide Programs and Resources

*Offer health services, social services, and wellness activities.

*Expand outreach to seniors, offer transportation so seniors can access services, expand the home-delivered meal program for home-bound seniors and increase the number of virtual programming offerings.

*Bringing together young people and older adults.

*Offer more TV programming on public access channels.

*Assist with Social Security claim reviews and appeals.

•Provide Mental Health Resources by bringing in mental health clinicians into several senior centers, housing and other places to have open conversations, mental health education, screen participants for depression, provide on-site counseling and make referrals.

•Make transportation more accessible by more benches at bus stops and ensure that all curbs are accessible.

•Access to technology and the internet by providing workshops and classes to help with the internet, emails, texts messages or any updates.

•Provide support for employment and other support

I welcome all feedback and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or call/text 617-835-8267.

Councilor Gerly Adrien Candidate for Mayor help alleviate suffering

To the Editor,

Today we see two new humanitarian crises developing on opposite sides of the globe,” said Daniel Pereira, Communications Director for the MIRA Coalition. “The collapse of the Afghan government and rapid advance of the Taliban puts the lives of hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians at risk – especially those employed by U.S. military and coalition forces over the last 20 years of war and conflict, as well as women and children.

In Haiti, we see a rapidly rising death toll as a result of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake just West of Port-au-Prince, further devastating a nation already suffering deeply from the COVID-19 pandemic, the assassination of president Jovenel Moïse, political and gang-related violence, and an incoming tropical storm.

MIRA urges the Biden administration to help alleviate suffering in both Afghanistan and Haiti by providing safety for those seeking refugee status and protection. Given our government and military’s involvement in Afghanistan over the last two decades, we have a duty of care to those civilians the U.S. employed over those 20 years, who may now face violence and reprisals from Taliban forces. 

These civilians can be protected in the short term and given shelter, and the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program can be both expanded and expedited, given that more than 300,000 Afghans have had some affiliation with US forces, yet only 16,000 Afghan SIVs have been issued since the program began in 2014. The U.S. could also extend TPS protection to Afghans now residing in the U.S., and assist on-the-ground efforts to protect and resettle the many refugees who will doubtless begin seeking routes out of the country.

MIRA also calls on the Biden administration to provide immediate humanitarian relief to Haiti and to implement an immediate halt of all deportations to Haiti, including deportations at the border. The Biden administration and Department of Homeland Security should also expand and open up the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti, allowing those who may arrive in the coming weeks and months to also receive TPS status.

Massachusetts        

Immigrant and

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