Bill > S856

This bill aims to provide upstream homelessness prevention assistance to families, youth, and adults in Massachusetts. It would create the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) homelessness prevention program, which would provide cash benefits and other services to households with incomes at or below 50% of the area median income who are at risk of homelessness, eviction, foreclosure, or utility shut-off within the next 12 months. The program would prioritize households with incomes not greater than 30% of the area median income and would be available to families with children, elders, persons with disabilities, and unaccompanied youth. The bill requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to coordinate with other state agencies and administer the program, as well as to report annually on its implementation and outcomes.