| Account | Description | FY2013 Spending |
FY2014 GAA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7004-0108 | Massachusetts Short Term Housing Transition Program For a program of short-term housing assistance to help families in addressing obstacles to maintaining or securing housing for: (a) families eligible for temporary emergency shelter under item 7004-0101; and (b) families that received rental assistance under this item prior to July 1, 2012; provided, that the assistance provided under this item shall include not less than 12 months of housing stabilization and economic self-sufficiency case management services for each family receiving benefits under this item; provided further, that the assistance may include, but shall not be limited to: payments of rent and utility arrears, a portion of the household's monthly rent, first month's rent, last month's rent, security deposit, utility charges and extraordinary medical bills, so long as such assistance will maintain housing for the family; provided further, that except for a family receiving rental assistance, no other assistance from this item shall exceed $4,000 in a 12 month period; provided further, that excluding families receiving rental assistance, a family shall not receive more than a combined sum of $4,000 in a 12 month period from this item and item 7004-9316; provided further, that funds shall be used to transition families served by the program into temporary or permanent sustainable housing more rapidly; provided further, that a family shall not be able to receive cash assistance under this item for 12 months from the last date it received cash assistance; provided further, that families that received rental assistance under this item prior to July 1, 2012 shall remain eligible for assistance greater than $4,000 under this item provided that the monthly rent for the housing does not exceed the amount approved by the department of housing and community development; provided further, that families eligible for rental assistance shall pay not more than 35 per cent of household income towards rent and utilities; provided further, that a family's eligibility for rental assistance provided under this item shall not exceed a period of 24 successive months from the date the family first received rental assistance under this item, not including time spent in temporary accommodations; provided further, that the department shall take all necessary steps to ensure that families reaching the end of their time limited rental assistance shall not become homeless again including, but not limited to: (i) transitioning families to long-term subsidized housing including, but not limited to assistance given through housing authorities, the federal Housing Choice Voucher program or rental assistance under item 7004-9024; and (ii) providing families with assistance through this item and item 7004-9316; provided further, that, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department shall ensure that any family that becomes homeless again shall be provided access to emergency shelter under item 7004-0101 as long as the family meets the income requirements in said item 7004-0101, meets the requirements of the family's housing stabilization plan and all other options of housing assistance have been exhausted; provided further, that on the first day of each month beginning on September 1, 2013, the department shall provide a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on housing and the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities detailing how many families reached the end of the 24-month period in the preceding month and each family's current housing status, including what additional forms of assistance are being provided to ensure that the family does not become homeless again; provided further, that so long as a family meets the requirements of the family's housing stabilization plan, a family that, after first receiving benefits through this item, has an income which exceeds 50 per cent of area median income shall not become ineligible for assistance due to exceeding the income limit for a period of 6 months from the date that the income level was exceeded; provided further, that a family that was terminated from the program or did not make a good faith effort to follow its housing stabilization plan during the term of its assistance shall be ineligible for benefits under item 7004-0101 and this item for 24 months from the last date they received assistance under said items, including housing stabilization and economic self-sufficiency case management services; provided further, that a family's housing stabilization plan shall adequately accommodate the age and disabilities of the family members; provided further, that no family with a head of household who is over 60 years of age or who is disabled and who is in compliance with the requirements of a housing stabilization plan that accommodates disabilities shall be denied short-term housing assistance; provided further, that any such family with a head of household who is over 60 years of age or who is disabled shall not have engaged in, or be engaged in, any activity that threatens the health, safety or security of the family, other program participants or program staff; provided further, that families receiving benefits under this program who are found not to be eligible for continuing benefits shall be eligible for aid pending a timely appeal under chapter 23B of the General Laws; provided further, that families who are denied assistance under this item may appeal that denial under said chapter 23B, including subsection (F) of section 30, and regulations adopted to implement said chapter 23B; provided further, that benefits under this item shall be provided only to residents of the commonwealth of Massachusetts who are citizens of the United States or aliens lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing under color of law in the United States; provided further, that the department, as a condition of continued eligibility for assistance under this program, may require disclosure of social security numbers by all members of a family receiving assistance under this item for use in verification of income with other agencies, departments and executive offices; provided further, that any family in which a member of the family fails to provide a social security number for use in verifying the family's income and eligibility shall no longer be eligible to receive benefits from this program; provided further, that the department shall administer this program through the following agencies unless administering agencies are otherwise procured by the department: the Berkshire Housing Development Corporation, the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, Inc., the Community Teamwork, Inc., the Housing Assistance Corporation, the Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Hap, Inc., the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, Inc., the Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development, the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc., the South Shore Housing Development Corporation and RCAP Solutions, Inc.; provided further, that the department shall use funds provided for this program for stabilization workers to focus efforts on housing retention, and link households to supports including job training, education, job search, and childcare opportunities available and may enter into agreements with other public and private agencies for the provision of such services, and that a stabilization worker shall be assigned to each household; provided further, that not less than $175,000 shall be expended annually for provision of emergency services that provide domestic violence intervention, workforce development, housing assistance, operation of food vouchers, winter coats for kids and holiday dinners operated by Community Action Programs Inter-City, Incorporated for the communities specified in item 7004-0099 of section 2 of chapter 68 of the acts of 2011; provided further, that this entire item shall be subject to appropriation and, in the event of a deficiency, nothing in this item shall give rise to or shall be construed as giving rise to any enforceable right or entitlement to services in excess of the amounts appropriated in this item; provided further, notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, 60 days before promulgating or amending any regulation, administrative practice or policy that would alter eligibility for or the level of benefits under this program, other than that which would benefit the clients, the department shall file with the house and senate committees on ways and means and the clerks of the house of representatives and senate a report setting forth justification for such changes, including, but not limited to, any determination by the secretary of housing and economic development that available appropriations will be insufficient to meet projected expenses; provided further, that the department shall submit quarterly reports to the house and senate committees on ways and means which shall include the number of families served, the type of assistance given, the number of families assisted through this program and the average minimum and maximum cost per family of such assistance, the number of households transitioned into federally-funded public housing or rental assistance, the number of households transitioned to said item 7004-9024, the number of households that exited the program into alternative housing and the number of households exiting the program and unaccounted for; and provided further, that the report shall include the number of families served who required further assistance at a later date, the type of assistance later provided and the current housing stability of each family who received assistance within the prior 12 months, including transitional housing or short-term housing assistance and shall include any obstacles encountered with the administration of this program |
88,674,371 | 58,963,556 |
Veto Explanation: I am striking language which earmarks funding for a program not recommended. The reduction in the item incorporates the amount of the stricken earmarked funds.