Thanks to Kelly Turley and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless for this comprehensive housing/homelessness update on the FY21 Budget:
After many months of COVID-19-related delays, the state budget process is another step closer to being finalized. Late last Wednesday night the Senate completed debate on their version of the budget, and that budget was officially “reprinted as amended” today (see Senate Bill 2955.)
Thank you to everyone who sent an email and/or called their Senator to further strengthen the final Senate version of the FY21 state budget.
Now we are focused on influencing the FY21 budget Conference Committee process, where the differences between the House and Senate budget proposals will be ironed out. Today the House and Senate named their conferees for the FY21 budget negotiations. The six conferees are House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, House Ways and Means Vice Chair Denise Garlick, House Ways and Means Ranking Minority Member Todd Smola, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, Senate Ways and Means Vice Chair Cindy Friedman, and Senate Ways and Means Ranking Minority Member Patrick O’Connor.
Please help us thank legislators for their work thus far and to advocate with the conferees and your own state legislators for the priorities listed below (and in Column E of our budget chart.) This is our chance to make sure the Commonwealth is doing even more to prevent and end homelessness and housing instability this fiscal year, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Follow the links above for their email addresses and phone numbers of the budget conferees. Find out who your State Representative and Senator are and their contact information by going to www.wheredoivotema.com or by calling the State House switchboard at 617-722-2000. After sending your emails or making your calls, please let us know by emailing us via kelly@mahomeless.org.
For a closer look at our Conference Committee requests on key homelessness, housing, and benefits line items and how the Senate amendments fared last week, please see below and our budget chart.
Thanks for your ongoing advocacy to create a budget to promote housing and economic stability!
Overview of Key Housing, Homelessness, and Benefits Conference Committee Requests
- Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT, line item 7004-9316)
Funding: House and Senate funding level of $54.7 million in total funds allocated through the budget process (with additional funds from the Governor’s Eviction Diversion Initiative)
Language: House version of language that would raise the maximum RAFT benefit to $10,00/household over a 12-month period and the removal of language that currently prohibits eligible households from maximizing RAFT and HomeBASE benefits, plus Senate language from Amendment #336 (see below). It is important to note that both the House and Senate proposed action on the RAFT cap and the RAFT/HomeBASE linkage issue. The Senate left in language that would limit eligible households to a combined total of $10,000 from the two programs, but also said the cap would not be in effect for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency.
- Emergency Assistance Family Shelters and Services (EA, line item 7004-0101)
Funding: Senate funding level of $184,785,750
Language: Senate tracking and reporting language
- Housing and Services for Unaccompanied Youth and Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness (line item 4000-0007)
Funding: House and Senate funding level of $8,000,000
- Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP, line item 7004-9024) Funding: Senate funding level of $135,000,000
- HomeBASE (line item 7004-0108)
Funding: Senate funding level of $29,058,618
Language: House removal of language that currently prohibits eligible households from maximizing RAFT and HomeBASE benefits (see above), so as to decouple RAFT and HomeBASE for the full fiscal year, even if the COVID-19 state of emergency is lifted, plus expanded Senate tracking and reporting language
- Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children Program (EAEDC, line item 4408-1000)
Funding: House funding level of $89,983,226
Language: House language to provide a 10% increase in monthly benefits until June 2021
- Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children Grant Payments (TAFDC, line item 4403-2000)
Funding: House funding level of $240,967,007
Language: House language to provide a 10% increase in monthly benefits for January-June 2021
- Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP, line item 7004-9030)
Funding: Senate funding level of $12,526,596
- Subsidies to Public Housing Authorities (line item 7004-9005)
Funding: House funding level of $80,000,000
- Shelter and Services for Adults Experiencing Homelessness (line item 7004-0102)
Funding: House funding level of $56,425,000
- Home and Healthy for Good Program (line item 7004-0104)
Funding: House and Senate funding level of $3,890,000
- Transportation for Students Experiencing Homelessness (line item 7035-0008)
Funding: House funding level of $13,449,605
- SNAP Gap (via line item 4000-0300)
Language: Include Senate language from Amendment #271 to eliminate the SNAP Gap by creating a common application for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and MassHealth
- Outside Section Language
Include language from these Senate Outside Sections: Outside Section 47 on Notices to Quit during the coronavirus pandemic; Outside Section 48 on eviction continuances during the pandemic; Outside Section 49 on Eviction Diversion Initiative data collection; and Outside Section 46 on creating a website to track the state’s uses of federal Coronavirus Relief Funds.
For more details, please see our budget chart.
For more details or questions, please email Kelly. Thank you again for your advocacy!
Senate Budget Debate Update: Outcomes of Key Housing, Homelessness, and Benefits Amendments
- Emergency Assistance Amendment #283, on improving data collection, equity, and access for the Emergency Assistance family shelter program, sponsored by Senator Chang-Díaz
Outcome: Redrafted and adopted!
- SNAP Gap Amendment #271, on easing access to SNAP/food stamp benefits by creating a common application with Mass Health, sponsored by Senator DiDomenico
Outcome: Unanimously adopted!
- RAFT Amendment #394, on improving and streamlining the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program, a cornerstone of the state’s response to the eviction crisis, sponsored by Senator Crighton
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget, but another RAFT amendment, #336, also from Senator Crighton, was unanimously adopted as redrafted. Amendment #336 also contains a provision to establish an Eviction Diversion Initiative Task Force.
- HomeBASE Amendment #405, on extending HomeBASE benefits for families timing out of the program facing a return to homelessness and improving data collection, sponsored by Senator Chang-Díaz
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget
- EAEDC Amendment #279, on increasing the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program asset limit for elders and people with disabilities from $250 to $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for households of two or more, sponsored by Senator Chang-Díaz
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget
- Mass ID Access Amendment #149, on increasing access to Mass IDs for people experiencing homelessness by eliminating the $25 fee and decreasing the verification burden, sponsored by Senator Rausch
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget
- Eviction Prevention Amendment #388, on promoting housing stability during the COVID-19 emergency and recovery, sponsored by Senator Jehlen
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget
- MRVP Amendment #398, on improving the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program by increasing the number of housing vouchers issues and ensuring that the Department of Housing and Community Development uses more of the funding allocated for the program, sponsored by Senator Crighton
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget
- MRVP Amendment #393, on improving affordability and sustainability for MRVP voucher holders by lowering the tenant portion of rent to no more than 30% of income, instead of 30-40% of income, filed by Senator Eldridge
Outcome: Not included in the final Senate budget
- Progressive Revenue Amendment #82, on raising revenue in a progressive way to meet the unprecedented needs in the Commonwealth during the pandemic and recovery, sponsored by Senator Comerford
Outcome: Withdrawn, and thus not included in the final Senate budget
For more details, please see our budget chart.
