August 11, 2023

Dear Robyn,

We are writing today to share two important State House updates with you.

• On Tuesday, Governor Healey issued an emergency declaration related to family homelessness and immigration.

• On Wednesday, Governor Healey signed the FY24 state budget and issued her vetoes.

Please keep reading below for more details and action steps related to each of these updates.

Thank you, as always, for partnering with us to create a state budget and state policies that promote housing access, equity, dignity, and economic stability!

In solidarity,

Kelly and Julia

Kelly Turley

She/her/hers

Associate Director

kelly@mahomeless.org

Julia Garvey

She/her/hers

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 Twitter. (Links also included at the top of this message.)

Be Part of Our Joint Statement in Response to the Governor's Emergency Declaration Related to Family Homelessness and Immigration

With a record number of children and families in the Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter program and an increasing number of newly arrived immigrant families in Massachusetts in need of shelter, Governor Healey issued an emergency declaration on Tuesday. In her declaration, she called on the federal government to provide additional funding to the Commonwealth to serve families experiencing homelessness and to expedite work authorization documents for newly arrived immigrants who want to seek employment in the United States. Keep reading below for more details and resources regarding the Governor's declaration.

Since first hearing that the Governor might declare a state of emergency late last week, the Coalition has been working closely with Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) and Citizens' Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) to organize providers, advocates, and community members. We have been organizing to ensure that the state takes urgent and coordinated actions to provide shelter, services, permanent housing, and homelessness prevention resources at the scale needed to address the crisis.

We invite your organizations and allied organizations to join the Coalition, MLRI, and CHAPA in signing on to this statement in response to the declaration: https://tinyurl.com/ea-statement. In the statement, we express our support of the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s call to action for families experiencing homelessness and we issue an appeal for coordinated state action.

Given the urgency of the situation, we will be gathering initial signers until 2 p.m. this Monday, August 14th. Signers after that time will be added to an online version of the statement. We also encourage you to share this link with other organizations in your network.

Governor Healey Has Signed the FY24 State Budget and Issued Her Vetoes

On Wednesday, Governor Healey issued vetoes and signed the rest of the almost $56 billion FY24 state budget into law. Check out the full budget and veto documents and our FY24 budget chart.

Thank you for all of your advocacy over the past six months to ensure that housing, homelessness prevention, and benefits programs were top priorities for the Legislature and Governor!

We are thrilled to report that the budget signed by the Governor includes many key priorities, such as:

• Language to restore the Chapter 257 eviction protections for renters with pending applications for emergency rental assistance and to make the protections permanent. The previous Chapter 257 protections expired on March 31, 2023. (Outside Section 64)

• The expansion and improvement of HomeBASE rehousing benefits for families with children (Line Item 7004-0108)
• Includes House language to increase the HomeBASE cap to $30,000 over 24 months and to allow eligible families to renew HomeBASE benefits in 12-month increments beyond the first 24 months
• Also includes an earmark of at least $2.5 million and language similar to language initially proposed by the Senate to give the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities the flexibility to provide additional resources to families beyond the general cap

• Increased funding for key programs such as Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT, Line Item 7004-9316), Emergency Assistance family shelter and services (EA, Line Item 7004-0101), housing and supports for unaccompanied youth who are experiencing homelessness (Line Item 4000-0007), the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP, Line Item 7004-9024), the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP, Line Item 7004-9030), and state-funded public housing operating subsidies (Line Item 7004-9005)

• Increased monthly cash assistance benefits for participants in the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC, Line Item 4408-1000) and Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC, Line Item 4403-2000) programs starting in April 2024

• Language in MRVP that could make the vouchers more valuable for participants in higher cost rental markets by authorizing the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to allow participants to rent units up to 110% of the Small Area Fair Market Rent, instead of just 110% of the Fair Market Rent

• See our budget chart for more details: https://tinyurl.com/mchfy24

The Governor did issue a few relevant vetoes, including:

• A cut of $2.5 million from the Home and Healthy for Good Program for unaccompanied adults line item (HHG, Line Item 7004-0104). The Legislature voted to provide $8.89 million for Home and Healthy for Good in FY24. With the Governor's veto, HHG will start the fiscal year with $6.39 million instead (level funded with the FY23 appropriation.)
• Our colleagues at the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance are coordinating a veto override campaign. Please check out their website or contact them for more details.

• A cut of $18 million from the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program line item (EAEDC, Line Item 4408-1000) and striking of language related to reimbursement rates for residential care facilities and rest homes. The Legislature voted to provide $204.4 million for EAEDC in FY24. With the Governor's veto, EAEDC will start the fiscal year with $186.4 million instead. In her veto message, the Governor said that the reduction was based on updated caseload projections, meaning that the Administration does not expect the number of EAEDC participants to grow as rapidly as previously predicted.

The Legislature has until November 15th to override these vetoes.

Take action on the FY24 budget!

We have two action steps for you today.

First, please thank your State Representative and your State Senator for supporting a strong FY24 budget on housing, homelessness prevention, and benefits issues.The full contact information for each legislator is included on the Legislature’s website. Unsure who your legislator is? Find them by entering your address or the address where you are staying here: www.wheredoivotema.com or by calling the State House switchboard at 617-722-2000. After reaching out, let us know you took action and share any feedback by emailing Kelly.

Second, please contact Governor Healey to thank her for retaining most of the key housing and homelessness provisions in the FY24 budget, including the restoration of Chapter 257 eviction protections, the improvement of HomeBASE benefits, increased funding for housing subsidies, higher monthly cash assistance benefits, and more. You can reach her Constituent Services staff by calling 888-870-7770 (toll-free) or 617-727-3666 (TTY) or by sending an electronic message through this online form.

Thank you!