As you may know, the MA House of Representatives passed its final budget this week. Click here for an updated summary of the outcomes for the Network’s FY18 budget priorities.
For your ease, below is a bulleted summary:
- Unaccompanied Homeless Youth: $540,000 (amended from $0; Gov’s budget includes $2m)
- Consortium funding for homelessness prevention: $0 (amendment failed; Gov’s budget includes $1m)
- Secure Jobs: $500,000 (amendment failed; Gov’s budget includes $800,000)
- Western MA Network: $125,000 (amendment passed)
- Tenancy Preservation Program: $750,000 (amended from $500,000; Gov’s budget includes $500,000)
- RAFT: $15m (amendment failed to include language to expand to individuals; Gov’s budget includes $13m, also no language expansion)
- Mass Rental Voucher Program: $100m (Gov’s budget includes $97.5m)
- Housing Consumer Education Centers: $2.3m (Gov’s budget includes $2.3m)
- Individual shelter line-item: $47.4m (Gov’s budget includes $45.2m)
- Home and Healthy for Good: $2.2m (amended from $2m; Gov’s budget includes $2m)
Our Western MA delegation was supportive as usual! The list below includes our key budget items that did well in the final budget and the Western MA sponsors of each amendment:
The Network’s amendment for $125,000: Rep. Peter Kocot was the lead sponsor (and always has been!) with support from Representatives Goldstein-Rose, Farley-Bouvier, Mark and Tosado.
The Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Program’s amendment to fund at $2 million ($540,000 passed) included Representatives Goldstein-Rose, Gonzalez, Kocot, Tosado, Vega and Velis.
The Tenancy Preservation Program’s amendment to fund at $1 million ($750,000 passed) included Representatives Goldstein-Rose, Farley-Bouvier, Mark and Tosado.
Please thank your representative for their support! To find their contact information, you can call the State House switchboard at 617-722-2000 or go to https://malegislature.gov/
Next up is the Senate, where our advocacy will continue. Thanks for your support!
