Thank you for your advocacy in support of FY26 Senate budget amendments!

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May 27, 2025

Dear Kelly,

Thank you to everyone who signed our one-minute online action, sent emails, and made calls to State Senators in support of key fiscal year 2026 homeless prevention, housing, and cash assistance budget amendments. We are writing today to share updates on the outcomes of key amendments.

Please see our summary of the outcomes of key budget amendments below. By clicking on the amendment numbers, you can see if your State Senator signed on as a cosponsor. If you see that your Senator sponsored or cosponsored one or more amendments, please follow up to thank them for their support. Their contact information can be found here.

We will be back in touch soon about the next advocacy steps once the budget officially enters the Conference Committee phase, where designated House and Senate members negotiate the details of the compromise FY26 budget.

We remain deeply grateful for your teamwork and collaboration!

In solidarity,

Julia and Kelly

Julia Garvey

Community Organizer/Legislative Advocate

julia.garvey@mahomeless.org

Kelly Turley

Associate Director

kelly@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.)

Overview of Key Amendments to the Senate Budget and Outcomes

The Senate conducted its budget debate from May 19th until May 22nd, reviewing 1,058 amendments. Amendments were grouped into categories, such as Economic Development, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, and then considered as part of one of 10 bundles or individually on the floor.

Amendment #557, "RAFT Homelessness Prevention Program," from Senator Gómez: 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 and 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. This amendment would also require EOHLC to offer direct-to-tenant payments in cases where the property owner is unresponsive or refuses payment and direct EOHLC to provide forward rent payments if the award would not exceed the 12-month benefit cap. In addition, this amendment would ensure equal access for households living in public or subsidized housing.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #557 was redrafted twice. The second redraft was adopted as part of Yes Bundle 5! The second redraft requires within 90 days of the effective date of this act, that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, in consultation with key stakeholders, create a plan to divert families from the Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter program by improving access to programs, such as RAFT and HomeBASE. The plan will assess effectiveness, costs, eligibility changes, and recommend policy updates, with findings reported to the Legislature.

Amendment #219, "Improvements to Emergency Assistance for Children and Families," from Senator Gómez: This amendment would increase the Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter length of stay cap from 6 months to 12 months and eliminate language that would set a 4,000-family cap on how many families could access shelter at time for December 2025–December 2026. In addition, this amendment would expand tracking and reporting language to include data on families placed on the EA waiting list, require the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to make every effort to place families approved for EA immediately in traditional shelters, hotels/motels, or overflow spaces, and expand ombudsperson services within EOHLC, with language similar to that which was enacted with the FY22 budget. This amendment would also officially remove the EA asset limit and restore the 6-month grace period for families who exceed the EA income limit while in shelter.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #219 was withdrawn.

Amendment #156, "Emergency Assistance Shelter Notice," from Senator Friedman: This amendment would change the Emergency Assistance statute to require the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to provide at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Legislature before taking action on imposing a 6-month time limit, cap on the number of families in shelter, and other restrictions when the Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities “has determined that the shelter system is no longer able to meet all current and projected demand for shelter from eligible families considering the facts and circumstances then existing in the Commonwealth.”

Amendment Outcome: A redrafted version of Amendment #156 was adopted as part of Yes Bundle 5! The redrafted version requires the Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities to submit a report to the Legislature on the status of the applicability of paragraph (G), section 30, chapter 23B, including shelter data (caseloads, capacity, intakes/exits) by September 15, 2025. Any change to the paragraph’s applicability requires 15 days’ prior notice.

Amendment #153, "Rental Bridge Subsidies for Older Adults," from Senator Jehlen: This amendment would establish a new line item under the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to expand the short-term housing bridge subsidy program for low-income older adults, aged sixty or older, who are at risk of housing instability or homelessness and add $7.5 million to fund the expansion.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #153 was withdrawn after Senator Jehlen made remarks in support of the amendment on the Senate floor.

Amendment #162, "Task Force to Establish Short-Term Housing Bridge Subsidy," from Senator Jehlen: This amendment would establish a task force to guide the expansion of the short-term housing bridge subsidy program for low-income older adults, aged sixty or older, who are at risk of housing instability or homelessness. The language is similar to language in House Bill 4015/Senate Bill 475, An Act promoting housing stability for older adults across the Commonwealth.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #162 was withdrawn after Senator Jehlen made remarks in support of the amendment on the Senate floor.

Amendment #90, "Improvements to HomeBASE," from Senator Jehlen: 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, this 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 and allow families to maximize resources under HomeBASE, RAFT, and other rental assistance programs. Finally, this amendment would carry over any unspent HomeBASE funds from FY25 into FY26.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #90 was redrafted and then rejected. Language to study the impacts of upstream access to HomeBASE, however, was included in the redrafted RAFT amendment, Amendment #557.

Amendment #222, "Housing Services for Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness," from Senator Miranda: 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 Senate 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 Outcome: Amendment #222 was rejected.

Amendment #150, “Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program,” from Senator Lovely: This amendment would increase funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP, line item 7004-9024) by almost $16.7 million over the FY26 Senate 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 Outcome: Amendment #150 was rejected as part of No Bundle 1.

Amendment #522, "Lift Kids Out of Deep Poverty," from Senator DiDomenico: 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 January 2026 and provide additional funding in the accounts to pay for the grant increases. For TAFDC, the amendment would increase the Senate’s proposed FY26 funding level by $20.2 million to $486,929,423. For EAEDC, the amendment would increase the Senate’s proposed FY26 funding level by $10.2 million to $219,190,924.

Amendment outcome: Amendment #522 was rejected as part of No Bundle 2.

Amendment #986, "Somerville Older Adult Bridge Subsidy," from Senator Jehlen: This amendment would add $200,000 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 Outcome: Amendment #986 was redrafted and adopted as part of Yes Bundle 4! The redraft of the amendment provides $200,000 for the continuation of the Somerville pilot program as well as language inspired by Amendment #162 to study the possibility of statewide expansion of the bridge subsidy program for older adults.

Amendment #104, "EA Shelter Pilot," from Senator R. Kennedy: This amendment would provide $450,000 in the Emergency Assistance line item (7004-0101) to support a pilot in three regions of the state: South Shore, Western Massachusetts, and Central Massachusetts. The pilot would “identify and create regional solutions to reduce the number of families needing shelter.”

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #104 was redrafted and adopted as part of Yes Bundle 1!

Amendment #246, "Boston Area Youth - Cash Assistance for Stable Housing," from Senator Edwards: 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 Senate’s proposed FY26 funding level for the youth homelessness line item to $10,645,850.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #246 was withdrawn.

Amendment #105, "Tenancy Preservation Program," from Senator R. Kennedy. This amendment would maintain the TPP line item and provide $42,755 in state funding for TPP.

Amendment Outcome: Amendment #105 was rejected as part of No Bundle 1.

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

Looking for updates on other amendments? See the full list of amendments and outcomes here.

Thank you again for your advocacy!.