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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1964 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1312
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Marjorie C. Decker
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act providing upstream homelessness prevention assistance to families, youth, and adults.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Marjorie C. Decker25th Middlesex1/11/2023Lindsay N. Sabadosa1st Hampshire1/19/2023Jack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex1/26/2023Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex1/26/2023Frank A. Moran17th Essex1/26/2023Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/26/2023Brian W. Murray10th Worcester1/27/2023Sean Garballey23rd Middlesex1/27/2023Carol A. Doherty3rd Bristol1/30/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/31/2023Jon Santiago9th Suffolk2/6/2023James C. Arena-DeRosa8th Middlesex2/8/2023Samantha Montaño15th Suffolk2/8/2023Sal N. DiDomenicoMiddlesex and Suffolk2/8/2023Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex2/9/2023Paul McMurtry11th Norfolk2/9/2023Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/13/2023Adrian C. Madaro1st Suffolk2/13/2023 2 of 2
Michelle M. DuBois10th Plymouth2/13/2023Tricia Farley-Bouvier2nd Berkshire2/14/2023Priscila S. Sousa6th Middlesex2/14/2023Susan Williams Gifford2nd Plymouth2/16/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/16/2023David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf17th Worcester2/17/2023Daniel Cahill10th Essex2/17/2023James J. O'Day14th Worcester2/21/2023Kate Lipper-Garabedian32nd Middlesex2/22/2023Natalie M. Blais1st Franklin2/27/2023Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester3/1/2023Rebecca L. RauschNorfolk, Worcester and Middlesex3/2/2023Mike Connolly26th Middlesex3/8/2023Thomas M. Stanley9th Middlesex3/9/2023Kevin G. Honan17th Suffolk3/14/2023 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1964 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1312
By Representative Decker of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1312) of
Marjorie C. Decker and others that the Department of Housing and Community Development
administer a residential assistance for families in transition homelessness prevention program.
Housing.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1385 OF 2021-2022.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)
_______________
An Act providing upstream homelessness prevention assistance to families, youth, and adults.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 23B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after
2section 30 the following section:-
3 Section 31. (a) Subject to appropriation, the department of housing and community
4development shall administer the residential assistance for families in transition homelessness
5prevention program for households whose incomes are at or below 50 per cent of the area
6median income and who are at risk of homelessness, eviction, foreclosure or utility shut-off
7within the next 12 months. For the purposes of this program, to receive cash benefits or other
8services, it is not necessary for a household to have received a shut-off notice from a utility
9company, notice to quit or summary process summons and complaint, or otherwise be subject to 2 of 3
10the summary process pursuant to chapter 239. Risk of eviction, foreclosure and utility shut-off
11may be determined by certified statements from the landlord, mortgage holder, utility company,
12or the applicant household verifying outstanding rent, mortgage or utility costs and the
13household’s current inability to pay said fees. The department shall ensure that not less than 50
14per cent of the funds be provided to households with incomes not greater than 30 per cent of area
15median income. Eligible households shall include, but not be limited to, families with children
16under the age of 21, elders, persons with disabilities, and unaccompanied youth. Services and
17cash benefits under the program shall be made available to households for the prevention of the
18loss of subsidized or unsubsidized housing. Cash benefits for arrearages shall not exceed the
19actual liability. Eligible households may receive benefits for short-term rental or utility payments
20to offset future costs, and to pay for other expenses that otherwise would leave the household at
21risk of homelessness. Funds from this program shall be available to cover up to 12 months in
22combined rental arrearage and forward rent payments for eligible households. The department
23and administering agencies shall make direct payments available to tenants whose landlords are
24unresponsive or refuse payments. In administering the program, the department shall coordinate
25with the department of transitional assistance, member agencies and offices of the Massachusetts
26interagency council on housing and homelessness, and the agencies contracted to administer the
27residential assistance for families in transition program on behalf of eligible households served
28by those agencies and offices so as streamline the application process, provide additional support
29services, and better promote upstream homelessness prevention and housing stability.
30 (b) The department shall annually, on or before December 31, issue a report on the rental
31and mortgage arrearage assistance program created by this section. The report shall be submitted
32to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on housing, and the 3 of 3
33clerks of the house of representatives and the senate. The report also shall be posted online in a
34timely manner in a searchable format so that such information is available to the public. The
35report shall include but not be limited to the following information:
36 (i) the referral source for each household and number of households referred by said
37source;
38 (ii) the number of applications requested, the number of applications completed, the
39number of applications approved;
40 (iii) the number of applications rejected and the reasons for denial;
41 (iv) the household income and demographic information for each qualifying household
42and its members. This information shall be provided by zip code and cumulatively;
43 (v) the monthly rent or mortgage liability for each qualifying household and the amount
44of each arrearage payment; and
45 (vi) the housing status of each qualifying household at 6, 12, and 24 months after receipt
46of services or cash benefits.