The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless (MCH), Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI), and the undersigned organizations support the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s efforts to expand resources for shelter, housing, and other resources for families experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. We affirm the Administration’s commitment to preserving access to the Commonwealth’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system for all eligible families with children. We are also grateful for the broad call to action to support newly arrived immigrant families. We stand ready to share our knowledge and assistance in these efforts in the days and weeks ahead, and we offer key recommendations today.

We believe there are immediate actions available to alleviate the current crisis, uphold human dignity, and invest in long-term housing solutions that expand deeply affordable and permanent supportive housing. With the state’s leadership, together we can and must:

• Help families swiftly move out of Emergency Assistance and other temporary shelter programs into permanent affordable housing
• Strengthen homelessness prevention resources to ensure that more families and individuals can maintain housing stability
• Expand available services for newly arrived immigrant families and improve service coordination for all families experiencing homelessness

The fiscal year 2024 state budget, signed into law on August 9th by Governor Healey, includes new tools and resources that will move us in the right direction. The budget provides record funding to keep Emergency Assistance shelters open, strengthens the HomeBASE diversion and rehousing program, provides additional long-term housing subsidies through the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, includes policy changes to make housing more affordable for residents with low incomes, and reinstates Chapter 257 eviction protections to prevent unnecessary evictions for renters applying for emergency rental assistance. We call on the Administration and Legislature to take the next steps to bring these service, housing, and prevention resources to scale through supplemental appropriations, passing an Affordable Housing Bond Bill with increased investments in deeply affordable housing, and deploying federal resources, such as the remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds.

We also know that money alone is not enough to end the emergency. In addition to mobilizing communities, businesses, organizations, and individuals, we call on the state to take bold, creative, and coordinated action to intensify efforts to help families move out of shelter into housing, strengthen homelessness prevention resources, expand available services to all families experiencing homelessness, and target supports to newly arrived immigrant families. In doing so, we call on the Commonwealth to bring key stakeholders to the table and uplift the experiences and expertise of families and communities most affected by the crisis.

We offer our assistance towards achieving the shared goal of ensuring that every family has a safe, affordable, and permanent place to call home and the safety of shelter while awaiting those housing opportunities. We know we can come together for a strong Commonwealth for all.

Sincerely,

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Kelly Turley
Associate Director
kelly@mahomeless.org

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Andrea M. Park
Director of Community Driven Advocacy
apark@mlri.org

Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association
Rachel Heller
Chief Executive Officer
rheller@chapa.org

 

Endorsing Organizations (in alphabetical order):

Abby’s House

Arise for Social Justice

Berkshire County Regional Housing Authority

Berkshire Housing

Berkshire United Way

Casa Myrna Vazquez, Inc.

Catholic Charities Worcester County

Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance

Central West Justice Center

Chicopee Public Schools

Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association

Community Action Agency of Somerville, Inc.

Craig’s Doors

Domus Incorporated

El Colibrí

Eliot Community Human Service

Everett Haitian Community Center (The EHCC)

Family and Community Resources, Inc

Family Health Center of Worcester

Family Promise North Shore Boston

FamilyAid

Greater Boston Legal Services

Greenfield Housing Authority

Greening Greenfield

HarborCOV

Housing Families Inc

Housing Justice for Survivors, Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School

I.C. Solutions LLC

Immigrant Family Services Institute

Independence House Inc.

Jane Doe Inc. (JDI), The MA Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence

Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action

Jewish Family Service of MetroWest LUK, Inc.

Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS)

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

Massachusetts Public Health Association

Metro Housing|Boston

MetroWest Legal Services

My Life My Choice

New Lease for Homeless Families

Northeast Justice Center

Northern Middlesex Council of Governments

One Family

Pine Street Inn

Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts

Rosie’s Place

Salasin Project

SEIU Local 509

South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center

Spanish American Center, Inc.

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Community

Stop Bullying Coalition

The Rian Immigrant Center

United Way of Massachusetts Bay

Valley Community Development

Vasquez Mary Kay

Veterans Inc.

Way Finders

Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness

Women’s Money Matters

Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj

Worcester City Councilor At-Large Thu Nguyen

Worcester Community Action Council

YWCA Central Massachusetts