Bill > H147

This bill aims to provide immediate childcare assistance to homeless families in Massachusetts. It does this by making several changes: 1) Families placed in temporary emergency assistance shelters and receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) assistance will be eligible for the Department of Early Education and Care's homeless childcare assistance vouchers, regardless of whether they meet work requirements. 2) Families who meet the definition of "homeless" under the McKinney-Vento Homelessness Assistance Act and receive TAFDC assistance will also be eligible for the homeless childcare assistance vouchers. 3) A letter verifying shelter residency will qualify a family receiving TAFDC assistance for a full-time childcare referral from the Department of Transitional Assistance. 4) Children aged 0-3 of families entering shelters or receiving a McKinney-Vento verification letter will be considered qualified for early intervention services, without the need for other risk factors, for one year after leaving the shelter or receiving the verification letter. The bill also requires the relevant state departments to adopt regulations or policies and remove procedural barriers for administering these changes within 90 days of the bill's effective date.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H147