ACTION NEEDED ON BUDGET ITEMS
FOR HOMELESS ASSISTANCE
April 21, 2009
1.
The
· Average income of
a household that receives MRVP assistance is $11,000.
Anyone removed from the program due to the proposed House Budget cut would
be at risk of homelessness. The FY’10 funding cut would cause a loss
of subsidies for 2,300 - 2,900 households.
· Average cost to
house a family receiving MRVP is $600 per month; approximate cost to shelter one homeless
family is $3000 per month.
· Representative
Kevin Honan (D-Boston) Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing has proposed an amendment
to the MRVP (Line Item 7004-9024) which funds the program as $35.7 million.
2.
The First Stop Homelessness Prevention Collaborative (Budget Line Item 7004-0101) First Stop is a new early warning/early
intervention homelessness prevention initiative that places housing advocates in six
low-income neighborhood communities.
· This program was cut entirely from the
· Representative
Steven Walsh (D-Lynn) Chair of the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory
Oversight has filed an amendment inserting funding and language restoring the First Stop
Homelessness Prevention Collaborative (Line Item 7004-0101).
First
Stop’s Accomplishments:
· Nearly 60% of the
households seen by First Stop were entitled to benefits that they were NOT receiving.
· First Stop
Advocates successfully linked 64% of these households to resources that helped them to
reduce their housing costs or increase their incomes.
· On average,
households who were successfully linked to government income programs saw their income
increase by $428/month. Households successfully linked to the Supplemental Nutritional
Assistance Program (also know as Food Stamps), saw their nutritional benefits increase by
$185/month.
· First Stop
advocates also helped 85% of the households to apply for affordable housing resources
which, in the long run, will provide them with true housing stability.
WHAT
CAN YOU DO?
Call
your State Representative
[Use
the main switchboard # (617-722-2000) and ask to be transferred to his or her office].
· Ask your
Representative to co-sponsor and support two budget amendments, one offered by
Representative Kevin Honan (D-Boston) to fund MRVP (Line Item 7004-9024) at $35.7 million,
and the other offered by Representative Steven Walsh (D-Lynn) to restore and fund the
First Stop Homelessness Prevention Collaborative (Line Item 7004-0101).
· Ask your Representative to contact House Ways and Means Chairman Charles
Murphy (D-Burlington) and House Speaker Robert DeLeo (D-Winthrop) to indicate support and
funding for the MRVP and First Stop programs.
· To learn who your
State Representative is, go to www.wheredoivotema.com or call the main State
House number at 617-722-2000.
Representatives can
sign on as co-sponsors until Friday, April 24, 2009. The House is scheduled to debate this
budget and consider floor amendments April 27 - May 1.
REPORT BACK
Call Sr. Linda
Bessom SND at the MA Homeless Coalition at 781-595-7570 x18 or email: Linda@mahomeless.org.
Let her know what your State Representative decided.
(v) 617-367-6060
(f) 617-367-2767
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