Now is the time to reach out to your State Representative to ask for their co-sponsorship of our priority budget amendments! Find your representative here.
It can be a one sentence email: “Please co-sponsor these priority amendments to prevent and end homelessness.”
It can be more: you can share your own experience, either direct or as a provider; you can zero in on the amendments that are closest to you. You can write a single paragraph or ten! It all counts.
As you can see, our list is long. And it reflects the reality of what is both necessary and doable.
Big thanks to our western MA Representatives who are lead sponsors for many of these amendments and to those who have signed on in support (and to those who will be signing on in the coming days). We are grateful for your leadership and support!
The House budget will be debated and voted on next week. It matters for your representative to hear from you any time between now and the vote, so if you’re away this week, email at the top of next week and your voice will be heard.
The priority amendments are also listed below for your copying ease if you want to be selective.
Bottom line: Find your State Representative HERE and be in touch with them! We’ve got 901 people receiving this email. Let’s go make some noise together!
Fiscal Year 2026 House Budget Amendment Priorities for the Westerne MA Network to End Homelessness
#1030 – Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness
Sponsored by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa
Funds the Network at $100,000 for the Network to support coordination and collaboration to prevent and end homelessness across Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire Counties.
#654 and #1256 – Fair Housing Centers
Sponsored by Rep. Patricia Duffy and Rep Christopher Hendricks
Provides $150,000 for the Holyoke-based Massachusetts Fair Housing Center and $75,000 for the South Coast Fair Housing Center to support their vital work in addressing housing discrimination, which is now especially critical in view of the attempted federal budget cuts.
#1401 – Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs)
Sponsored by Rep. Rob Consalvo
Restores the House Ways and Means’ funding cut to HCECs to level funding at $8.974 million. HCECs in western Massachusetts provide the critical front door to RAFT and other support services for people experiencing housing instability and the imminent threat of homelessness.
#1276 – Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)
Sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Decker
Strengthens RAFT by increasing the 12-month benefit cap to $10,000, moves access more “upstream” by prohibiting EOHLC to require a notice to quit and includes additional administrative improvements.
#1 – Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT)
Sponsored by Rep. David LeBoeuf
Improves RAFT by eliminating the requirement for a notice to quit or utility shut off to access benefits. Also requires EOHLC to establish criteria for demonstrating that a household is experiencing or is at risk of homelessness.
#368 – Home and Healthy for Good (HHG)
Sponsored by Rep. James Hawkins
Restores funding for HHG to $8.89 million to address the needs of individuals experiencing homelessness through the successful Housing First model.
#1344 – Safe Havens
Sponsored by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa
Restores funding to Safe Havens to the Governor’s FY26 budget proposal at $29.71 million in order to protect funding for the program in the state budget (this program has been partially funded from a federal pandemic relief funding source). Safe Havens provides vital transitional housing across western Massachusetts for long-term chronically homeless individuals.
#1263 – Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)
Sponsored by Rep. Vanna Howard
Increase funding to $270 million for approximately 800 new vouchers.
#435 – HomeBASE
Sponsored by Rep. Chistine Barber
Improves the HomeBASE program by increasing benefit caps for recipients and making it easier for families experiencing housing challenges to access benefits.
#1534 Fair Housing Trust
Sponsored by Rep. Dave Rogers
Provides $4 million for the Trust to support activities to prevent and eliminate housing discrimination.
#864 – “Homeless IDs”
Sponsored by Rep. Jim O’Day
Adds $75,000 to the MA Transportation Trust Fund to provide free standard Mass IDs to eligible people experiencing homelessness and provide fee waiver and documentation standards for youth and adults experiencing homelessness to access standard Mass IDs.
#1221 – Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Sponsored by Rep. Jim O’Day
Increases funding to $12 million for housing and services for youth experiencing homelessness.
#467 – Cliff Effect Pilot
Sponsored by Rep. Patricia Duffy
Funds the Bridge to Prosperity Pilot at $150,000 to promote economic and housing stability for working families facing the “cliff effect.”
#1649 – Healthy Homes Program
Sponsored by Rep. Shirley Arriaga
Provides $5 million to address issues such as mold and asbestos to keep people in their homes and improve the quality of aged housing stock.
#285 – First-Time Homebuyer and Foreclosure Prevention
Sponsored by Rep. Samantha Montanoto
Restores funding to $3.05 million to provide a crucial tool that keeps people in their homes when experiencing housing challenges.
#731 and #1351 – Public Housing
Sponsored by Rep. Paul McMurtry and Rep. David Biele
Increases funding to $119 million to provide more for the operation and maintenance of the 43,000 homes provided by public housing.
#1402 – Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP)
Sponsored by Rep. Rob Consalvo
Codifies the Alternative Housing Voucher Program into state statue, protecting this program that provides mobile and project-based subsidies to people with disabilities who are under the age of 60.
#851 – Tenancy Preservation Program (TPP)
Sponsored by Rep. Andy Vargas
Provides $42,755 to support TPP and to preserve the line item.
#570 – MBTA Communities
Sponsored by Rep. Brad Jones
Expands the scope of the MBTA Communities Act to include all cities and towns in Massachusetts.
#1640 – Regional Transit Authority
Sponsored by Rep. Natalie Blais
Increases operating funds for RTA by $13 million and includes language that sustains FY25 grant programs that make service free, improve connectivity and close transit gaps.
#1602 – Community Transit Grant Program
Sponsored by Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier
Increases funding for the Community Transit Grant Program to $8 million to help close gaps in transit for older adults, people with disabilities and low-income communities.
