Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H51 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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1	1	1 of 3
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 153 FILED ON: 1/6/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 51
4	4	OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
5	5	COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
6	6	STATE HOUSE · BOSTON, MA 02133
7	7	(617) 725-4000
8	8	MAURA T. HEALEY
9	9	GOVERNOR
10	10	KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL
11	11	LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
12	12	January 6, 2025
13	13	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,
14	14	I am filing for your consideration a bill entitled An Act Making Appropriations for Fiscal
15	15	Year 2025 (FY25) to Provide for Supplementing Certain Existing Appropriations and for Certain
16	16	Other Activities and Projects.
17	17	Since the beginning of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, we have worked in
18	18	partnership with the Legislature and in the face of heightened demand and limited resources to
19	19	serve homeless families, including Massachusetts residents and those new to our state.
20	20	In FY25, the Emergency Assistance (EA) system has supported up to 7,500 families in
21	21	shelter, created Temporary Respite Center services for an additional 350 families, and
22	22	accelerated the pace at which families exit or divert from the system to sustainable housing. In
23	23	the absence of comprehensive action and support from the federal government, we have also
24	24	worked to help those experiencing homelessness apply for and obtain work permits so that they
25	25	can become active participants in our economy. Today, approximately 16 families are seeking
26	26	shelter daily, down from a high of 40 families in 2023. Moreover, the system now sees upwards
27	27	of 400 families exit per month, the highest level of exits in the last decade, doubling monthly
28	28	totals seen throughout most of 2023.
29	29	However, in spite of these efforts and growth of exit numbers, demand for shelter
30	30	remains high and exceeds available supply of shelter. More than 400 families remain on the
31	31	waitlist and up to 400 new, additional families apply for shelter each month, thereby leading to a
32	32	caseload of up to 7,500 families this year. 2 of 3
33	33	In the face of this continued demand and the federal government’s failure to advance a
34	34	solution, additional resources are necessary to fund the current system in the short term while
35	35	accelerating efforts to increase the rate of exits and bring the caseload down to sustainable levels
36	36	in the medium to long term.
37	37	For these reasons, I am requesting the Legislature appropriate $425 million from the
38	38	Transitional Escrow Fund to fund the Emergency Assistance system for the balance of FY25 so
39	39	that we can continue to meet our obligations to provide shelter and services, as well as support
40	40	our municipalities and other partners, while we act aggressively to move families to more
41	41	permanent housing and reduce caseload and cost.
42	42	This includes the continuation of financial assistance to local school districts that have
43	43	taken on additional enrollment of students whose families are experiencing homelessness and
44	44	assistance to cities and towns for the impacts of welcoming unhoused families and family shelter
45	45	sites into their communities.
46	46	This request is both timely and necessary, as we project the state will be unable to meet
47	47	its ongoing financial obligations to providers, vendors and partners in this effort after January.
48	48	We also know the current system, as operating, is unsustainable. Consistent with the
49	49	recommendations of the Special Commission on Emergency Assistance, we are committed to
50	50	ensuring that shelter is a rare, brief, and non-recurring stop for families as they transition to
51	51	permanent housing. We must also work together to make sure the need in this area does not
52	52	unduly crowd out our ability to serve residents through other programming in our budget.
53	53	That is why funding alone is not sufficient. This supplemental budget that I am filing for
54	54	your consideration includes policy reforms that build on lessons learned from the last year and
55	55	ensure that the EA shelter system can appropriately meet the needs of families while balancing
56	56	the need to return EA caseloads to sustainable, affordable levels.
57	57	These policy changes will also build on steps my Administration has already taken in the
58	58	last few months to prioritize families, particularly long-term Massachusetts residents, based on
59	59	their needs and establish two tracks to support them with necessary resources to either rapidly
60	60	find self-sufficient permanent housing -- via the Rapid Shelter Track -- or provide additional
61	61	services and supports such as work authorizations, job placements, and English classes via the
62	62	Bridge Shelter Track.
63	63	With this legislation, for the Bridge Shelter Track, our administration proposes to reduce
64	64	the length of stay from nine months to six months and amend extension criteria contained in
65	65	prior legislation to help families and EA providers rehouse more quickly. This ultimately will
66	66	help families move to permanent housing more rapidly and clearly sets expectations for families,
67	67	maintains focus on efforts to move toward permanent housing, and helps us to serve more
68	68	families annually with less resources. 3 of 3
69	69	We are also fully committed to phasing out the use of hotels and motels for emergency
70	70	shelter by the end of 2025, per the recommendations of the Special Commission on Emergency
71	71	Housing Assistance Programs. While necessary when we began this effort to accommodate
72	72	surging demand for shelter, hotels and motels are both costly and less-than-ideal family housing
73	73	options. Eliminating their use will both save on cost and drive the move to more permanent
74	74	housing.
75	75	I urge you to enact this legislation in the next few weeks to ensure continued safe shelter
76	76	and services for families in our shelter system, to support our cities and towns who are
77	77	welcoming unhoused families into their communities, and to put us on the path for a more
78	78	fiscally sustainable Emergency Assistance shelter system in Fiscal Year 2026 and beyond.
79	79	Respectfully submitted,
80	80	Maura T. Healey,
81	81	Governor 1 of 3
82	82	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 51
83	83	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
84	84	_______________
85	85	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
86	86	(2025-2026)
87	87	_______________
88	88	An Act making appropriations for fiscal year 2025 to provide for supplementing certain existing
89	89	appropriations and for certain other activities and projects.
90	90	Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purposes, which are
91	91	to make supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2025 and to make certain changes in law,
92	92	each of which is immediately necessary to carry out those appropriations or to accomplish other
93	93	important public purposes, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for
94	94	the immediate preservation of the public convenience.
95	95	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
96	96	of the same, as follows:
97	97	1 SECTION 1. To provide for supplementing certain items in the general appropriation act
98	98	2and other appropriation acts for fiscal year 2025, the sums set forth in section 2A are hereby
99	99	3appropriated from the General Fund unless specifically designated otherwise in this act or in
100	100	4those appropriation acts, for the several purposes and subject to the conditions specified in this
101	101	5act or in those appropriation acts, and subject to the laws regulating the disbursement of public
102	102	6funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025. These sums shall be in addition to any amounts
103	103	7previously appropriated and made available for the purposes of those items. These sums shall be
104	104	8made available through the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026.
105	105	9 SECTION 2A. To provide for certain unanticipated obligations of the commonwealth, to
106	106	10provide for an alteration of purpose for current appropriations, and to meet certain requirements 2 of 3
107	107	11of law, the sums set forth in this section are hereby appropriated from the General Fund or the
108	108	12Transitional Escrow Fund established in section 16 of chapter 76 of the acts of 2021, as amended
109	109	13by section 4 of chapter 98 of the acts of 2022, unless specifically designated otherwise in this
110	110	14section, for the several purposes and subject to the conditions specified in this section, and
111	111	15subject to the laws regulating the disbursement of public funds for the fiscal year ending June 30,
112	112	162025. Except as otherwise stated, these sums shall be made available through the fiscal year
113	113	17ending June 30, 2026.
114	114	18 1599-2625 For purposes related to supportive services and safe shelter for unhoused
115	115	19families in Massachusetts; provided, that the secretary of administration and finance may transfer
116	116	20funds from this item to state agencies as defined in section 1 of chapter 29 of the General Laws;
117	117	21provided further, that funds appropriated in this item may be expended for any of the purposes
118	118	22described in item 1599-0514 of Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2023, item 1599-1213 of Chapter 88 of
119	119	23the Acts of 2024, and items 7004-0101, 7004-0108, and 7004-9316 of Chapter 140 of the Acts of
120	120	242024; provided further, that the secretary of administration and finance may transfer funds from
121	121	25this item to the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund for work programs targeted at supporting
122	122	26the populations served by this item; and provided further, that reporting requirements under the
123	123	27aforementioned items 1599-0514 and 1599-1213 shall apply to this item as
124	124	28well…………………………………………………..$425,000,000
125	125	29 Transitional Escrow Fund……………………….100%
126	126	30 SECTION 3. Paragraph (G) of section 30 of chapter 23B of the General Laws, as most
127	127	31recently amended by section 3 of chapter 88 of the Acts of 2024, is hereby amended by striking
128	128	32out subparagraphs (3) and (4) and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:- 3 of 3
129	129	33 (3) A family with children or a pregnant woman with no other children that
130	130	34receives benefits through the emergency housing assistance program shall, subject to
131	131	35appropriation and rules and regulations, remain eligible for the program for not more than 6
132	132	36consecutive months.
133	133	37 SECTION 4. Subparagraph (5) of said paragraph (G) of said section 30 of said chapter
134	134	3823B, is hereby amended by striking out the following words:- and (4).
135	135	39 SECTION 5. Said subparagraph (5) of said paragraph (G) of said section 30 of said
136	136	40chapter 23B, is hereby amended by striking out the following words:- additional.
137	137	41 SECTION 6. Subparagraph (6) of paragraph (G) of said section 30 of said chapter 23B,
138	138	42as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the words “; provided, that not more 150
139	139	43families shall be terminated from the emergency housing assistance program in any week”.