Please join with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless as part of the 2023-2024 bill campaign and fiscal year 2025 (FY25) budget campaign to strengthen the HomeBASE program. HomeBASE is administered by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) and funded under line item 7004-0108 of the state budget.
Bill campaign details:
This bill would:
- Put the HomeBASE program into state statute
- Direct EOHLC (formerly the Department of Housing and Community Development) to provide renewals of HomeBASE rental assistance beyond 24 month to families and children who otherwise would be facing a return to homelessness. Before FY23, households only could access up to one year of assistance.
- Lift the income eligibility limit for families after they enroll in the program to eliminate the cliff effect
- Broaden eligibility by allowing earlier access to HomeBASE benefits for families facing certain no fault and excused fault evictions
- Ensure that the HomeBASE cap is at least $30,000 over the first 24 months, and $15,000 in subsequent 12-month periods
- Affirmatively allow eligible families to combine and maximize benefits under HomeBASE (line item 7004-0108) and the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program (RAFT, line item 7004-9316)
Budget campaign details:
We also ask for your support for our FY25 budget campaign to improve HomeBASE. We are asking legislators to:
- Provide $80 million to continue payments to households currently enrolled in HomeBASE that need an extension and to enroll new households in both the diversion and shelter exit components of HomeBASE
Allow families who otherwise would be eligible for Emergency Assistance to
access HomeBASE "upstream", so that more families can maintain their
existing apartments
Allow households to maximize resources from RAFT, HomeBASE, and other rental assistance programs
Continue to allow eligible families to receive at least two years of HomeBASE
benefits, with opportunities for families to further extend HomeBASE in
twelve-month increments to avoid a return to homelessness
Continue to provide families with at least $30,000 over two years plus $15,000
for each subsequent year, with additional flexibility for the Executive
Office of Housing and Livable Communities to address the needs of larger
families, families in higher cost areas, and other families with
extenuating circumstances
Continue to allow families to maximize their incomes by not reimposing an income
eligibility limit for families enrolled in HomeBASE
Maintain FY24 language to require the Executive Office of Housing and Livable
Communities to provide the Legislature 90 days advance notice before
reducing eligibility or benefits
Continue to include language to carry over any unspent funds into the next fiscal year
Take action with us to promote housing stability, access to housing supports, and equity! Please contact Kelly at the Coalition for more details:
kelly@mahomeless.org
Thank you for your support and collaboration!
