The formal House and Senate sessions for override votes will take place this Saturday, 7/23, and next weekend, 7/30 and 7/31 (the weekend timing is due to the national political conventions during both work weeks and the fact that overrides must be completed by 7/31).
The Network’s priorities for requested overrides include:
- The Western MA Network to End Homelessness (7004-0102): restore funding of $125,000 in order to provide maximum collaboration and impact across the region’s four Western counties in the effort to prevent and end homelessness;
- RAFT (7004-9316): restore the eligibility expansion to include this vital prevention resource for the elderly, disabled and unaccompanied homeless youth; and
- Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (7004-9024): restore the $2.4 million cut to bring this critical housing program to level funding of $90.9 million.
Also as an additional point of information, please note that funding for Craig’s Doors, which is the only individual emergency shelter in Amherst and the only behavior-based shelter in all of Hampshire County, was also vetoed by the Governor in the same line-item as the Network funding (in which all earmarks were vetoed). While the Network has not had an opportunity to take a formal position on this veto, I wanted to make sure you were aware and ask you to consider your own action on the matter.
Please contact both your representative and senator to urge their support of these overrides. You can find your legislator contact info here: https://malegislature.gov/People
Thank you for your advocacy.
