Bill > S1120

This bill establishes comprehensive legal protections and rights for individuals experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. The legislation defines homelessness broadly, including people living in shelters, motels, cars, public spaces, or sharing housing due to economic hardship. It provides people experiencing homelessness with several key rights, such as the ability to use public spaces without discrimination, interact with public officials without harassment, rest in public areas without obstructing traffic, access medical care, eat and share food in public spaces, vote and register to vote, practice religion, and protect their personal records. The bill also makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against someone based on their housing status, including refusing to hire or license someone because they have a shelter address. Additionally, the bill modifies existing laws to add "housing status" as a protected category in various anti-discrimination statutes and repeals several older laws that potentially criminalized homelessness. The overall aim is to protect the dignity, civil rights, and equal treatment of people experiencing homelessness by preventing systemic discrimination and providing legal safeguards for their basic human needs and civil liberties.

Health and Social Services, Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1120