A $363 million spending bill was passed Tuesday by the Massachusetts Legislature and signed by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, which included $51.5 million for emergency assistance programs that serve the homeless.
While Robyn Frost, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, said homeless shelters ran out of funding on Saturday, Daniel Tomanelli, spokesman for the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, said service to the families was not disrupted.
“There was no break in service for the families in the shelter service, and we are grateful the legislature addressed the issue in a timely manner,” Tomanelli wrote in an email.
An additional $3 million was approved for the HomeBASE program, a diversion program to help families from needing shelter, in addition to an exit strategy to help families move out of a shelter, Frost said.
Additionally, $50 million was allocated to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and $7.6 million to the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families.
The funding has gotten homeless shelters out of trouble for now, but the money will only last so long, Frost said.
“It’ll be enough for the rest of the fiscal year. The shelters will be okay through June 30th,” Frost said.
As of March 3, the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless reported approximately 4,500 families “with children and pregnant women” being sheltered through the Massachusetts’ Emergency Assistance shelter program.
Baker ’s midyear budget bill, passed by the House on March 11, included $44.2 million in funding for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development that would go toward supporting emergency shelters, Statehouse News reported.
A week later, when working with this bill, the Senate approved $51.5 million for the Department of Housing and Community Development.
The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless , which organizes residents to speak out on issues such as the supplemental budget and keeping shelters open, has been speaking to leaders at the state house to monitor the situation, Frost said.
Prior to the bill’s passage, Frost said she was confident legislators would ensure funding for the shelters.
“I’m positive it is going to get through, so I think the state legislators time after time have recognized the fact of the crucial reality that these families have nowhere to go. There is no contingency plan on our part,” she said. “They have always picked up the gauntlet and ensured that happened.”
Several residents said passing the funding to keep homeless shelters improves the chances of employment and health for the homeless.
Eric Ferreiro, 27, of Brighton, said keeping homeless shelters open helps improve the employment rate in Boston.
“In Brighton and Allston, I know that they have … housing that’s new, so I’m not surprised that they actually do take a lot of big steps towards at the very least subsidized housing and homeless housing,” he said. “Having a home definitely helps employment. If you have a place to hang your hat and shower, it’s better to find a job.”
Victoria Gemme, 24, of Allston, said having more shelters in the city can help homeless veterans with mental disorders.
“The homeless problem is really severe especially when you get into downtown Boston, and it’s something that a lot of people don’t realize, especially with homeless veterans which I notice there are quite a few with psychological disorders and disabilities,” she said. “I would be very happy if they were actually able to fix it so that more people had available housing.”
Emily Kelliher, 25, of Brighton, said funds should be focused on giving the homeless a place to sleep.
“We have the money, and we should be putting it somewhere we need it,” she said. “It’s people’s lives at stake. It’s not just something like roads or anything. It’s lives, so we should be taking care of that. The City of Boston is obviously complaining that there is an influx of homeless people, and we should be caring about what we are doing with them and how we can help them and get them to a place they need to be.”
