The House and Senate Clerks extended the period for legislators to cosponsor other legislator’s bills until Wednesday, February 11th. CHAPA members interested in securing cosponsors for affordable housing legislation will now have an additional week to contact legislators to request co-sponsorship. Interested legislators should contact the lead sponsor of each bill to sign on as a cosponsor
Housing News
Massachusetts is facing a housing crisis similar to the rest of the country. Affordable housing developers that have already received tax credit allocations have run into great difficulties in securing necessary investors because of the economic downturn. There is now strong national consensus that the pending American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can go a long way towards fixing this short-term problem by adopting four temporary measures.
On January 28, 2009, the Patrick Administration notified the Legislature of an anticipated budget deficit in line item 4403-2120, the Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter and Services account. As a result, the administration has proposed eight changes to the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter & Services program’s eligibility and termination rules. The proposed changes will reduce eligibility and expand the grounds for shelter termination.
State Updates
Governor Releases House One; FY 2010 Budget Proposal Prioritizes Housing
Please view CHAPA's housing programs analysis of the Governor's proposed FY10 budget here.
During 2009, the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development intends to continue its long-standing commitment to the tax credit program by selecting worthy and eligible projects that are highly ready to proceed and capable of attracting interest from remaining investors.
In preparing the 2009 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP), as required by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, DHCD has attempted to balance four primary goals:
The “Massachusetts Foreclosure Monitor” is MHP’s quarterly examination of statewide and local foreclosure trends in Massachusetts and the nation.
The State's Executive Office of Housing & Economic Development has released A Framework
for Action: The State Regional Economic Development Strategy.
State Updates
CHAPA Secures Sponsors for 2009-2010 Legislative Priorities
CHAPA has filed 10 pieces of legislation to alleviate housing instability caused by the foreclosure crisis, economic downturn, and continued lack of housing affordability for many Commonwealth residents. Each bill has been developed in partnership with a wide range of housing and community development organizations and coalitions.
In the next two weeks, the Congress will be considering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009. This package is the first crucial step in a concerted effort to create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, jumpstart our economy, and begin the process of transforming it for the 21st century with $275 billion in economic recovery tax cuts and $550 billion in thoughtful and carefully targeted priority investments with unprecedented accountability measures built in.
The package contains targeted efforts in: