by iwd Tina | Jan 30, 2023 | Housing News
Governor Healey filed a $282 million supplemental budget bill on January 30th, for the expansion of emergency shelter services and to prevent the free school meals program from running out of money.
According to the Governor’s press release, the state’s family emergency shelter system is currently at capacity and facing significantly elevated levels of demand by families facing homelessness. The arrival of refugees and migrants from countries like Afghanistan, Haiti, Venezuela, Ukraine and other Central and South American countries has led to increased demand for emergency shelters. Many of the refugees being families with young children are in dire need of housing and other services. Safe and stable housing arrangements along with other resources are necessary so families and individuals facing homelessness can survive the harsh winter weather in Massachusetts.
Bill H.47 would make the following investments:
- $85 million for the expansion of emergency shelter services. Based on current caseload projections, more than 1,100 shelter units over baseline capacity are needed, and the funds in this bill are needed to keep pace with this demand.
- $21.9 million to support schools through the end of the school year. The funding would target the communities experiencing a large influx of families with school-aged children due to state shelter placements.
- $130 million to create an offramp from the federal extra Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a benefit that the federal government began providing to SNAP recipients during the COVID-19 pandemic and recently announced would end in March 2023.
- $65 million to extend the universal school meals pilot program through the end of the 2022-2023 school year.
- $2 million to reimburse victims of SNAP benefit theft.
The bill also allows for the transfer of funds between HomeBASE and Emergency Shelter. The funds are allocated through the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2023). Bill H.47 is similar to Governor Baker’s proposal for shelter expansion filed in November 2022.
Lack of adequate housing has led to soaring housing costs and emergency shelters running at full capacity. The current moment in our Commonwealth’s history is an opportunity for achieving sustainable change by making the much-needed investments in housing. CHAPA advocates for swift movement of the Supplemental budget H.47 to meet the needs of families and individuals.
On February 7, CHAPA submitted a joint letter with the United Way to the House Committee on Ways and Means asking for the swift passing of the supplemental budget.
by iwd Tina | Jan 26, 2023 | Housing News
On January 26, the State Fire Marshal published an Emergency Amendment to the existing Massachusetts Electrical Code that will allow the ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) requirement to be waived due to nuisance tripping after a review by a qualified person.
Over the past several months, affordable housing developers and advocates, led by 2Life Communities, made the Massachusetts Electrical Advisory Committee aware of large numbers of nuisance trips of GFCI protective devices protecting certain appliance types, particularly electric stoves.
Affordable housing providers found that the GFCI circuit breakers required by the electrical code are not compatible with current stove manufacturers’ ability to deliver appliances that work with the breakers. Every time a resident attempted to cook, they would trip the breakers.
This nuisance tripping, happening in all the apartments built or renovated now, left thousands of affordable housing residents, including many seniors, without functioning kitchens and limited access to food.
The emergency amendment allows for developers whose appliances are not compatible with the GFCI breakers to have a qualified professional (i.e., an inspector) confirm that the installation is correct, document the situation at the municipality, and then allow for the substitution of the GFCI breakers for non-GFCI breakers.
The emergency amendment took effect immediately statewide for all electrical appliances (refrigerators, stoves, water heaters, etc.) and will be adopted in the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC) this spring. It will remain in effect until January 1, 2026, the next code cycle. This will provide ample time for the appliance manufacturers and breaker manufacturers to develop compatible appliance equipment.
The Board of Fire Prevention Regulations (BFPR) also provided hardwiring these appliances as a second solution. In response to 2Life Communities’ request for interpretation, the BFPR responded that the provisions of 2020 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70 with Massachusetts Amendments allow freestanding electric ranges to be hardwired. The BFPR also responded that ground fault protection in not required for a hardwired freestanding electric range.
Although hardwiring is a more expensive solution, some developers already needed use this option. The interpretation provides needed clarity and guarantees.
This Emergency Amendment was the result of sustained advocacy led by Amy Schectman and Elise Selinger at 2Life Communities; a strong coalition of affordable housing developers and advocates; critical involvement from both the Baker and Healey Administrations; and creative thinking and action from the Massachusetts Electrical Advisory Code Committee, the BFPR board members and their General Counsel.
by iwd Tina | Jan 19, 2023 | Housing News
On January 19, Governor Healey filed a $987 million Immediate Needs Bond Bill that seeks critical authorization for key housing and economic development programs. Bill H.51 An Act financing the immediate economic revitalization, community development, and housing needs of the Commonwealth ensures continued funding for critical housing, infrastructure and community development programs.
Need for an Immediate Needs Bond Bill
Capital funds in many housing programs authorized through the last Housing Bond bill, such as Public Housing Capital, Facilities Consolidation Fund, and Housing Stabilization Fund have been exhausted or will soon expire. The pipeline for public housing investments is oversubscribed which means that long planned public housing projects cannot move forward until funds are made available thereby delaying improvements to public housing.
What is Included in the Immediate Needs Bond Bill
This bill ensures the continuity of these and other ongoing housing production and preservation programs in the near term. Here are some of the major investments the bill proposes:
- $400 million to cover MassWorks needs through 2028
- $48 million for Public Housing Capital
- $34 million for the Revitalizing Underutilized Properties Program to be administered by MassDevelopment for projects to rehabilitate or redevelop blighted, abandoned, vacant or underutilized properties in Massachusetts
- $5 million for the Rural and Small Town Development Fund
- $11.6 million for the Community Based Housing Program, to provide state financial assistance for the development of community-based or supportive housing for individuals with mental illness and or intellectual disabilities
- $16 million for the Housing Stabilization and Investment Trust Fund
- $8.5 million for the Public Housing Demonstration Program to rehabilitate public housing through public-private partnerships
- $10 million for the Housing Innovations Trust Fund
- $2 million to support low- and moderate-income housing near transit nodes
- $200 million as a state match to compete for federal CHIPS Act funding
- $30 million to compete for community broadband dollars funded through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
The bill will go before the House Ways and Means Committee.
by iwd Tina | Jan 5, 2023 | Housing News
CHAPA is pleased to announce that we are now providing technical assistance for community engagement to all interested MBTA Communities seeking to comply with the Multi-family Zoning Requirements for MBTA Communities (Section 3A). Municipal staff, elected leaders, and board members are encouraged to apply. Participating communities will be divided into cohorts with comparable communities. These cohorts will meet monthly for direct support and peer to peer learning.
Cohorts will have access to a variety of resources, including one-on-one support from CHAPA’s MBTA Communities Engagement Manager. Areas of support could include meeting design and facilitation, effective messaging, graphic design, research, and much more depending on the needs of the participants.
Additionally, cohorts will have exclusive access to monthly webinars on topics such as casemaking and narrative change, strategizing for Town Meeting, press relations, designing walkable neighborhoods, and more.
Interested communities should fill out this form. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our MBTA Communities Engagement Manager directly at llinke@chapa.org. We look forward to working with you!
by iwd Tina | Dec 29, 2022 | Housing News
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed the $1.7 trillion FY2023 federal budget to keep the government running through the end of the budget year in September 2023. According to PBS NewsHour, the omnibus spending bill contains $772.5 billion in spending for domestic programs, a roughly 6% increase. Spending on defense programs rose by about 10% to $858 billion.
The budget provides an additional $8.1 billion, or $61.8 billion in total, for programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) compared to FY2022 spending. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the budget includes enough funding to renew all existing Housing Choice Vouchers and Project-Based Rental Assistance and will expand rental assistance vouchers to an additional 12,000 households. Other programs also received increased funding, including Public Housing Operating Funds, Homeless Assistance Grants, Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, and fair housing programs.
The Community Development Block Grant program, HOME Investment Partnerships, and the Choice Neighborhood programs received level funding.
The Public Housing Capital and Healthy Homes programs received slight decreases in funding.
The final spending bill does not include a tax extenders package related to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to extend the 12.5% allocation increase that expired in December 2021 and to lower the 50% bond threshold. Efforts to enact this tax legislation will likely continue into 2023.
