Last week, MAPC published "A Community and Regional Rapid Response Plan: Significant Labor Force Disruptions' and Unemployment," which includes an analysis of critical needs for those unemployed due to COVID-19 and a detailed action framework for municipalities and the region to address the crisis.

The report examines the problem in and makes recommendations for setting up a network to respond, providing assistance to the unemployed, facilitating recovery, and fostering resilience.

MAPC prepared the report for cities of Beverly, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Revere, Salem, and Somerville and the Metro North and Greater Lowell MassHire Workforce Boards. However, many of the findings are broadly applicable for cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth.

The action framework is structured around the concept of a networked response, one that distributes actions across a range of actors to collectively leverage available resources and tools, to the short- and long-term recovery efforts.

In the action plan, MAPC identified the following steps for municipalities to take to lead an effective response to the COVID-induced unemployment surge.

• Formalize communication systems between intergovernmental departments and outside organizations through codified MOU/MOAs
• Identify and implement a shared technology that enabled quick and responsive inter-agency organization and communication
• Expand the network of stakeholders currently involved in this work to include representatives from community-based organizations (CBOs), businesses, anchor institutions, transportation providers, public health departments, and others as needed
• Create targeted outreach materials for residents seeking social services and businesses seeking reopening information
• Coordinate efforts between public health departments, inflectional services departments, workforce providers, employee advocacy organizations, businesses, and economic development actors to ensure that businesses can open safely and smoothly in line with the state's reopening plan
• Create a unified intake system for social service assistance that can be used to document trends in need and populations who may need additional outreach
• Continue to advocate for update municipal-level unemployment data