Bill > S17

This bill provides supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2025, focusing primarily on emergency housing assistance for families and pregnant women in Massachusetts. The bill allocates $425 million from the Transitional Escrow Fund to support services and safe shelter for unhoused families, with specific provisions for temporary respite sites lasting up to 30 days. The legislation introduces significant changes to the emergency housing assistance program, including stricter eligibility requirements such as mandatory criminal background checks, income limitations, and residency verification. Key provisions require families to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, limit program participation to 6 consecutive months with potential extensions for specific hardship conditions, and cap the total program capacity at 4,000 families between December 2025 and December 2026. The bill also mandates biweekly reporting on program details, requires a plan to phase out hotel and motel use for emergency housing by the end of 2025, and calls for studies on preventing family homelessness and conducting national background checks. Additionally, the bill requires that any services related to the emergency housing assistance program be subject to a competitive bidding process, aiming to increase transparency and potentially reduce costs.

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S17