State Budget Priorities
CHAPA FY2013 State Budget Priorities for Affordable Housing and Homelessness Prevention
Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) (7004-9024)
FY’13 Request: $46 million
MRVP is the most effective tool to immediately address the overwhelming need to help people at-risk of homelessness secure affordable housing. Through a combination of project-based vouchers and new mobile vouchers, this program has the potential to efficiently provide stable housing for families and individuals experiencing instability. Investing $46 million in MRVP would allow approximately 1,000 additional families, persons with disabilities and seniors at-risk of homelessness to access safe, stable housing.
Public Housing Operating Subsidy (7004-9005)
FY’13 Request: $71 million
Public housing funding is significantly shy of the $115 million appropriation DHCD and Harvard University independently identify as necessary to adequately maintain this asset. Housing authority rental income has decreased in line with the recession because state public housing rents are capped at 32% of income. As a result, housing authorities have been forced to take units off-line because they don’t have adequate maintenance capacity. $71 million will reverse that trend and provide the operating support necessary to provide acceptable maintenance in public housing and return vacant public housing back to productive use.
Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) (7004-9316)
FY’13 Request $8.7 million
RAFT enables families that experience unemployment or other challenges to avoid homelessness through an array of assistance necessary to maintain housing or move into their next home. The program could serve over 2,000 families with up to $4,000 in flexible assistance for housing-related items at the funding request. The House Two language targets most of the funding to families with low incomes that would be eligible for shelter if not assisted through this more cost-effective approach.
Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) (7004-9030)
FY’13 Request: $3.75 million
AHVP provides rental assistance to over 425 very low income households with persons with disabilities. Together with MRVP, this program is capable of furthering the Commonwealth’s goal of providing persons with disabilities with choices to live in community-based housing and avoid more costly institutional living. $3.75 million in funding is required to maintain the current number of vouchers for persons with disabilities.
Tenancy Preservation Program (TPP) (7004-3045)
FY’13 Request: $700,000
TPP prevents homelessness among people with disabilities by working with landlords and tenants, and providing clinical consultation services to the Housing Court. Over one-third of TPP participants have had a history of homelessness before participating in TPP, and approximately half of the participants are single parents with children. The program is extremely cost effective, stabilizing 82% of households served with an average cost of $2,377 per case.
Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs) (7004-3036)
FY’13 Request: $3 million
HCECs provide housing education, outreach and counseling to between 55,000 and 65,000 tenants, homebuyers, and homeowners a year. HCECs are a cost-effective way to respond to the housing crisis by providing the information people need to stay housed when they experience instability. With adequate funding, these Centers are poised to help households facing housing and economic instability.
Home and Healthy for Good (7004-0104)
FY’13 Request: $2.2 million
Home and Healthy for Good is a critical Housing First program. As of November 15, 2011, 543 chronically homeless individuals have been housed through the program. Tenant retention stands at 82%. The annual Commonwealth costs per person decreased from $33,648 before housing to $24,038 after housing placement, an annual savings of $9,610 per person.
Foreclosure Prevention Counseling (7006-0011 – retained revenue)
FY’13 Request: $2.6 million
Ch. 206 foreclosure counseling grants have helped achieve the best possible outcome for many struggling homeowners. The foreclosure counseling grants are funded through retained revenue from mortgage loan originator license fees. In 2010, 6,174 homeowners were helped through this program. Unfortunately, home foreclosure rates have begun to increase once again and the Commonwealth needs to stay diligent in its efforts to preserve homeownership.
Massachusetts Access Affordable Housing Registry (4120-4001)
FY’13 Request: $80,000
The Mass. Access Registry is an online tool that consumers and housing search workers use to find affordable housing that does not have physical barriers to persons with disabilities. In 2010, 51,058 people used the site to search for housing.