Supplemental Budget with $100 Million for Emergency Rental Assistance Advances in Legislature

Post date
March 24, 2022

On Thursday March 24th, the Massachusetts Senate will be debating the FY2022 Supplemental budget proposal (S.2776). The Senate Ways & Means proposal includes $100 million for rental assistance through the Rental Assistance for Families in Transition Program (RAFT) same as the House allocation. The budget also extends renter protections that pause eviction cases for tenants who have a pending application for emergency rental assistance. These protections, which would have ended in April 2022, will now be in place through April 2023 (the House proposed the extension until March 2023).

CHAPA supports the following amendments for the Senate debate that would help expand RAFT allocation and increases the RAFT benefit amount.

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Program

Sponsor

Description

15

 

RAFT cap to $10,000

Sen. Keenan

Increases funding to $200 million

16

RAFT

Sen. Keenan

Lifts the RAFT cap to $10,000 from the current $7,000

17

Rollover RAFT funds

Sen. Keenan

 

Allows carryover of unspent RAFT funds from FY2022 to next fiscal year

 

10

RAFT

Sen. Gomez

Increases funding to $200 million