The Senate Ways & Means Committee released its FY2027 budget proposal yesterday. The $63.3 billion budget represents approximately a 3.6% increase over FY2026. Below is an overview of where CHAPA’s priority items stand following the Senate Ways & Means budget release, including comparisons to FY2026 funding levels and key policy changes key policy changes compared to the final House budget.
A full side-by-side of funding figures is available in CHAPA’s updated FY2027 Budget Tracker.
Rental Assistance
MRVP (7004-9024)
- Senate Ways & Means funds MRVP at $278,341,728, compared to $281,341,728 in the final House budget, and $25,029,888 above the FY2026 conference budget of $253,311,840. CHAPA is requesting $300 million.
- Both the House and Senate Ways & Means maintain the “not less than 75%” voucher targeting floor for households at or below 30% AMI and the “initial occupancy” income measurement standard. This protection is preserved heading into conference.
- The House had changed the required household payment from a fixed 30% to “not more than 30%” of monthly adjusted income, and added a gross rent definition. Senate Ways & Means does not include these changes.
- FY2026 already required mobile voucher households to pay no more than 30% of their income toward rent. The House kept that rule but added a definition of “gross rent” to the clause. Senate Ways & Means keeps the 30% rule but does not include a definition of gross rent.
- FY2026 and the House both limited new rent limit changes to mobile vouchers issued after a specific date, with a hard cap of exactly 110% of fair market rent. Senate Ways & Means removes the date cutoff and applies new limits to all voucher types immediately.
RAFT (7004-9316)
- Senate Ways & Means funds RAFT at $201,205,991, compared to $210,060,000 in the final House budget, and $6,271,724 below FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $300 million.
- Senate Ways & Means does not include a provision that was present in FY2026, the Governor’s budget, and the House final budget: the geographic equity clause requiring funds to be distributed in a manner that prioritizes geographic equity across the state. The $3,000,000 set-aside for elders, persons with disabilities, and unaccompanied youth is present in Senate Ways & Means.
- Note: Policy asks on RAFT eligibility and the benefit cap increase were not included.
HomeBASE (7004-0108)
- Senate Ways & Means funds HomeBASE at $82,322,001, matching the final House budget.
- The House final budget had converted the extraordinary hardship fund from a floor of “not less than $2,500,000”to a cap of “not more than $2,500,000.” Senate Ways & Means includes the floor language, matching FY2026.
- The House final budget had added a 12-month time limit on the income-increase grace period. Senate Ways & Means does not include that limit and instead maintains the FY2026 protection.
- FY2026 included quarterly reporting requirements covering shelter exits and families diverted from emergency shelters, which the House maintained and supplemented with an additional report on collaboration with refugee and immigrant resettlement agencies. Senate Ways & Means includes quarterly reporting but narrows the scope, dropping the shelter exit and diversion data that were in FY2026 as well as the House’s refugee and immigrant collaboration reporting.
DMH Rental Subsidy (7004-9033)
- Senate Ways & Means funds the DMH Rental Subsidy at $16,548,125, compared to $20,000,000 in the final House budget, and matching FY2026 exactly. CHAPA is requesting $23,548,125.
AHVP (7004-9030)
- Senate Ways & Means funds AHVP at $19,263,183, roughly $198,000 below FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $30 million.
- Senate Ways & Means maintains the cap-free structure from FY2026, as did the House.
- FY2026 and the House protected existing AHVP households from rent limit changes in two ways: new limits only applied to newly issued vouchers (not existing ones), and even then, not until the lease anniversary date. Senate Ways & Means removes the first protection so new limits can now apply to all vouchers immediately, but keeps the anniversary-date protection, meaning a household currently under a lease will not see the change until that lease renews.
- FY2026 included both a damage termination provision and a reporting requirement, both of which the House maintained. Senate Ways & Means also maintains both provisions.
- The House final budget made the 25% household payment floor unconditional. Senate Ways & Means restores flexibility for EOHLC to set payment standards or utility allowances that could reduce tenant payments below that floor, a notable difference for AHVP households on fixed incomes
Re-Entry Voucher Program (7004-9034)
- Senate Ways & Means funds the Re-Entry Voucher Program at $3,120,000, compared to $3,200,000 in the final House budget, and matching FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $3,620,000.
- The House had directed funding to a nonprofit for comprehensive re-entry services. Senate Ways & Means funds a Kinship Reentry Pilot Program administered in coordination with the Department of Correction instead, which was the approach used in FY2026.
- The House had added an early program design report due October 2, 2026. Senate Ways & Means includes a year-end outcomes report due June 30, 2027 in consultation with the Department of Correction, consistent with the kinship pilot model.
Public Housing
Public Housing Operating (7004-9005)
- Senate Ways & Means funds Public Housing Operating at $117,810,000, $2,210,000 above FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $132.9 million.
- Senate Ways & Means includes a governance provision prohibiting housing authority employees from simultaneously holding elected office in the same municipality, matching FY2026.
- The House included a first-preference requirement for MRVP voucher holders age 60 and older for vacant elderly public housing units. Senate Ways & Means does not include it.
- Senate Ways & Means does not include the provision present in FY2026 and the House that prohibited using funds from this item to compensate state employees.
Public Housing Reform (7004-9007)
- Senate Ways & Means funds Public Housing Reform at $1,269,215, $19,215 above FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $1.6 million.
Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Home and Healthy for Good (7004-0104)
- Senate Ways & Means funds this program at $8,890,000, matching FY2026 and CHAPA’s request.
- The House had added a reporting requirement covering number of people served, average cost per participant, prior EOHLC service history, and projected cost savings. Senate Ways & Means includes this report with a due date of February 26, 2027.
Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (4000-0007)
- Senate Ways & Means funds this item at $10,439,590, $206,260 below FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $15 million.
- The House included a $100,000 set-aside for direct cash assistance to unaccompanied homeless youth. Senate Ways & Means does not include it.
- FY2026 included a seven-item reporting structure separating prevention and stabilization outcomes, which the House carried forward unchanged. Senate Ways & Means includes reporting due February 12, 2027 with a seven-item structure, but rewords item (iii) from outcomes “after experiencing homelessness” to outcomes “after receiving prevention support.”
Sponsor-Based Permanent Supportive Housing (7004-0105)
- Senate Ways & Means funds this item at $10,072,875, matching the final House budget and FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $12,072,875.
- The House had added a $2,100,000 minimum set-aside to sustain low-threshold sponsor-based leasing previously linked to Social Innovation Financing pay-for-success projects. Senate Ways & Means does not include this provision.
New Lease for Homeless Families (7004-0106)
- Senate Ways & Means funds this item at $250,000, matching the final House budget and FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $400,000.
Housing Stability and Homeownership
Housing Consumer Education Centers (7004-3036)
- Senate Ways & Means funds HCECs at $5,200,000, $650,000 below FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $8,974,000.
- Senate Ways & Means preserves the $200,000 set-aside for the Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts for coordination and information technology, which the House had added.
- Senate Ways & Means does not include the annual reporting requirement or the consolidation study that the House had added.
First-Time Homebuyer and Foreclosure Counseling (7006-0011)
- Senate Ways & Means funds this item at $1,500,000, matching FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $3,050,000.
- The House had doubled this item to $3,000,000 and added a mandatory $1,500,000 grant floor for foreclosure counseling centers. Senate Ways & Means returns to discretionary grant language leaving the amount to the commissioner’s determination.
Access to Counsel (0321-1800)
- FY2026 funded Access to Counsel at $2,500,000. The House increased this item to $3,000,000. CHAPA is requesting $4,000,000.
- This item does not appear in the Senate Ways & Means sections available for this analysis. It may be included in other sections of the Senate budget. Senate treatment is currently unknown.
MassAccess Registry (4120-4001)
- Senate Ways & Means funds this item at $150,000, matching FY2026 and CHAPA’s request.
STASH (7004-0107)
- Senate Ways & Means funds line item 7004-0107 at $100,000 for local housing program administration, but does not include directed funding for STASH. CHAPA is requesting $1,000,000 for STASH. The final House budget included $500,000 for STASH through this broader line item, bringing the line to $1,065,000.
Administrative Capacity
EOHLC Administration (7004-0099)
- Senate Ways & Means funds EOHLC Administration at $21,785,301, $5,767,497 above FY2026. CHAPA is requesting $22,000,000.
Healthy Homes
- Healthy Homes initiative funding was not included in the House final budget or in Senate Ways & Means.
Office of Fair Housing
- New Office of Fair Housing funding was not included in the House final budget or in Senate Ways & Means.
Housing Production and Zoning (Outside Sections)
In addition to line-item appropriations, the Senate Ways & Means budget includes outside sections that could make changes to Massachusetts zoning law. The House final budget did not include these, so these provisions will be important to watch during the conference process.
Electronic Notifications
- Senate Ways & Means allows zoning-related notices to be sent electronically alongside existing mail requirements.
Vested Rights and Permit Protections
- Senate Ways & Means expands protections for housing projects once an application or permit is filed, including allowing certain protections to begin when an application is filed rather than when a permit is issued, extending the building permit protection period from 12 to 24 months, excluding the time needed to pursue other required permits from that 24-month period, and extending the nonconforming use abandonment period from 2 to 4 years. These provisions are included in Senate Ways & Means but not in the House final budget.
As-of-Right Extensions for Nonconforming Lots
- Senate Ways & Means allows structures on lots with pre-existing nonconformities as to size, shape, frontage, or coverage to be extended or altered without a variance or special permit, as long as the work meets current height, story, and setback requirements. This affects a large share of older Massachusetts homes.
Variance Standard Reform
- Senate Ways & Means replaces the existing variance standard. Under current law, a variance requires proof that soil, shape, or topography conditions cause substantial hardship. The Senate replaces this with a “practical difficulty” balancing test that explicitly requires boards to consider the public interest in housing production. The variance lapse period is also extended from one year to two years, excluding time spent in appeals.
Streamlined Disposition of Public Housing
- Senate Ways & Means removes the requirement that public housing property be unused for at least two years before a housing authority may dispose of or redevelop it.
What’s Next
While the Senate Ways & Means Budget maintains important housing investments, more must be done to meet the scale of housing need, especially as costs continue to rise and far too many Massachusetts residents struggle to find a home they can afford. Key housing priorities remain, and the Senate amendment process next week will be an important opportunity to continue advocating for the resources and policies needed to address housing challenges across the Commonwealth.
CHAPA will share specific asks and co-sponsorship opportunities as the Senate process moves forward. To stay engaged in the budget process, please join us for the next Building Blocks Coalition meeting on May 13th at 3 PM. You can register for that meeting here.