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| 2 | 2 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1176 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 3 | 3 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1297 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Christine P. Barber |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act promoting housing stability for families by strengthening the HomeBASE program. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Christine P. Barber34th Middlesex1/18/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/20/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/30/2023Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/8/2023Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex2/13/2023David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester2/17/2023Daniel Cahill10th Essex2/17/2023Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/23/2023James J. O'Day14th Worcester2/28/2023Rebecca L. RauschNorfolk, Worcester and Middlesex3/2/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester3/4/2023 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1176 FILED ON: 1/18/2023 |
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| 17 | 17 | | HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1297 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Representative Barber of Somerville, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1297) of |
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| 19 | 19 | | Christine P. Barber and others relative to housing stability for families by strengthening the |
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| 20 | 20 | | HomeBASE program. Housing. |
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| 21 | 21 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 22 | 22 | | _______________ |
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| 23 | 23 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2023-2024) |
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| 25 | 25 | | _______________ |
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| 26 | 26 | | An Act promoting housing stability for families by strengthening the HomeBASE program. |
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| 27 | 27 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 28 | 28 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 29 | 29 | | 1 Section 30 of chapter 23B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, |
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| 30 | 30 | | 2is hereby amended by inserting after subsection A, paragraph (e) the following:- |
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| 31 | 31 | | 3 (f) for re-housing, short-term housing transition program benefits, which shall be |
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| 32 | 32 | | 4available initially for 24 months and then in 12-month, renewable allotments, to eligible families. |
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| 33 | 33 | | 5 The department shall provide further allotments of household assistance from the |
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| 34 | 34 | | 6Massachusetts short-term housing transition program to families that received household |
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| 35 | 35 | | 7assistance in a prior period to prevent eviction from existing housing or to relocate to another |
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| 36 | 36 | | 8housing situation in cases where a.) the family complied with their rehousing plan during the |
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| 37 | 37 | | 9prior period of assistance and b.) continues to include a child under the age of 21 or a pregnant |
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| 38 | 38 | | 10person. |
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| 39 | 39 | | 11 The department shall not impose income eligibility restrictions on families once they are |
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| 40 | 40 | | 12enrolled in the program. 2 of 2 |
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| 41 | 41 | | 13 The department shall not require families to be evicted from their existing housing or to |
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| 42 | 42 | | 14otherwise establish that they fall into one of the four categories of affirmative eligibility for |
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| 43 | 43 | | 15emergency assistance shelter currently listed in item 7004-0101. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 16 Families in summary process commenced for a reason determined by the department to |
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| 45 | 45 | | 17be a no fault or excused fault reason for eviction can apply and be found eligible for short-term |
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| 46 | 46 | | 18transition program benefits in order to prevent eviction from existing housing or permit the |
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| 47 | 47 | | 19family to relocate to another housing situation. The department shall allow families to apply and |
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| 48 | 48 | | 20be found eligible for this short-term housing benefit after the summons and complaint is filed in |
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| 49 | 49 | | 21court. Families shall be found eligible for short-term housing transition benefits if, but for |
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| 50 | 50 | | 22feasible alternative housing, they meet the requirements for family shelter. |
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| 51 | 51 | | 23 The department shall provide household assistance in an amount up to $30,000 in the first |
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| 52 | 52 | | 2424-month period, or a higher cap as established in line item 7004-0108, and up to $15,000, or |
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| 53 | 53 | | 25higher cap as established in line item 7004-0108, in subsequent 12-month periods to eligible |
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| 54 | 54 | | 26families. |
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| 55 | 55 | | 27 The department shall allow families to combine and maximize benefits under the |
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| 56 | 56 | | 28Massachusetts short-term housing transition program and residential assistance for families in |
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| 57 | 57 | | 29transition funds from line item 7004-9316 if families are eligible for both programs, such funds |
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| 58 | 58 | | 30are needed to promote housing stability, and the assistance is non-duplicative. |
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