Have a complaint? Afraid to go to the City Hall to file a complaint? Or you prefer to complain anonymously?

There is a phone number you can call about a "quality of life" issue in East Providence. It's 435-7722.

Does your neighbor have a junk car in his driveway? Has another neighbor left trash piled up in his back yard for weeks? Have you spotted rats scurrying around your neighborhood?

Call 435-7722. It's the "Q Alert" system that takes and files complaints for action by the appropriate city official, said City Manager Peter Graczykowski, in many cases the building or zoning official.

You can call anytime and leave a message.

The Q Alert system came up at Tuesday night's City Council meeting when Ward 2 City Councilor Helder Cunha said he wanted to look into a "hotline" that could be used by anyone to register a complaint about "upkeep" of properties and streets in East Providence.

"Many people are afraid to come forward or go City Hall," Cunha said. "In some cases, there is a language barrier."

Cunha, who speaks Portuguese, said he is willing to translate a complaint if necessary.

The city manager said he would look into expanding the Q Alert system to serve as more of a "help line."

"I'm not sure I can get someone who speaks Portuguese 24 hours a day," he said.

But he will accept Cunha's offer to translate, Graczykowski said.