January 28, 2022

Greetings!

Before Massachusetts is blanketed with snow, we wanted to quickly share some updates on how housing and homelessness programs fared in Governor Charlie Baker's latest budget proposal.

On Wednesday afternoon, Governor Charlie Baker released his $48.8 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2023 (FY23), which is known as the House 2 budget. Here is our preliminary budget chart, comparing current FY22 appropriations, the Coalition's FY23 budget requests, and the proposed funding and language advanced by the Governor. We will continue to add more details to chart in the days and weeks ahead.

These recommendations will be reviewed by the Legislature in the months ahead, as the House and Senate prepare for the next fiscal year, which will begin on July 1st.

We look forward to working with you to strengthen the budget as it moves through the various stages before FY23 arrives. One of our key events to push for a strong budget is our annual Legislative Action Day, coming up on Thursday, March 3rd, once again online via Zoom. Read more below and here and register today to join us.

Thanks for your collaboration!

In solidarity,
Kelly and Luke

Kelly Turley
Associate Director

Luke Benson
Community Organizer/Legislative Advocate
Register Today to Be Part of Legislative Action Day

Please register today for Legislative Action Day 2022, taking place online this year on Thursday, March 3rd, 9:30-11:30 a.m. This year’s Legislative Action Day event will be sponsored by State Representative Jim O’Day.

For Legislative Action Day, look forward to hearing from inspiring speakers, learning how to advocate with legislators, and meeting virtually with your state legislators and legislative staff to talk about issues and policy recommendations to address homelessness in Massachusetts.

At Legislative Action Day, we will be pushing for key FY23 budget priorities and 2021-2022 bill priorities, including:

  • Increasing access to and funding for homelessness prevention resources through the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program (RAFT) and Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP)
  • Guaranteeing housing stability during the pandemic and beyond
  • Easing access to Mass ID cards for people experiencing homelessness
  • Passing the bill of rights for people experiencing homelessness
  • Extending HomeBASE benefits for families facing a return to homelessness
  • Maximizing housing and services for unaccompanied youth and young adults
  • Strengthening cash assistance programs for families with children, elders, and people with disabilities
  • Creating more housing subsidies under the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program and the Alternative Housing Voucher Program
  • And more!

Meeting virtually with legislative offices is a key part of the event. Just indicate on your registration form if you need help setting up meetings with your legislators, and we will work to set up appointments for you. We will soon post tips on the event page for meeting with legislators and State House staff.
 
Registration is quick, easy, and free: Register now. The Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the event.
 
If you are interested in being a speaker and sharing your personal testimony and expertise at the event, or helping the Coalition identify speakers, please contact Luke.
 
Help spread the word by sharing this link: tinyurl.com/mchlad22. Additional details will be posted on our website shortly. For more information, please contact Kelly.
 
Thank you!