Governor Healey vetoed funding and language for critical housing programs in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget that she signed into law on August 9. During this state of emergency for families and individuals alike, the urgency to protect these resources is as vital as ever. See State House News Service coverage of the Home and Healthy for Good veto here.
Please contact your state senator and state representative (find them here) and call or use this draft email below as a template for your communication.
Dear Representative/Senator ____:
My name is ___, I live in ____, and I am contacting you to urge you to override the Governor’s vetoes on 3 key housing programs:
- Home and Healthy for Good (HHG) 7004-0104 – This supportive housing program plays a critical role in creating more permanent supportive housing (PSH) for chronically homeless individuals across the Commonwealth and specifically in western Massachusetts. The Governor vetoed $2.5 million from the total $8.89 million the Legislature allocated. With a 150% increase in unsheltered homelessness in western Massachusetts since 2021, our region requires this resource more than ever.
- Housing Consumer Education and Counseling (HCEC) 7004-3036 – The Governor vetoed $700,000 in funding, reducing the Legislature’s allocation from $10.4 million to $9.7 million. HCECs provide the front door to critical housing resources such as RAFT, HomeBASE and housing vouchers. With demand for these resources continuing to climb, reducing this allocation will come at the cost of additional hardship for the people most in need of assistance and the organizations working so hard to provide it.
- Foreclosure and Housing Counseling 7006-0011 – The Governor’s veto removes $1.5 million in funding for foreclosure prevention and housing counseling. At a time when housing insecurity and foreclosures are rising, this veto would significantly limit the capacity to help people stay in their homes.
Thank you for your consideration.
Best,
your name
—
To learn more about these programs and the vetoes, please see CHAPA’s budget update here.
To learn more about Home and Healthy for Good (and all the good it does here in western MA!), please see this July report here from the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance.
The Legislature has until November 15 to act, but we
