(Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州參議院通過了S.16法案，議定分配 4. 25億美元用於無家可歸家庭的緊急住房援助。麻州參眾兩會將協調兩會所通過法案版本的差異後，送交州長簽決。
S.16法案包括成本控制和報告機制，以確保在未有需要者提供援助之際，負責任的動用納稅人款項。
參議會議長Karen E. Spilka (民主黨籍-Ashland)強調，這法案平衡了會計責任和道德義務。
該法案要求從2025年12月31日起，麻州限制收容庇護所最多收留4,000個家庭，在今年底前逐步淘汰使用酒店和汽車旅館作為緊急住房作法，每兩週向立法機構提交庇護所家庭數量報告。
法案也規定了新的控制成本，改善安全指導方針，為暫時喘息場所提供資金，要求申請者揭露是否曾經犯罪，為處於危急狀況家庭提供長達30天的暫時喘息場所，並要求申請緊急住房援助的成人揭露以前是否曾經犯有刑事罪。
眾議院已通過之前版本，兩院將調和差異後送交州長簽署。
Senate Passes Supplemental Funding for Emergency Shelters
Balances fiscal responsibility to taxpayers with moral
responsibility to Massachusetts families in shelters
(BOSTON–2/12/2025) Today, the Massachusetts Senate
passed legislation to allocate $425 million to support emergency housing
assistance for unhoused families across the Commonwealth. The bill adds cost
controls and reporting mechanisms to ensure the state responsibly uses taxpayer
dollars, while continuing to fund a system that serves Massachusetts mothers,
fathers, and children in crisis.
The bill, S.16,
will provide safe shelter and supportive services for unhoused families,
establish eligibility requirements and time-limited benefits, and ensure
program accountability to help protect Massachusetts residents.
“Today we struck a balance between our fiscal responsibility
to Massachusetts taxpayers, and our moral obligation to moms, dads, and kids
who are in a difficult moment,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka
(D-Ashland). “We prioritize Massachusetts families in need, ensure
transparency in the program, and lay the groundwork for long-term solutions to
homelessness. I thank Chair Rodrigues, and each of the members of the Senate,
for their collaboration and contributions to this legislation.”
“I’m pleased that the Senate has passed this supplemental
budget to provide funding and further clarify supportive services for unhoused
families in the Commonwealth,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues
(D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The Senate
has largely concurred with the House in making these important but necessary
changes to the family shelter system. These adjustments will allow for families
to transfer out of these temporary housing units more readily, continue our
track of providing sustainable employment, and provide a glide path for exiting
the system. This bill strikes a balance by supporting families in crisis, while
responsibly managing taxpayer dollars as we redouble our efforts to move the EA
shelter system towards a fiscally sustainable future. Going forward, this
legislation also puts more stringent reporting requirements from the
Administration, so the Legislature can continue to track and monitor the EA
shelter program.”
The legislation enhances the existing residency requirements
for families in the shelter system, ensuring assistance is received by those
who are Massachusetts residents.
Those in shelter would be able to stay for up to six months,
and those families with young children, a pregnant person late in their
pregnancy, or in other vulnerable circumstances, would be able to receive
hardship exemptions to increase their length of stay. The bill requires
verification of personal details to confirm that shelter residents are eligible
for benefits.
The legislation ensures fiscal responsibility by including
new guidelines for implementation of the shelter system intended to control
costs and increase safety. It funds temporary respite sites for families in
crisis for up to 30 days and requires adult applicants for emergency housing
assistance to disclose prior criminal convictions before placement into
housing. The bill would also limit or exclude individuals with serious crimes
from receiving assistance.
In line with the Administration’s goal to reduce reliance on
hotels and motels, the Senate’s legislation caps the number of families in
shelters at 4,000 families, beginning on December 31, 2025, and requires that
the administration submit biweekly reports to the legislature on the number of
families in shelter. The bill phases out the use of hotels and motels for
emergency housing by the end of this year and requires a report on strategies
to prevent homelessness and promote stable rehousing.
A previous version of this bill having passed the House of
Representatives, the two branches will now reconcile the differences between
the bills before sending it to the Governor’s desk.
