As the Senate gets ready to take up the economic development bill (S.3018), please ask your State Senator to please cosponsor and actively support several key amendments:

Amendment #613 would create a $250 million reserve fund to promote housing stability by supplementing the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program and providing access to RAFT-like benefits for a broader range of households. The reserve fund would serve families and individuals with incomes up to 80% of the area median income, provide up to 12 months of rental assistance, be available upstream (without requiring a notice to quit, utility shut-off notice, etc.), and require the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the RAFT administering agencies to make direct payments to tenants in cases where the property owner is not responsive (incorporating elements of the federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program, which stopped taking applications in Massachusetts as of April 16th.)

Amendment #290 would eliminate the asset test for families seeking to access or maintain eligibility for the Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter program. Families still would have to be income-eligible for the program.

Amendment #281 would provide $400,000 to create a streamlined online application process and improved telephonic application process for the Emergency Assistance family shelter program.

Amendment #391 would protect tenants from default eviction judgments for missing Tier-1 eviction events (also known as “Housing Specialist Status Conferences".)

Amendments were due yesterday at 5 p.m., and the Senate is scheduled to debate the bill tomorrow. Senators' contact information can be found at https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Members/Senate and www.wheredoivotema.com. The State House switchboard number is 617-722-2000. Please share any feedback or questions with kelly@mahomeless.org.

Thank you to everyone who reached out to Representatives last week in support of key amendments to the House version of the bill. Unfortunately, the amendments on RAFT and Mass ID access for people experiencing homelessness were not included in the final House bill. While the cash assistance grant increase amendment also was not adopted, the FY23 Conference Committee budget that was passed unanimously by the Legislature on Monday and sent to Governor Baker for his signature does include a 10% grant increase for families and individuals participating in the Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children program (EAEDC) and the Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children program (TAFDC). The grant increase, if signed into law, would go into effect on October 1, 2022. (More analysis of the FY23 Conference Committee budget will be sent in a separate email.)

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