by iwd Tina | May 4, 2023 | Housing News
Our CHAPA Fair Housing Symposium: From Research to Redress took place last week on April 27th. Information on this year’s symposium, including bios, links, slides, resources, and more, can be found on our Event Page. The event was recorded and can be found on our YouTube channel, where you can view it in full or by presentation/section.
For those who did not get a chance to respond to the survey following the Symposium please take a few minutes via this survey to give us your feedback and let us know what you are working on. As a reminder you are also invited to stay engaged with Homes For Equity.
During the month of April, we shared many resources including books, tools, articles, videos, and more on our social media. If you missed any of them, a summarized list can be found here. We hope that you check them out and share them broadly.
There is much work to do ahead of us. Please consider supporting our CHAPA legislative priorities and furthermore joining our Fair Housing Committee. This Committee meets periodically, bringing together diverse stakeholders from across the state to intentionally advance fair housing and serve as a place to share information, work on legislation, coordinate efforts, and educate ourselves throughout the year.
If you are interested in additional learning opportunities, we invite you to participate in the Confronting the History of Housing Discrimination learning session we host in partnership with JALSA, as well as our Affordable Housing 101 sessions.
We are excited to share that the Municipal Engagement Initiative Program Application will be accepting new applications this month, so stay tuned. We look forward to helping additional communities bolster coalition building efforts locally with fair housing at the forefront. As always, applications for our MEI Lite Program are accepted on a rolling basis.
by iwd Tina | Apr 30, 2023 | Housing News
On April 30, the Legislature allowed legislation to pass filed by Governor Healey to create an Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and an Executive Office of Economic Development (H.43). This follows a hearing on the bill on March 27 where legislators and those testifying, including CHAPA, expressed their support for the plan.
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities will officially be created when the law goes into effect on June 1.
Governor Healey promised during her campaign to elevate housing to a cabinet level office. Article 87 of the Massachusetts Constitution requires the Governor to file a bill with her reorganization plan.
The Governor’s bill elevates the existing Department of Housing and Community Development to an Executive Office. According to the Governor’s filing letter, the legislation also creates a new legislative authorization for the MassWorks program in a new “Housing Works” program to fund municipal infrastructure for housing.
The Senate advanced the bill on April 12. The House took no action on the legislation. Unlike a typical bill, the measure is not subject to amendment and if the Legislature takes no action, the bill passes.
Governor Healey is expected to name the new Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities shortly.
by iwd Tina | Apr 27, 2023 | Housing News
The House added nearly $120 million in spending making the FY2024 fiscal budget total $56.2 billion as it concluded debate on its budget on Wednesday evening, April 26. From the CHAPA’s priority amendments, #498 on HomeBASE improvements was adopted.
The Massachusetts Senate Ways & Means Budget proposal is slated to be released on May 10th with the debate scheduled for later in May.
Below is the summary of some critical programs:
- Mass. Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) – The House funds MRVP at $173 million along with language to carry forward $19 million in unspent funds from FY23 bringing the MRVP total allocation at $192 million
- Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) – The House allocated $14 million along with language to carry forward $10 million in unspent funds from FY23 bringing the AHVP total allocation to $24 million.
- Public Housing – The House proposes increased funding for Public Housing Operating line item at $102 million.
- Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) – The House funds RAFT at $180 million ($20 million over the Governor’s proposal). The Housing Consumer Education Center line item has also received an increased allocation of $9.7 million
- HomeBASE – The House allocates level funding of $42 million for HomeBASE increase in the benefit cap to $30,000 over 2 years and removes incomes increases as terms of eligibility.
CHAPA thanks the Speaker of the House, Ronald Mariano, Chairman of House Ways & Means (HWM) Committee, Aaron Michlewitz, Members of the HWM Committee, Chairman of Housing Commitee, James Arciero, and all the Representatives for championing and supporting the affordable housing priorities.
| Line-Item |
Program |
FY2024 Requests |
House FY2024 Budget |
FY2024 Gov’s Budget |
FY2023 Budget |
| 7004-9024 |
Mass. Rental Voucher Program |
$250,000,000 |
$173,247,567† |
$168,247,567 |
$154,000,000 |
| 7004-9030 |
Alternative Housing Voucher Program |
$26,000,000 |
$14,108,528‡ |
$14,108,528 |
$13,685,355‡ |
| 7004-9316 |
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition |
$250,000,000 |
$180,602,462 |
$162,602,462 |
$150,000,000 |
| 7004-9005 |
Public Housing Operating |
$184,000,000 |
$102,000,000 |
$92,000,000 |
$92,000,000 |
| 7004-3036 |
Housing Consumer Education Centers |
$10,185,000 |
$9,700,000 |
$8,774,000 |
$9,700,000 |
| 7004-9007 |
Public Housing Reform |
$7,700,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$2,200,000 |
$1,000,000 |
| 7004-0104 |
Home & Healthy for Good |
$8,390,000 |
$8,890,000 |
$4,162,300 |
$6,390,000 |
| 7004-0108 |
HomeBASE |
$60,000,000 |
$42,070,445 |
$42,070,445 |
$59,411,201 |
| 7006-0011 |
Foreclosure & Housing Counseling |
$3,050,000 |
$3,050,000 |
$1,500,000 |
$3,050,000 |
| 7004-3045 |
Tenancy Preservation Program |
$1,800,000 |
$2,042,755 |
$2,042,755 |
$1,800,000 |
| 4120-4001 |
MassAccess Registry |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
$150,000 |
| 4000-0007 |
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth |
$12,000,000 |
$10,545,850 |
$10,545,850 |
$9,500,000 |
| 7004-0106 |
New Lease for Homeless Families |
$250,000 |
$250,000 |
$250,000 |
$250,000 |
| NEW |
Fair Housing Trust Fund |
$1,500,000 |
– |
– |
– |
| NEW |
Access to Counsel Program |
$7,000,000 |
– |
– |
– |
† Includes language to carryover unspent funds from FY23 bringing total FY24 funding for MRVP to an estimated $192.2 million
‡ Includes language to carryover unspent funds from FY23 bringing total FY24 funding for AHVP to an estimated $24 million
by iwd Tina | Apr 21, 2023 | Housing News
CHAPA thanks the House Ways & Means Committee for its FY2024 budget proposal which included strong investments in affordable housing, homelessness prevention, and community development programs!
As the House prepares to debate its budget the week of August 24, CHAPA is working to further strengthen these programs.
Please contact your State Representative today to ask them to co-sponsor the following amendments to help everyone have a safe, healthy, accessible, and affordable home!
| # |
Program |
Sponsor |
Description |
| 843 |
Mass. Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) |
Rep. Howard |
- Increases funding to $250 million to provide for 6,000 new MRVP vouchers
|
| 1329 |
Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) |
Rep. Consalvo |
- Allows project basing of AHVP vouchers to build new affordable, accessible homes to address the lack of homes for people with disabilities
|
| 392 |
Public Housing |
Rep. Sena |
- Increases funding to $112 million to provide more for the operating and maintenance of the 43,000 homes provided by public housing
|
| 842 |
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) |
Rep. Howard |
- Increases RAFT funding to $250 million for short term rental assistance to eligible households
|
| 1483 |
RAFT Improvements |
Rep. Decker |
Makes following improvements to RAFT program:
- Prohibits DHCD from imposing a notice to quit requirement on households
- Requires direct-to-tenant payments in cases where the landlord is not cooperative with the RAFT application process
- Directs DHCD to provide forward rent payments for households without rental arrearages
- Directs DHCD to provide multiple months of assistance as long as the award would not exceed the 12-month benefit cap
|
| 966 |
Public Housing Reform |
Rep. Fiola |
- Increases funding by $2 million for improving participation in tenant organizations and provide other supportive services for public housing tenants
|
| 498 |
Improvements to HomeBASE |
Rep. Barber |
- Increases HomeBASE benefit to $30,000 for every 24 month period
- Removes income increases as terms for ineligibility
|
| 1137 |
Access to Counsel |
Rep. Rogers |
- Provides $7 million to start an Access to Counsel Program to provide legal assistance for low-income tenants and low-income owner occupant landlords in eviction proceedings
|
| 489 |
Affordable Accessible Housing Grants |
Rep. Consalvo |
- Allocates $2.5 million for the capital grants for production of affordable accessible housing that prioritizes AHVP voucher holders
|
| 974 |
Housing and Services for Unaccompanied Youth Experiencing Homelessness |
Rep. O’Day |
- Increases funding to $12 million for housing & services for youth experiencing homelessness
|
| 1243 |
DMH Rental Subsidy |
Rep. Garballey |
- Increases allocation to $20.5 million for housing people experiencing homelessness and disabling mental health conditions
|
| 1308 |
Brownfields Tax Credit |
Rep. Finn |
- Extends the tax credit, which helps clean up environmentally distressed sites, for 5 years which is set to expire in August 2023
|
| 502 |
Community Preservation Act (CPA) |
Rep. Schmid |
- Allows transfer of up to $30 million from any state budget surplus funds into the state CPA Trust Fund
|
| 1491 |
Saving Towards Affordable & Sustainable Homeownership Program (STASH) |
Rep. McGonagle |
- Allocates $3.5 million to STASH to support a matched savings program for first-generation, first-time homebuyers in Massachusetts
|
| 962, 1519 |
MassDREAMS |
Rep. Williams |
- Allocates $200 million for MassDREAMS to create homeownership opportunities for people in disadvantaged communities
|
by iwd Tina | Apr 19, 2023 | Housing News
CHAPA, joined by 11 other organizations, submitted comments on April 19 on the proposed federal rule on affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH).
CHAPA wrote that it is excited to see the attention and thoughtfulness paid to enhancing the 2015 AFFH Rule, including an emphasis on process, enforcement and transparency, and community engagement requirements. We see the success of this Rule resting on a confluence of factors including federal leadership, adequate resources to achieve goals, and a scalable and achievable framework to address structural inequities, barriers to opportunity, and disinvestment.
HUD’s reinstatement of and revisions to the 2015 AFFH Rule added important refinements and are a step in the right direction to ensuring implementation of a Final Rule as Congress initially intended. It is critical to ensure a framework for AFFH in our communities to address inequities in a way that will have a meaningful impact. We urge HUD to continue to work with critical partners as was done in developing this mandate.
