April 24, 2025

Dear Kelly,

Please join us in asking your State Representative to cosponsor and actively support key homelessness prevention, housing, and cash assistance amendments to the House's fiscal year 2026 budget.

The House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM) released its version of the fiscal year 2026 state budget, House Bill 4000, last Wednesday, April 16th. They crafted a $61.4 billion proposal for the fiscal year that will launch on July 1st. See the full list of line items and outside sections we are tracking here.

Now we are working to build upon the proposed investments through the amendment process to ensure that program funding, eligibility, and outcomes better match the scale of the need across the Commonwealth.

Representatives had until last Friday afternoon to file amendments. The full House is scheduled to debate the FY26 budget next week, so we have a few more days to secure as many House cosponsors and as much support as possible for key amendments.

Overview of Key Amendments/Action Link:

Please sign our new one-minute online action to your State Representative, House Speaker Ron Mariano, and House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz to encourage them to cosponsor and actively support these amendments to the FY26 House budget. (PDF version of requests)

·      Amendment #1276, "Improvements to the RAFT Homelessness Prevention Program," from Representative Decker: This amendment would make changes to the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition homelessness prevention program line item (RAFT, line item 7004-9316) to increase the cap on RAFT benefits to $10,000/household/year from $7,000/household/year; move access to RAFT more "upstream" by prohibiting the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) from requiring a notice to quit from families and individuals seeking help with back rent or requiring a utility shut-off notice from families and individuals seeking help with back utility bills; require EOHLC to offer direct-to-tenant payments in cases where the property owner is unresponsive or refuses payment; direct EOHLC to provide forward rent payments if the award would not exceed the 12-month benefit cap; and ensure equal access for households living in public or subsidized housing.

·      Amendment #1, "Eliminating the Notice to Quit Requirement for RAFT Eligibility," from Representative LeBoeuf: This amendment would add an outside section to amend the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition line item (7004-9316) to move access to RAFT more "upstream" by prohibiting the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities from requiring a notice to quit from families and individuals seeking help with back rent or requiring a utility shut-off notice from families and individuals seeking help with back utility bills. The amendment also would require EOHLC to consult with the Joint Committee on Housing to establish the criteria for determining whether a family or individual is experiencing homelessness or is at risk of homelessness. In addition, the amendment would require EOHLC to solicit public feedback during that process.

·      Amendment #435, "Improvements to HomeBASE," from Representative Barber: This amendment would make changes to HomeBASE (line item 7004-0108) to increase the cap on benefits to $50,000 per family over their first two years in the program, up from $30,000, and increase the cap to $25,000 in subsequent years, up from $15,000. It also would tweak the language connected to the $2.5 million earmark in the line item to allow administering agencies to provide HomeBASE awards above $50,000 over two years to families for whom the additional funds are "essential to resolve a housing crisis." In addition, the amendment would provide upstream access to HomeBASE benefits to prevent loss of existing housing and promote housing stability for families who otherwise would be eligible for the Emergency Assistance family shelter program.

·      Amendment #1221, "Housing Services for Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness," from Representative O'Day: This amendment would increase funding for the youth homelessness line item (4000-0007) by almost $1.5 million over the FY25 appropriation and the FY26 House Ways and Means proposed level to provide $12 million in FY26. The program supports youth and young adults under the age of 25 in every region of the Commonwealth who are experiencing housing instability and homelessness on their own, without their parent or guardian.

·      Amendment #864, "Homeless ID," from Representative O'Day: This amendment would add $75,000 to the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund (line item 1595-6368) to provide free standard Mass IDs to eligible people experiencing homelessness. The amendment also would add an outside section to establish fee waiver and documentation standards for youth and adults experiencing homelessness to access standard Mass IDs.

·      Amendment #264, "Prevent Older Adults from Experiencing Homelessness," from Representative Uyterhoeven: This amendment would add $30,000 to the Local Housing Programs Earmarks line item (7004-0107) to support the continuation of the Somerville short-term housing bridge subsidy pilot program for low-income older adults, aged sixty or older, who are at risk of housing instability or homelessness. This pilot program is connected to the Coalition’s ongoing campaign to establish a statewide bridge subsidy program for low-income older adults.

·      Amendment #1263, “Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program,” from Representative Howard: This amendment would increase funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP, line item 7004-9024) by almost $11.9 million over the FY26 House Ways and Means proposed level to provide $270 million for MRVP mobile and project-based subsidies in FY26. It also would slightly increase the fee paid to administering agencies to at least $55/voucher/month, instead of $50/voucher/month.

·      Amendment #1445, "Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty," from Representative Decker: This amendment would improve the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC, line item 4403-2000) and Emergency Aid to Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC, line item 4408-1000) cash assistance programs. This amendment would provide 10% grant increases for TAFDC and EAEDC participants starting in October 2025 and provide additional funding in the accounts to pay for the grant increases. For TAFDC, the amendment would increase the House’s proposed FY26 funding level by $30.7 million to $498,116,063. For EAEDC, the amendment would increase the House’s proposed FY26 funding level by $15.3 million to $224,290,924.

·      Amendment #1402, "Alternative Housing Voucher Program," from Representative Consalvo and Representative Decker: This amendment would add an outside section to put the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) into state statute, codifying key components and protections for this program that provides mobile and project-based subsidies to people with disabilities who are under the age of 60. The program is funded through line item 7004-9030 under the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

·      Amendment #256, "Boston Area Youth - Cash Assistance for Stable Housing," from Representative Owens: This amendment would add $100,000 to the youth homelessness line (4000-0007) under the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and earmark those funds for the launch of BAY-CASH to provide direct cash assistance to unaccompanied youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness. It would increase the House’s proposed FY26 funding level for the youth homelessness line item to $10,645,850.

See the Coalition's FY26 budget chart for more details and links: https://tinyurl.com/mchfy26.

Next Steps:

After completing the online action, if you have an additional time, please also call your State Representative to ask for their strong and active support for the key amendments listed above.

You can find out who your State Representative is and how to contact them by going to https://malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator or www.wheredoivotema.com, or by calling the State House switchboard at 617-722-2000.

If you receive any feedback or questions from your Representative, please let us know by emailing us.

Please also share the link to the action with family, friends, and neighbors: https://tinyurl.com/fy26housebudget

Thanks for your collaboration in the work to prevent and end homelessness!

In solidarity,

Kelly and Julia



Kelly Turley

Associate Director

kelly@mahomeless.org

Julia Garvey

Community Organizer/Legislative Advocate

julia.garvey@mahomeless.org

P.S. Stay up to date with the Coalition’s advocacy initiatives by following us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. (Links also included at the top of this message.)