Please join us online this Friday, September 29th, for our next Housing and Benefits Committee meeting!

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September 27, 2023

Hello!

It's almost time for our September Housing and Benefits Committee meeting, coming up this Friday, September 29th, 10:00–11:30 a.m. on Zoom. Please RSVP and plan to join us!

Here is our agenda:

Welcome/Introductions

The Importance & Status of Access to Counsel Legislation for Tenants – Presented by Mark Martinez, Housing Attorney, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
House Bill 1731/Senate Bill 864: An Act Promoting Access to Counsel and Housing Stability in Massachusetts
Access to Counsel fact sheet
Access to Counsel Coalition website

Updates on Priority Bills – Presented by the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
The Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities held a hearing on September 12th, on bills relating to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) with a focus on the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA).
One of our priority bills, An Act Relative to Assisting Elders and People with Disabilities in the Commonwealth (House Bill 205/Senate Bill 371) was heard, as well as a key bill, An Act to Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty (House Bill 144/Senate Bill 75)
EAEDC bill fact sheet, Lift Our Kids bill fact sheet
The Committee is still accepting written testimony and can be emailed to JointCommittee.Children&Families@malegislature.gov
In July, the State Senate unanimously passed Senator Robyn Kennedy's bill, Senate Bill 2251, to provide easier access to Mass IDs for youth and adults experiencing homelessness. Please sign and share our one-minute online action to House Leadership and your State Representative to take swift action to advance the Senate version of the Mass ID Access Bill.
MA ID bill fact sheet
Join us for an upcoming Joint Committee on Housing hearing on Wednesday, September 27th at 1:00 p.m. on bills relating to manufactured housing, EOHLC, and miscellaneous.
Key bills will be heard, including Senate Bill 864: An Act Promoting Access to Counsel and Housing Stability in Massachusetts, House Bill 1351: An Act Codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, and Senate Bill 888: An Act Relative to the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program.

Updates on EA shelter system – Presented by the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Learn more about (and how to become a part of) the three working groups that are currently meeting to establish short-term and long-term goals that address the EA shelter system and Governor Healey's emergency declaration (service coordination, exiting shelter, and strengthening homelessness prevention resources). The working groups are led by the Coalition, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, and Citizens' Housing and Planning Association.
Check out some of the related news coverage in this Google Folder.
State landing page with call to action and resource links