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Advocacy & Budget Process 101 On Solid Ground Coalition

Thursday, April 6, 2017 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.

#OnSolidGround www.chapa.org/OnSolidGround

FEATURING

Marija Bingulac, On Solid Ground & Center for Social Policy

Ruthie Liberman, EMPath

Libby Hayes, Homes for Families

Eric Shupin, Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association

Key Partners

THANK YOU!


Today’s Agenda

• Introduction to On Solid Ground Coalition

•How a bill becomes law and budget overview process

•OSG budget priorities overview

•OSG legislative priorities overview

•Q & A session


The On Solid Ground (OSG)

Coalition

Cross-sector group of 40+ partners committed to a research-based approach to increasing housing stability and economic mobility for low-income families living in Massachusetts. Through its four-prong approach, the coalition aims to increase housing stability

• Improve system coordination

• Improve support services

• Increase affordable housing

• Collect data to measure success


OSG Members


How a Bill Becomes Law and Budget Overview Process

Ruthie Liberman, EMPath


credit: Newton Free Library

Action Items for bills

•Gather bill co-sponsors – call your legislators

• Testify at public hearing on the bill (or send in written testimony) – Generally in Spring or Fall of odd years


Governor Hearings

“House 1” - January 2017

House hearings/mtgs/budget

April 2017

Senate hearings/mtgs/budget

Senate May 2017

Conference Committee –

June 2017

Governor’s Vetoes

July 2017

Legislative Overrides

July 2017

General Appropriation Act

Secretaries prepare 2018

requests

Fall 2017

2018 Mass Budget Process


Action Items for Budget

• Send requests to Secretaries and Governor –summer/fall

• Ask your legislators to prioritize your items – early winter

• Ask legislators to support line items and amendments –April-May

• Call/Write to Conference Committee - June

• Call/Write to Governor – June-July


What more can you do to pass a bill or budget line item?

• Educate others about important bills and budget items

• Sign up and respond to E-Alerts. Forward alerts to your lists. Post them on social media.

• Write letters to editor or op-eds in local papers

• Attend rallies or lobby days


Great Resources

• Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center http://massbudget.org/

• MassBudget Online Budget http://www2.massbudget.org/

• Massachusetts Budget Website www.mass.gov/budget

• Look up your state legislators

www.wheredoivotema.com


http://massbudget.org/



http://www2.massbudget.org/




http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and-procurement/state-budget/budget-process/

http://www.mass.gov/anf/budget-taxes-and-procurement/state-budget/budget-process/

http://www.mass.gov/budget

http://www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx



http://www.wheredoivotema.com/

On Solid Ground Budget Priorities

Libby Hayes, Homes for Families


OSG Budget Agenda

Systems Change

Housing

Support Services

Data


Systems Change

• 1599-0017 : Add language to the End Family Homelessness Reserve Fund to mandate more coordination and data sharing between EOHHS and EOHED programs •Establish a Common Application for SNAP and MassHealth


1599-0017: End Family Homelessness Reserve Fund OSG Proposal: For a homelessness prevention reserve at the executive office of health and human services; provided, that funds shall be used to provide tailored and flexible short-term assistance to families that are homeless or in danger of becoming homeless with a goal of rapid housing stabilization for families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness through programs within the executive office and to coordinate the delivery of public benefits and human services to families who apply for or are receiving benefits through item 7004-0101, 7004-0108, 7004-3036 or 7004-9316; provided further, that the funds may be used for prevention, diversion or stabilization; provided further, that such assistance shall be coordinated with the department of housing and community development to maximize impact and to avoid duplication of effort; provided further, that the secretary of health and human services may, with the approval of the secretary of administration and finance, transfer from this item amounts necessary to meet any costs associated with the purposes of this item; provided further, that the secretary of health and human services shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than March 1, 2018 on: (i) the number of families served through this item; (ii) the types of interventions and referrals received by participating families; (iii) the housing status of families after 90 days (iv) other quantifiable data related to client outcomes as determined by the secretary; (v) the amount of funding awarded to vendors under this line item and the names of each vendor; and provided further, that the department may enter into interagency service agreements as necessary......................................$1,000,000

Housing

Restore funding to the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (7004-9024) Increase funding to the MRVP program to $120M

Adopt Governor’s proposal to raise income cap from 50% AMI to 80%

Insert language to:

• raise the rental cap to current Fair Market Rent

•allow for a data management system and staffing

•mandate faster distribution of vouchers


Support Services

1. Lift the TAFDC family cap so that all children in TAFDC-eligible families receive assistance

2. Increase the Childcare Rate Reserve 3. Increase HeadStart funding 4. Program improvements to Emergency Assistance

(EA) 5. Program improvements to HomeBase 6. Expand the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit 7. Fund and launch the “Lean to Earn” program


Data

•EA Reporting Requirements

•Reporting requirements in the EOHHS Trust Fund

•Data and reporting relative to the ICHH through a

Memorandum of Understanding

•Allowance of MRVP funding for a voucher management system


On Solid Ground Legislative Priorities

Eric Shupin, Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association


On Solid Ground 2017–2018 Legislative Priorities

• Our Legislative Agenda will:

• Encourage systems change to better coordinate our resources to serve low-income households

• Help families find housing that is affordable

• Increase access to necessary support services

• Allow us to track our progress as we work to help all families succeed across the Commonwealth


On Solid Ground Priorities: Systems Change & Data Tracking

• Systems Change – Directs State Agencies to work together to coordinate services & resources for low-income households facing economic instability & homelessness

• Data Tracking – Directs these agencies to track & report on data for these programs and requires data collection that will help improve them


An Act Relative to Interagency Efforts to Reduce and Prevent Homelessness H.2245 / S.725

Sponsored by Rep. Byron Rushing & Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry

On Solid Ground Priorities: Systems Change

• Increase access to social safety-net programs by creating a common application for these resources

• Will allow persons to apply in one place for programs including • MassHealth

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• Income Supports

• Veterans Services Benefits

• Housing Resources


An Act Improving Public Health through a Common Application for Core Food, Health & Safety-Net Programs

H.101 / S.612

Sponsored by Rep. Jay Livingstone & Sen. Sal DiDomenico

On Solid Ground Priorities: Housing

• Authorizes $1.7 billion in capital spending over the next 5 years to produce, preserve, and modernize public and affordable housing

• Extends the state Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and expands it annually by $5 million to preserve affordable housing


An Act Financing the Production & Preservation of Housing for Low & Moderate Income Residents

H.675

Sponsored by Rep. Kevin Honan & Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry

On Solid Ground Priorities: Housing

• Codifies the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) into state law to create a more permanent authorization

• Allow for a more deliberative process to improve MRVP through legislation as it grows to serve more households with permanent affordable housing solutions


An Act Relative to the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program S.719

Sponsored by Sen. Jamie Eldridge

On Solid Ground Priorities: Support Services

• This bill provides early education & child care opportunities to homeless parents and their children as they enter shelter so they can immediately start working to get their families back on a path to success


An Act Providing Immediate Child Care Assistance to Homeless Families

H.2796 / S.257

Sponsored by Rep. Aaron Vega & Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry

On Solid Ground Priorities: Support Services

• Calls for a study of the many self-sufficiency programs that have been created to help households increase their incomes and build assets

• Creates a commission to study these programs to help shape a successful economic mobility and financial stability program

• The commission will also examine the impact of cliff effects and determine ways to adjust assistance in response to changes in income


An Act Relative to the Economic Mobility and Stability Program S.719

Sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Decker & Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry

Q & A Time!


KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US: • On Solid Ground Mailing List: http://eepurl.com/cJIh2T • EMPath’s Advocacy Alerts: https://www.empathways.org/make-a-difference/take-

action/advocacy-alerts • CHAPA Mailing List: https://chapa.z2systems.com/np/clients/chapa/account.jsp • Homes for Families’ Blog: https://homesforfamilies.wordpress.com/ • Center for Social Policy Mailing List: http://umb.us12.list-

manage1.com/subscribe?u=83ed2d717454da03798898fa2&id=193b4196d1 • Twitter:

• @CSPUMB • @DisruptPoverty • @HFFma • @CHAPAdotorg

http://eepurl.com/cJIh2T

http://eepurl.com/cJIh2T

https://www.empathways.org/make-a-difference/take-action/advocacy-alerts









https://chapa.z2systems.com/np/clients/chapa/account.jsp

https://chapa.z2systems.com/np/clients/chapa/account.jsp

https://homesforfamilies.wordpress.com/

http://umb.us12.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=83ed2d717454da03798898fa2&id=193b4196d1




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