CHAPA's Building Blocks Meeting

Hosted by
Start:
Wednesday,
September 23, 2020
@1:00pm
End:
Wednesday,
September 23, 2020
@2:30pm
Place:

Virtual meeting on zoom
Boston, MA 02108
United States

Please join us for the Building Blcoks meeting today at 1 pm via zoom. At the meeting we will discuss this supplemental funding released for housing programs. We will also discuss updates about the status of other housing program funding and what this means for our ongoing budget advocacy.

REGISTER FOR THE MEETING! Registration Required.

Agenda

  • Welcome & Introductions
  • Updates on Supp budget: Funds release (A&F letter)
  • Federal Updates and status of CRF funds
  • Discussion on next steps for budget advocacy 
    • Supp Budget
    • FY2021 Budget
    • FY2022 Budget 
  • Member Updates

If you want to call-in, use the information below. Please register to get the passcode to join the meeting (passcode in the registration confirmation email).
Dial-in: +1 929 205 6099
Meeting ID: 923 4431 9570

A&F Releases Supplemental Budget Funds for Housing Programs

The Executive Office of Administration & Finance (A&F) released part of the funding from the supplemental budget, passed by the Legislature in July. The following funds were released for housing programs

  • $15 million for RAFT
  • $1.5 million for HCECs
  • $13.5 million for our LHAs
  • More than $11 million for shelters
    • $2.5 million for shelter and
    • $9.25 for individual shelter

Here's the letter A&F sent to the Legislature reporting on the expenditure of federal relief funds. The letter provides some information on these housing programs in the supplemental budget as well as the use of other federal relief funds in Massachusetts.

The supplemental budget passed in July allocated $20 million for RAFT. As stated in the letter, A&F is counting the $5 million allocated for RAFT through MassHousing in March towards the $20 million approved for the program in the supplemental budget. The letter also specifically mentions that RAFT and other housing programs are being funded through the Coronavirus Relief Funds (CRF).

Estimates on Expenditure of CRF and CARES Act allocation

Below are some estimates by MassBudget on the CRF and CARES fund expenditure:

  • Table for the uses of the CRF. HOWEVER, there are lots of accounting issues here, because the state is also using FEMA money as much as possible to substitute in for this CRF spending. So even though a certain amount of money was appropriated into reserves in the Governor’s supplemental budget legislation (including Chapter 124),it is not clear which revenue sources are being used to pay for the spending.

CvRF approx. total for Mass.

$2.673b

Less approx. $121m to Boston

-121m

Less approx. $91m to Plymouth County

-91m

Total available for state uses

$2.461b

May 14: municipal distribution (excludes Boston and Plymouth Cty towns)

-501.6m

Aug. 12: Ch. 124 (see table below for housing details of this total)

-1.141b

Estimated remainder (although more may have been already accounted for, and State House News mentioned that there may be another general municipal distribution)

$818m

There was housing-related $ in other sections of CARES besides just the CRF:

    1. CDBG (3 phases: $61m, $26m, $26m)
    2. Emergency Solutions Grants (2 phases: $30m, $74m)
    3. Housing for Persons with AIDS: $1m
    4. Public housing operating fund for housing authorities: $26m
    5. Rental assistance “Moving-to-Work” for Cambridge Housing Authority: $1m
    6. Supplemental Administrative Fee Funding (Mainstream) for housing authorities: $20m

 

Register for the event