Bill adds fiscal guardrails and continues support for families in crisis
(BOSTON–2/26/2025) Today, the Legislature passed a $425 million supplemental budget to support emergency housing assistance for unhoused families across the Commonwealth. Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) voted in favor of the measure in the Senate.
The bill adds cost controls and reporting mechanisms to ensure the state responsibly uses taxpayer dollars, and that the program is financially sustainable over the long term. At the same time, it continues to support the mothers, fathers, and children who use the system, who are in a moment of crisis.
“Our emergency assistance shelter program has been in trouble for many years, not as a result of, but exacerbated by, migrant families in need of shelter,” said Senator Friedman, Chair of the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy. “This legislation begins to implement the reforms needed to make the program more efficient, while also addressing what I believe are fundamentally moral obligations to those in need of shelter. As we continue to navigate this challenging situation, I want to thank the outstanding Resettlement Agencies that support the state in this work to put residents on a path towards housing stability.”
The bill allows families to stay for up to six months in shelter and grants the Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities the authority to grant hardship exemption waivers to families with young children, to families at risk of domestic violence, or other individuals in vulnerable circumstances, to lengthen their stay in shelters.
The bill includes temporary reforms to verify eligibility requirements for families that are entering the EA program, and to increase security measures to ensure that family shelters are safe.
Having been passed by both chambers of the legislature, the bill will now be sent to the Governor’s desk for her signature.
More detailed provisions of the legislation include:
Eligibility, Waivers, and Limitations
Limitations on Stay: States that families in the emergency housing assistance program would be eligible for the program for not more than 6 consecutive months, subject to a hardship waiver.
Hardship Waiver for Extended Stay: Allows a family to receive extensions to the length of stay limit upon written certification of hardship by the Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities.
Veteran, Young Child, Domestic Violence, Disability, Pregnancy Waivers: Requires extensions to the length of stay limit to be granted for a family with an individual who: is a veteran; is under the age of 6; is at imminent risk of harm due to domestic violence; is documented as having a disability; has imminent pending placement in housing; has a high-risk pregnancy; or satisfies any additional criteria the Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities deems necessary.
Income Limitations: Requires that families whose income exceeds 200 per cent of the federal poverty level for 4 consecutive months to be deemed ineligible for the emergency housing assistance program.
Temporary Respite Sites: Provides funding to make temporary respite sites available to families for up to 30 days, including to families who appear eligible for emergency housing assistance and provide information sufficient to comply with all disclosure and criminal offender record information requirements.
Residency Requirements: Requires that all emergency housing assistance program benefits be provided to families consisting entirely of residents of the commonwealth who are citizens of the United States or persons lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under the color of law, except in cases where a child in the family is a citizen of the United States, a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence or a person permanently residing in the United States under color of law.
Eligibility Requirements: Requires each adult applicant or beneficiary that joins a family receiving emergency housing assistance to provide notice to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities of any addition to the family and require a complete review of all information necessary to verify the individual’s eligibility.
Emergency Shelter for Massachusetts Residents: Requires that each applicant for benefits under the emergency housing assistance program establish residency in the Commonwealth and that an applicant’s family show an intent to remain in the Commonwealth, which may be shown through sources of verification accepted by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Fiscal Responsibility
Phasing Out Hotels and Motels: Requires the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, in consultation with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, to submit a report detailing a plan to phase out the use of hotels and motels for emergency housing assistance not later than December 31, 2025.
Competitive Bidding for Services: Requires that any funds expended after the effective date of this act for the provisions of services to families served by the emergency housing assistance program be subject to a competitive bidding process.
System Capacity: Requires that for the period of December 31, 2025 to December 31, 2026, the total capacity of the emergency housing assistance program not exceed 4,000 families.
Safety and Verification
Criminal Conviction Disclosure: Requires each individual adult applicant or beneficiary of emergency housing assistance benefits to disclose on their initial or subsequent applications prior criminal convictions or pending charges for serious crimes, as defined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Criminal Records: Requires the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to obtain criminal offender record information from the Department of Criminal Justice Information Services for each individual adult applicant or beneficiary prior to placement into the emergency housing assistance program.
Exclusions for Serious Crimes: Requires the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to promulgate regulations placing limitations or exclusions on individuals found to have convictions or pending charges for serious crimes, as defined by the Executive Office by regulation.
Verification Requirements: Requires that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities verify, for each applicant for emergency housing assistance benefits, the applicant’s: identity; Massachusetts residency; relationship status; pregnancy status; and other eligibility requirements through third-party verification or otherwise.
Biweekly Reporting: Requires the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to submit a biweekly report to the Senate and House of Representatives containing certain information related to the emergency housing assistance program.
Having passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, the bill now heads to Governor Healey’s desk for her signature.
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