Please join us online this Friday, December 13th for our next Housing and Benefits Committee meeting

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December 11, 2024

Hello!

It's almost time for our November/December Housing and Benefits Committee meeting, coming up this Friday, December 13th, 10:00–11:30 a.m. on Zoom. Please RSVP and plan to join us!

Here is our agenda:

Welcome/Introductions

Updates on Local Encampment Bans in Fall River, Brockton and Lowell – Presented by Eric Wellers, J.D., Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts and Felix Brown, Advocate, Lifting Lowellians: Assistance and Mutual Aid (LLAMA)
The United States Supreme Court ruling in favor of Grants Pass in the Johnson v. Grants Pass case has "given cities and states across the U.S. permission to punish people who are forced to sleep outside, even when they have no other safe option."
The full case can be downloaded here.
In response to the ruling, Fall River, Brockton, and Lowell have either passed or are in the process of trying to pass laws that would ban encampments and limit overnight sleeping options for people experiencing homelessness.
Information on Fall River's ban:
'People are going to die': Fall River passes anti-homeless law; advocates say it will fail
Homeless camps still in Fall River despite a ban: Why finding shelter for everyone is hard
Information on Brockton's ban:
Brockton enacts $200-a-day fine for homeless encampments
'Doing what I can to survive:' Brockton's homeless react to encampment ban
Brockton mayor vetoes bans on camping and loitering in public spaces
Information on Lowell's ban:
With more people living on the streets in Lowell, city bans camping on public property
Lowell begins ‘sweeps’ of homeless camps
Eliot Church fined $300 a day by city for homeless services

Winter Overflow Shelters/Warming Centers and Winter Response for People Experiencing Homelessness – Presented by Caitlin Golden, Chief Policy & Strategy Officer, Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA)
The Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) is "a nonprofit, public policy advocacy organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Massachusetts. [They] collaborate with service providers, policymakers, funders and individuals across Massachusetts to transform the way the Commonwealth responds to homelessness and ensure all of our neighbors have a place to call home."
Warming Centers Guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/warming-centers-guidance

Updates on the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter System and the Special Commission on Emergency Housing Assistance Programs – Presented by Kelly Turley, Associate Director, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
On November 22nd, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced major changes to the state's response to family homelessness, including proposed restrictions on access to family shelter.
The Administration plans to create a two-track system for access to shelter, starting on December 10th. Without legislative or judicial intervention, the Administration plans to assign families to one of two tracks: Families either will receive up to 30 business days in Temporary Respite Centers combined with intensive case management ("Rapid Shelter Track") or access to longer-term Emergency Assistance shelter and supports for a maximum of 6 months ("Bridge Shelter Track.")
The Administration will ask the Legislature to:
Restrict access to EA to 6 months, replacing the current 9-month limit
Narrow eligibility criteria for families seeking waivers to stay in shelter beyond 6 months
Increase HomeBASE benefits to $25,000/year or $50,000 over two years, up from the current cap of $30,000 over two years, while eliminating the possibility for families to receive benefits beyond two years
Provide more than $400 million in supplemental FY25 funding to create a new Family Shelter and Services Reserve Account to fund EA and related programs.
On November 19th, the Special Commission on Emergency Housing Assistance Programs voted to approve its report on recommended next steps for Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelters and related programs. You can read the Commission's final report here.
The Coalition alongside, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Homes for All Massachusetts, UU Mass Action, City Life/Vida Urbana, Lynn United for Change, Greater Boston Legal Services, and other allied organizations have held actions outside of the State House, outside of Governor Healey's offices in Boston and Springfield, and at the Embrace Memorial, calling on the Governor to suspend the limitations and on the Legislature to intervene to stop these unfair and unprecedented eligibility restrictions. Learn more here: https://www.mahomeless.org/protect-access-to-shelter
Additional resources:
Data and updates on the EA family shelter system can be found here.
Slides from the October EA Commission meeting
Changes to Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter Policies FAQ - lasted updated 11/22/24

Announcements and Invitations
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless co-hosted a legislative briefing on the Everyone Needs ID Bill with Representative Jim O'Day on November 18th at the State House. This briefing provided updates on An Act to provide identification to youth and adults experiencing homelessness (Bill H.3388, filed by Representative Jim O'Day, Bill H.3360, filed by Representative Khan, and Bill S.2251, filed by Senator Robyn Kennedy).

Thank you to the 50+ advocates, providers, people with lived experience, legislators and staff, etc. that joined us. We heard from 5 individuals with lived experience on the barriers to accessing a Mass ID when experiencing homelessness and housing instability. A Mass ID is necessary to apply for housing, employment, opening a bank account, picking up mail and prescriptions, interacting with law enforcement and more. We continue to urge the House to take up this non-controversial bill for a vote before the end of session (December 31st).

To read more about the Everyone Needs ID Bill, you can find the fact sheet here.
Please sign and share our one-minute email action to House Speaker Ron Mariano, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, and your own State Representative. The action can be signed and shared here: https://tinyurl.com/massid24
Save the date for the Coalition's 2025 Legislative Action Day, hosted by State Representative Jim O'Day. Look forward to hearing from inspiring speakers, learning how to advocate with legislators, and meeting with your state legislators and legislative staff to talk about issues and policy recommendations to address homelessness in Massachusetts.
When: Monday, April 7, 2025
Time: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Plenary session & 12 - 4 p.m.: Meetings with legislators
Where: The Great Hall (second floor), Massachusetts State House
RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/mchlad25