Bill > H1139

This bill amends Chapter 23B of the General Laws to establish new requirements for the Department of Housing and Community Development's (DHCD) emergency housing program, specifically concerning hotel and motel placements. Firstly, it clarifies that individuals are eligible for this program if they have been residents of the Commonwealth, meaning they have lived in Massachusetts for at least six months, prior to being placed in temporary hotel or motel housing. Secondly, the bill introduces a condition for the DHCD's placement of participants in hotels and motels: if the unemployment rate in the Commonwealth, as reported by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, falls to six percent or below, the DHCD must stop placing people in hotels and motels for emergency housing; however, if the unemployment rate rises above six percent, the program will continue as before. This act will become effective immediately upon its passage.