HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3218 FILED ON: 2/18/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Marjorie C. Decker and Liz Miranda
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act providing upstream homelessness prevention assistance to families, youth, and adults.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME: DISTRICT/ADDRESS: DATE ADDED:
Marjorie C. Decker 25th Middlesex 2/18/2021
Liz Miranda 5th Suffolk 2/18/2021
Lindsay N. Sabadosa 1st Hampshire 2/18/2021
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 HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3218 FILED ON: 2/18/2021
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No.
[Pin Slip]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Second General Court
(2021-2022)
_______________
An Act providing upstream homelessness prevention assistance to families, youth, and adults.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 1. Chapter 23B of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official
2 Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 30 the following section:-
3 Section 31. (a) Subject to appropriation, the department of housing and community
4 development shall administer the residential assistance for families in transition homelessness
5 prevention program for households whose incomes are at or below 50 per cent of the area
6 median income and who are at risk of homelessness, eviction, foreclosure or utility shut-off
7 within the next 12 months. For the purposes of this program, to receive cash benefits or other
8 services, it is not necessary for a household to be subject to the summary process under chapter
9 239 or have received a shut-off notice from a utility company. Risk of eviction, foreclosure and
10 utility shut-off may be determined by certified statements from the landlord, mortgage holder,
11 utility company, or the applicant household verifying outstanding rent, mortgage or utility costs
12 and the household’s current inability to pay said fees. The department shall ensure that not less
13 than 50 per cent of the funds be provided to households with incomes not greater than 30 per
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14 cent of area median income. Eligible households shall include, but not be limited to, families
15 with children under the age of 21, elders, persons with disabilities, and unaccompanied youth.
16 Services and cash benefits under the program shall be made available to households for the
17 prevention of the loss of subsidized or unsubsidized housing. Cash benefits for arrearages shall
18 not exceed the actual liability. Eligible households may receive benefits for short-term rental or
19 utility payments to offset future costs, and to pay for other expenses that otherwise would leave
20 the household at risk of homelessness. In administering the program, the department shall
21 coordinate with the department of transitional assistance, member agencies and offices of the
22 Massachusetts interagency council on housing and homelessness and the agencies contracted to
23 administer the residential assistance for families in transition program on behalf of eligible
24 households served by those agencies and offices so as streamline the application process, provide
25 additional support services, and better promote upstream homelessness prevention and housing
26 stability.
27 (b) The department shall annually, on or before December 31, issue a report on the rental
28 and mortgage arrearage assistance program created by this section. The report shall be submitted
29 to the House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means; the Joint Committee on Housing; and
30 the House and Senate Clerks. The report shall include but not be limited to the following
31 information:
32 (i) the referral source for each household and number of households referred by said
33 source;
34 (ii) the number of applications requested, the number of applications completed, the
35 number of applications approved;
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36 (iii) the number of applications rejected and the reasons for denial;
37 (iv) the household income and demographic information for each qualifying household
38 and its members. This information shall be provided by zip code and cumulatively;
39 (v) the monthly rent or mortgage liability for each qualifying household and the amount
40 of each arrearage payment; and
41 (vi) the housing status of each qualifying household at six, twelve, and twenty-four
42 months after receipt of services or cash benefits.
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