3 County Individual Services Meeting Minutes – 5/11/18
(Thanks to Jay Levy for facilitating and note-taking in Pamela’s absence)

Shelter Updates:

  • ServiceNet: Grove Shelter is full; they are now down to only one person couching it, as opposed to 3 people due to the overflow from the COT shelter closing down for the season. Several folks were placed in housing from the COT shelter leaving about 7 people that remained homeless and potentially unsheltered in the Northampton area.
  • Friends of the Homeless: April averaged 154 clients per night.  Female numbers were unusually high.  In May, numbers dropped significantly for both women and men.

Homelessness Resource Fair, Thurs., June 14, 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. Please be sure to register if attending – either by going to this Registration Form or emailing Pamela at [email protected]. Note that the interest in the workshop on chronically homeless individuals is as high as any other interest – people want to understand coordinated entry and how to serve this population!

FY19 Budget Updates:

  • The Senate Ways and Means Committee released its budget last Thursday.  The MA Coalition for the Homeless summarized the provisions that impact individuals:
    • Increased funding for housing and services for unaccompanied youth and young adults from $675,000 in FY’18 to $3.3 million in FY’19
    • Increased Residential Assistance for Families in Transition funding from $15 million in FY’18 to $18.5 million in FY’19, and allowing households without children to access up to $3 million
    • For ABE/ESOL funding (a priority of the Career Services Committee : increased funding for $31 million but this is lower than the House budget and not up to the $34.5 million ABE Coalition ask).  Urging Senators to support Senator Eldridge’s amendment for increased funding to $34.5 million.

    Budget debate will happen next week (5/21) so now is the time to contact Senators to urge their support of these provisions.

  • Next meeting date: Monday, June 11, DMH Haskell Building, 1-2:30 pm (Network meeting 2-2:30 pm)

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