Thanks to the Mass. Coalition for the Homeless for this update:
Last week, the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities gave a favorable report to House Bill 1862, An Act Providing Housing and Support Services for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth!
The revised text of the bill, as reported out by the committee, can be found here: Amended bill text. If passed, this bill would lead to the establishment of a special commission to examine the needs of unaccompanied youth and create new housing and services to help eradicate youth homelessness.
Special thanks to Representative James O’Day, the lead sponsor of the bill, Representative Kay Khan and Senator Michael Rodrigues, chairs of the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, and Senator Katherine Clark, our key advocate on the Senate side. We are grateful for their leadership thus far, and for the work of all of our supporters from the legislative, administrative, provider, youth, and faith communities.
The bill now has been sent to the House Committee on Ways and Means. Please ask your State Representative to weigh in with Chairman Brian Dempsey of House Ways and Means to express her/his support of the unaccompanied youth homelessness bill!
Please also take a minute to thank our champions and other House and Senate supporters. We will be in touch soon with additional next steps.
