Massachusetts Catholic Conference

June 11, 2009

The Massachusetts Catholic Conference joined other organizations from across the Commonwealth in signing onto a letter on homeless shelters sent this week to the six member Senate-House budget conference committee.  The letter urges the conferees to maintain sufficient funding for and access to homeless shelters and the state’s rental voucher program in next year’s budget.  The letter states in part: 

“If the income limit is reduced [as proposed by the State Senate], we estimate that at least 274 children and their parents will be excluded from [emergency assistance] shelter and services each month. Without access to shelter or affordable housing, these families may be forced to live in cars, on the streets or in other unsafe situations.  While reducing the income eligibility limit will have an immediate effect of reducing [state] expenditures [in the budget’s line-item for shelters], the state’s costs for emergency health care, remedial education, and child protection services will offset any savings in the shelter account. The long-term harm to children will be devastating.”

The letter urges the conferees to adopt the House's proposed budget and eligibility levels.

The Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless coordinated the letter, which can be viewed at Coalition Letter to Conferees