7004-0107 Local Housing Programs Earmarks

For the administration of local housing programs; provided, that not less than $5,000 shall be expended for necessary repairs within the Hanson Housing Authority in the town of Hanson; provided further, that not less than $15,000 shall be expended for necessary repairs within the Norwell Housing Authority in the town of Norwell; provided further, that not less than $125,000 shall be expended for the Friendly House, Inc. in the city of Worcester; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended for the Quinsigamond Community Village Center in the city of Worcester; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended to the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. to support the Heal Lawrence program in providing critical emergency relocation assistance, comprehensive stabilization services and proactive community education for families displaced by fires and other residential emergencies in the city of Lawrence with services including short--term housing placement, referrals to community--based resources and outreach that fosters public awareness and resilience across impacted neighborhoods; provided further, that not less than $20,000 shall be expended to the city of Somerville for staffing and administration costs to continue their housing bridge pilot program to facilitate interim housing stability for individuals applying for a more affordable permanent housing situation; provided further, that not less than $60,000 shall be expended to NBCAC (Northern Bristol County Assistance Collaborative) for costs associated with the construction of low--to--mid income housing dedicated to seniors; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended to Housing Families Homeless Children program in Malden; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be made available to the Housing Assistance Corporation for the development of housing and project feasibility studies to expedite the creation of more year--round housing, and for technical assistance to homeowners who are building new accessory dwelling units for year--round rentals; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended to Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. for homelessness prevention services; provided further, that not less than $90,000 shall be expended to Pathway to Possible, Inc. in the city of Newton to provide housing, support and advocacy for people with cognitive and developmental disabilities; provided further, that not less than $45,000 shall be expended for Newton At Home, Inc. to provide financial assistance to qualifying seniors in the city of Newton; provided further, that not less than $55,000 shall be expended for Welcome Home, Inc. in the city of Newton for its home goods pantry; provided further, that not less than $150,000 shall be expended for the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, Inc. for outreach related to and the operation of its confronting the history of housing discrimination curriculum and for the development of additional curriculum units; provided further, that not less than $150,000 shall be expended to Compass Working Capital, Inc. to support the expansion of the Family Self--Sufficiency program to eligible households in the greater Boston area; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended to the Volunteers of America of Massachusetts, Inc. for its Plymouth Area Veterans Center to support a planning study on veteran housing; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended to Belonging to Each Other, Inc. in the town of Falmouth to support those experiencing homelessness in their transition to stable housing by providing temporary cold--weather housing and year--round compassionate, supportive services; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended to maintain patient safety and security at the Community Day Center of Waltham, Inc.; provided further, that not less than $80,000 shall be expended to W.A.T.C.H., Inc. to support staffing and its programs to prevent evictions; provided further, that not less than $450,000 shall be expended to Father Bill's & MainSpring, Inc., the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness and Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, Inc. for ongoing coordination and collaboration to prevent and end homelessness and a pilot program to identify and create regional solutions to reduce the number of families needing shelter; provided further, that said entities shall meet quarterly with the secretary of housing and livable communities, the chair of the senate committee on ways and means, the chair of the house committee on ways and means and the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on housing to report on ongoing efforts, including, but not limited to: (i) identifying root causes of homelessness; (ii) identifying gaps in services and barriers to housing stability; (iii) identifying early intervention opportunities; and (iv) collating and analyzing data that informs proposed recommendations for reform; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended to Community Teamwork Inc. to administer a program for emergency needs for families in crisis; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended to the Boston Housing Authority to support housing and relocation services associated with the Bunker Hill housing redevelopment in the Charlestown section of the city of Boston; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended for Crossroads Family Shelter in the East Boston section of the city of Boston to provide mental health, substance use and clinical recovery services for those impacted by family homelessness; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended to North End Housing Initiative, Inc. to promote equitable access to safe, affordable housing; provided further, that not less than $300,000 shall be expended as a grant to the Lynn Housing Authority to provide housing stabilization services and information and referral services to households who face significant barriers to sustaining housing, including, but not limited to, those who are currently or previously have been served with: (i) residential assistance payments under item 7004--9316; or (ii) emergency rental assistance and other services under the state 2019 novel coronavirus eviction diversion initiative; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended to the Brockton Housing Authority for the redevelopment of the Campello High Rise located in the city of Brockton; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended for SouthCoast Fair Housing, Inc. to promote equitable access to safe, affordable housing for all residents throughout Bristol and Plymouth counties; provided further, that not less than $200,000 shall be expended to the city of Somerville to continue the short--term housing bridge pilot program established under item 7004--0107 of chapter 140 of the acts of 2024 to facilitate interim housing stability for individuals applying for more affordable permanent housing situations; provided further, that eligibility for the pilot program shall include households with individuals: (i) age 60 or older residing in the city of Somerville, who are otherwise eligible for housing under item 7004--9005 or item 7004--9024; (ii) with incomes not more than 80 per cent of the area median income; and (iii) at risk of eviction due to their inability to consistently pay rent; provided further, that households participating in the pilot program shall not, while receiving such assistance, be required to pay more than 30 per cent of their monthly adjusted income for rent; provided further, that the executive office of housing and livable communities shall conduct a study to examine the feasibility and benefits of expanding the short--term housing bridge pilot program statewide; provided further, that not later than June 30, 2026, the executive office of housing and livable communities, in consultation with the executive office of aging and independence, the city of Somerville, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Inc., and the Aging Services Access Points, shall submit a report on the outcomes of the study to the joint committee on aging and independence, the joint committee on housing and the house and senate committees on ways and means that shall include, but not be limited to: (a) the number of people served by the program, including available demographic information; (b) the average cost per participant; (c) whether participants have previously received services from the executive office; (d) the length of time participants utilize services before being able to access permanent housing solutions; (e) any projected cost--savings to the commonwealth associated with this program; (f) any policy or legislative recommendations to implement the program statewide or support housing stability for those eligible for the program; (g) the projected costs of implementing the program statewide; (h) any projected cost--savings of implementing the program statewide; and (i) testimony and recommendations from at least 3 older adults who have experienced housing instability or homelessness who shall be chosen by Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Inc.; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended to Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. for its mobile homeless outreach team for service in the cities of Everett, Malden and Medford; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended for the Community Action Agency of Somerville, Inc. for tenant rights education and advocacy; provided further, that not less than $500,000 shall be expended for the Saving Towards Affordable and Sustainable Homeownership program administered by Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance, Inc. to provide a matched--savings program, financial literacy and homebuyer education for long--term home ownership stability and to assist first--generation homebuyers in a regionally equitable manner to benefit communities throughout the commonwealth; provided further, that not less than $150,000 shall be expended to The Builder Coalition, Inc. to advance efforts to meet the commonwealth's housing production and affordable housing goals by providing support and training to enable emerging local developers to meet construction and community standards and needs; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended to the city of Revere to create a pilot program for grants of not less than $5,000 directed to eligible first--time homebuyers who have lived in a jurisdiction selected by the city for not less than 18 months; provided further, that not less than $304,000 shall be expended to the city of Fitchburg for downtown housing development; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended to the Martha's Vineyard commission to conduct a feasibility study to determine a permanent location for Martha's Vineyard shelter services; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be provided to We Reach, Inc. to expand its workforce development and apprenticeship training programs and provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended to the Center for Human Development, Incorporated for a grant to the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness to support housing stability and homelessness prevention programs