Representative Steven Ultrino (D – Malden) today released a report detailing his office’s work with constituents between August and December of 2020. In these five months, Representative Ultrino and staff responded to 316 individual constituent inquiries and requests for assistance.
The plurality of these inquiries and requests for assistance came in November. This was the peak of an upward trend which began in August with 20 calls and continued through September with , October (79) and November (93) before a slight decline in December (55). (See graph below)
Representative Ultrino and staff connected 292 constituents (92%) with the resources they needed to resolve their questions and get the assistance they needed, while they continue to work with the remaining 24 constituents to ensure they get the resources they need.
Nearly two-thirds (65.9%) of constituents’ requests for assistance were related to unemployment, while housing (16.7%), food (7.6%), and transportation (5.3%) were the next most requested forms of assistance, respectively. The remaining 4.5% of requests were related to veterans’ issues, local issues, and healthcare. (See pie chart below)
Constituent calls on issues in the legislature addressed a diverse array of topics with most calls (33.3%) addressing the fiscal year 2021 state budget, followed by police and criminal justice reform (13.8%), reproductive justice (10.6%), and civil and voting rights (9.5%) as constituents’ highest priorities. The remaining calls addressed legislation on education, housing, taxation, healthcare, and transportation. (See pie chart below)
“I’m so grateful to all the members of our community who put their trust in my office to help with a variety of issues, some very sensitive and difficult to discuss. My staff and I see this community as family, and like any family, we’re always here to offer our support” said Representative Ultrino. “I’m also incredibly thankful for our partners in the community without whom we couldn’t do this work. It would be impossible to name all these people and organizations on a single page, but I want to give a particular thanks to Action for Boston Community Development, the Malden Redevelopment Authority, Malden Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and Portal to Hope for their partnership during this difficult year.”