October 13, 2021

Greetings!

It's bill hearing season at the State House! Thank you to everyone who joined us yesterday for the Joint Committee on Housing's virtual hearing on bills related to HomeBASE, Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), right to counsel in eviction cases, and more. If you were not able to provide oral testimony, there still is time to submit written testimony until this Friday at 5 p.m. Click here for more details. You also can watch the video of the hearing here.

Please join us again this Friday, October 15th, starting at 10 a.m., for another important virtual State House hearing on key homelessness legislation. The Legislature's Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities, chaired by Representative Michael Finn and Senator Adam Gomez, will be taking testimony on two of our top priority bills related to Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter and the bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness:

  • Emergency Assistance bill: House Bill 202/Senate Bill 111, An Act improving emergency housing assistance for children and families experiencing homelessness
  • Lead sponsors: Representatives Marjorie Decker and Liz Miranda and Senator Adam Gomez
  • House bill page and Senate bill page
  • MCH bill fact sheet
  • Shareable bill fact sheet link: https://tinyurl.com/eabill2122b
  • Bill description: This omnibus legislation would address access and administrative issues for families and children seeking to access or retain Emergency Assistance shelter and HomeBASE rehousing benefits. If enacted, families in immediate need of shelter would be offered shelter placements the same day they apply, if they appear to be eligible; the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) would share information to reduce barriers to entry by streamlining the verification process; during states of emergency, like the recent COVID-19 state of emergency, DHCD would suspend shelter terminations, and allow families that are otherwise eligible to access EA again even if they had been in shelter in the past year; and an ombudsperson unit within the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) would respond to and resolve problems experienced by families applying for and participating in EA and HomeBASE, and report systemic problems to the Legislature. (Ombudsperson language was included in the FY22 budget; this language would put the ombuds unit requirement into statute.)

  • Bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness legislation: House Bill 264/Senate Bill 142, An Act providing a bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness
  • Lead sponsors: Representatives Smitty Pignatelli and Frank Moran and Senator Becca Rausch
  • House bill page and Senate bill page
  • Fact sheet from Senator Rausch's office
  • Bill description: This bill would recognize and affirm various rights of people experiencing homelessness, such as the right to move freely in public spaces, the right to confidentiality of records, the right to privacy of property, the right to register to vote and to vote, etc., and would provide additional civil rights protections for people experiencing homelessness. The bill also would affirm the right to rest, eat, pray, and be in public spaces by amending the Commonwealth's public spaces laws (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 45), amend the Commonwealth's voting laws to affirm the right to vote and register to vote without a permanent address (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 50, Section 1), amend the Commonwealth's anti-discrimination laws to include housing status (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 151B), and repeal archaic sections of Massachusetts General Laws regarding so-called "tramps","vagrants", and "vagabonds" (Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 272, Sections 63-69). The bill would give the Superior Court jurisdiction to enforce the rights included in the legislation: "(e) It shall be an affirmative defense to a civil claim or criminal charge related to use of public spaces that a person experiencing homelessness was exercising any right set forth in this section. (f) The superior court shall have jurisdiction in equity to enforce any right set forth in this section and award damages in connection with any violation thereof."

See our bill hearing page and below for more hearing details.

We hope that you will join us on Friday and share your testimony to improve Emergency Assistance shelter for families and children and create a bill of rights for all people experiencing homelessness!

Please reach out with any questions, feedback, and testimony.

With hope,
Kelly

Kelly Turley
Associate Director
Pronouns: She, her, and hers
Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities Hearing Details


Date: Friday, October 15, 2021

Time: 10 a.m.- 1 p.m.

Location: Online

Sign up to provide oral testimony: Email staff to ask to be added to the list: jointcommittee.children&families@malegislature.gov. (The official sign-up period ended at noon today.)

Submit and share written testimony: Email to jointcommittee.children&families@malegislature.gov or follow the instructions linked on the Legislature's hearing page and submit by next Friday, October 29th at 5 p.m. Please also share a copy of your written testimony with us at the Coalition.

Additional details: Hearing notice and MCH bill hearing page