Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Gov. Maura Healey filed a supplemental budget bill on Jan. 6 to provide funding for the state’s emergency assistance shelter system.
The bill (H. 51) would allocate $425 million from the state’s transitional escrow fund for the shelter system, some of which would provide relief to school districts impacted by increased student enrollment and provide additional assistance for communities hosting unhoused families and family shelter sites.
In a letter accompanying the bill, the governor said, “The current system, as operating, is unsustainable.”
The governor’s letter highlights several policy changes in her bill, including a commitment to phase out the use of hotels and motels for emergency shelter by the end of 2025, as recommended by the Special Commission on Emergency Assistance.
A week later, on Jan. 15, the governor filed a letter with legislative leaders asking them to include, in the supplemental budget bill, proposed changes to the right-to-shelter law that are intended to reduce the strain on the shelter system.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Ways and& Means.