3 County Individual Services Meeting Minutes – 5/11/18
(Thanks to Jay Levy for facilitating and note-taking in Pamela’s absence)
Shelter Updates:
- ServiceNet: Grove Shelter is full; they are now down to only one person couching it, as opposed to 3 people due to the overflow from the COT shelter closing down for the season. Several folks were placed in housing from the COT shelter leaving about 7 people that remained homeless and potentially unsheltered in the Northampton area.
- Friends of the Homeless: April averaged 154 clients per night. Female numbers were unusually high. In May, numbers dropped significantly for both women and men.
Homelessness Resource Fair, Thurs., June 14, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. Please be sure to register if attending – either by going to this Registration Form or emailing Pamela at pschwartz77@gmail.com. Note that the interest in the workshop on chronically homeless individuals is as high as any other interest – people want to understand coordinated entry and how to serve this population!
FY19 Budget Updates:
- The Senate Ways and Means Committee released its budget last Thursday. The MA Coalition for the Homeless summarized the provisions that impact individuals:
- Increased funding for housing and services for unaccompanied youth and young adults from $675,000 in FY’18 to $3.3 million in FY’19
- Increased Residential Assistance for Families in Transition funding from $15 million in FY’18 to $18.5 million in FY’19, and allowing households without children to access up to $3 million
- For ABE/ESOL funding (a priority of the Career Services Committee : increased funding for $31 million but this is lower than the House budget and not up to the $34.5 million ABE Coalition ask). Urging Senators to support Senator Eldridge’s amendment for increased funding to $34.5 million.
Budget debate will happen next week (5/21) so now is the time to contact Senators to urge their support of these provisions.
- Next meeting date: Monday, June 11, DMH Haskell Building, 1-2:30 pm (Network meeting 2-2:30 pm)
