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Monthly Archives: January 2012

WBUR: Pine Street Inn, hopeFound To Merge To Fight Homelessness

Pine Street Inn, hopeFound To Merge To Fight Homelessness

 

BOSTON — Two of Boston’s most respected agencies in the fight against homelessness are joining forces. The boards of both the Pine Street Inn and hopeFound have voted to approve the merger of the two organizations.

 

Back in August, the agency directors, Lyndia Downie of Pine Street Inn and Mary Nee of hopeFound, told us on Morning Edition they were considering the merger. They joined us again a couple of days ago to tell us that on Monday the merger becomes reality.

 

“For us we really see greater access to housing for our clients as one of the key advantages here,” said Nee, who will work as a consultant during the transition, and then move on.

 

Added Downie, “We need some help getting people into jobs; well, hopeFound has a really terrific job placement program so we’ll be able to connect the training and the placement without a gap for people.”

 

The merged organization will be called Pine Street Inn.


Click here to access the WBUR article.

Governor Patrick Releases FY 13 Budget Proposal

Spotlight:

Governor Patrick Releases FY 13 Budget Proposal

On Wednesday Governor Patrick released his Fiscal Year 2013 budget proposal. Despite these challenging economic times, the proposal significantly increases funding for affordable housing programs and makes changes to better target those programs to extremely low-income households. Department of Housing and Community Development programs received a $25 million increase from last year.

 

One Family is pleased that the Administration made significant increases in affordable housing programs – Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program and Public Housing Operating Subsidies.  The Governor’s budget proposal continues to build on efforts begun last year to reform the Commonwealth’s homelessness response system by increasing investments in homelessness prevention, shelter diversion, and re-housing programs.   By implementing reforms similar to those outlined in the Governor’s proposal, additional safety net resources can be made available to families facing homelessness.

 

Below is a chart that outlines the Governor’s funding and policy reform proposals.  One Family will be weighing in with legislators on these proposals so please stay tuned for upcoming advocacy alerts.

CHAPA: Governor Patrick Releases FY2013 Budget Proposal

Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association recently released its assessment of the Governor’s FY13 budget proposal.

 

Below is text from CHAPA’s latest Housing Brief as it relates to the FY13 budget proposal:

Governor Patrick Releases FY2013 Budget Proposal

 

On Wednesday, January 25th, the Patrick-Murray Administration released its FY2013 Budget proposal.  The Governor proposes to increase FY2013 funding for several of CHAPA’s top priorities, including:

 

Other CHAPA priorities, including the Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs), Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), DOB Foreclosure Prevention Counseling Grants, and the Mass. Access Housing Registry are level-funded.

 

The Emergency Assistance program would see a $18 million reduction in spending from FY’12 appropriated funding, and eligibility would be available to four categories of Massachusetts families facing homelessness that are under 115% of area median income: 1) victims of domestic violence, 2) victims of fire or natural disaster, 3) families that face no-fault eviction due to job or income loss, foreclosure, or documented medical issues, and 4) families that are doubled up and the Department of Children and Families certifies that there is a threat to health and safety.  There continues to be presumptive eligibility while families assemble the documents they need to prove eligibility.  In addition, families would be barred from staying in shelters for longer than eight months under the proposal, with good cause exceptions for a disability.  The average length of stay for the past two years has been approximately six months.

 

Compared to the status quo, the proposed EA eligibility changes will restrict access to shelter for some families.  However, taking into account the resources that would be targeted to families at-risk of homelessness in FY’13 under House Two, the general approach represents a reasonable balance until the Commonwealth’s budget situation improves.  Some of these decisions will be painful, but they may be necessary in a time of fiscal challenges and overwhelming need.  We are soliciting input on how to refine the language to ensure that families that absolutely need shelter can access it, but overall EA design is consistent with a Housing First philosophy that prioritizes housing.

 

The budget also includes $1,000,000 to continue the ICHH Regional Networks to End Homelessness.

 

Overall, the Governor’s FY13 budget proposal makes a real commitment to provide extremely low income residents with housing assistance through a robust continuum of programs.  We commend the Governor for his leadership in helping the most vulnerable households secure decent housing.  The release of House Two is the first stage in the process, followed by Ways and Means Committee hearings and the House Ways and Means budget release in April.  We plan to work with our partners in the Legislature, Administration, and across the housing and homelessness community to refine proposals where necessary, and advocate for sufficient funding for affordable housing and homelessness prevention during this time of unprecedented demand.

 

 

The Boston Globe: Boston Rents Hit New Highs

Today the Boston Globe published an article about the growing rents in Boston. The article touches on the impact that high rents has on tenants and vacancies.  It is, of course, extremely low-income households that are hit hardest by the high cost of housing in the Boston area. Family homelessness is on the rise in Boston because of the widening gap between income and rent.  We must continue to invest in affordable housing for households of all income levels.

 

In tight local market, no relief for renters, apartment hunters

 

By Jenifer B. McKim Globe Staff / January 26, 2012

Rents in the Boston area hit record highs in the last quarter of 2011, pushed up by increased demand and declining inventory, maintaining the region’s reputation as one of the country’s most expensive places to live.

Average monthly rents in the metropolitan Boston area, loosely defined as within Interstate 495, jumped to $1,686 between October and December, compared with $1,649 during the same period the previous year and $1,600 in 2009.

 

At the same time, the vacancy rate dropped to a nine-year low of 4 percent in the fourth quarter, according to new data fromReis Inc., a New York company that tracks commercial real estate.

 

Nationally, Boston rents ranked fifth highest, after New York City, San Francisco, Westchester County in New York, and Fairfield County in Connecticut, according to Reis.

 

Locally, rental prices have been climbing for almost two years, despite a slumbering housing market. Many people have chosen to stay in apartments rather than buy during the downturn, while others have been forced to rent because of unemployment or uncertainty about their job status, housing analysts say. Even with a recent burst in construction of rental housing, economists expect monthly rents to keep increasing for several years.

 

“It shows there is strength in one side of the Boston housing market,’’ said Eric S. Belsky, managing director of Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, of the rising prices. “Boston is a desirable place to live.’’

 

While the increases can benefit landlords, contractors, and the overall economy, they are causing hardship for those trying to keep up with the cost of living in the Boston area, housing advocates say. More families are struggling to pay their rents and cover other household expenses as federal assistance dollars shrink, while students and young professionals – many on their own for the first time – are finding fewer rental properties to choose from at higher prices.

 

“My listing volume is a third of what it was two years ago,’’ said Linda Patton, assistant director of off-campus housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. “It’s beginning to scare me.’’

 

Click here to access the remainder of the article.

Letter from DTA Commissioner Re: DTA’s FY2013 Budget

Dear Friends,

 

On January 25, 2012, Governor Patrick announced his budget for Fiscal Year 2013.  This budget is a responsible and balanced plan to fund as many of the state’s programs and services as possible, while recognizing that we all must live within the resources available.

 

I wanted to give you an update on DTA’s funding in the Governor’s budget:

 

Cash assistance and employment supports

We are pleased to preserve ongoing subsistence benefits for thousands of families, including cash assistance for about 52,000 TAFDC households and more than 22,000 EAEDC households.  The Governor’s budget maintains the critical monthly benefits provided by these programs at the Fiscal Year 2012 levels.  Services for survivors of domestic violence are also protected.

 

The Governor’s budget also funds the TAFDC clothing allowance at $150 per eligible child, and includes a transportation allowance of $40 per month for clients who are meeting their work participation requirement.  The transportation benefit will help clients to afford transportation to their employment activities, will provide an incentive to meet the work program requirement, and will assist families with moving to self-sufficiency.

 

We are also pleased that the Governor’s budget provides level funding for the Employment Services Program (ESP).  Once the FY13 budget is finalized, we will be able to determine specific program and provider funding.

 

Teen Living Program

Maintenance funding for the Teen Living Program (TLP) will be reduced by $430,472 in FY13.  Full maintenance funding would have supported the current service level (with mandated rate increases) of 97 beds and 12 emergency beds for teen parents receiving TAFDC who are unable to live at home.  We will work with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to monitor this funding as the TLP procurement progresses.

 

SSI State Supplemental Program

The Governor’s budget assumes the state will take over administration of the state supplement portion (SSP) of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, which are received by almost 200,000 Massachusetts residents.  Currently, the state supplement for SSI is administered by the federal government at a cost of nearly $26 million per year.  Beginning in April 2012, these functions will be assumed by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, with estimated savings of $15.5 million in FY13.  The only change for SSI clients will be receiving two separate payments (one from the Social Security Administration and one from the state) instead of the single combined payment they currently receive.

 

Funeral and burial benefits

Beginning in FY13, in order to receive the $1,100 funeral and burial benefit, the total cost of the funeral, burial, or cremation must be $3,500 or less.

 

DTA operations

As you may know, our current staffing levels are 6% lower than they were in FY07, and our SNAP caseload has nearly doubled.  To help mitigate the impact of our rising caseloads, the budget includes a $3.3 million increase in administrative funding, which will allow us to hire case managers and clerical staff.

 

The FY13 budget is not yet final.  In the coming months, the budget will move through the House and Senate and each branch will release a budget; the House and Senate will submit a “conference committee” budget; the Governor will submit his vetoes; and the House and Senate will have the opportunity to override the Governor’s vetoes.  The final FY13 budget will take effect on July 1, 2012.

 

Thank you for all of your work on behalf of low-income individuals and families in the Commonwealth.

 

Sincerely,

 

Daniel J. Curley

Commissioner

 

 

Webinar on President’s FY 2013 Budget Proposal

Alliance Webinar Briefing on President’s FY 2013 Budget Proposal

 

On February 15 from 1 to 2 p.m. ET, the National Alliance to End Homelessness will host a webinar on the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 Budget Proposal. The budget reflects the Administration’s funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year and is meant to guide Congress as it moves through the federal appropriations process. The budget proposal is expected to be released on Monday, February 13.

 

The webinar will provide an overview of the federal budget process and an analysis of the Administration’s proposed funding levels for federal affordable housing and homelessness programs. Presenters will provide a rundown of the President’s FY 2013 budget requests, along with information on this year’s opportunities to advocate for protecting and expanding critical housing and homelessness assistance. The webinar will also review the overall budget and policy outlook for the year, including the scheduled January 2013 sequestration, which will result in across-the-board cuts.

 

Please note that this webinar was originally scheduled for February 8. However, the Administration has delayed the release of its Budget Proposal by one week until February 13. As a result, the webinar is rescheduled for February 15.

Register for the Webinar

State of the Commonwealth Address: Jobs, Health Care, Community Colleges and Homelessness

Last night Governor Patrick delivered his 6th State of the Commonwealth Address.  During his speech he outlined his administrations priorities for the coming year.  Jobs, health care, community college, and homeless were among the issues discussed during the speech.  Below you will find text from the address as well as links to related news article.

 

Transcript: Patrick’s State Of The Commonwealth

 

BOSTON — On Monday, Gov. Deval Patrick delivered his annual State of the State address. Here are his remarks.

 

Lieutenant Governor and fellow Constitutional Officers, Madame President, Mr. Speaker and Members of the Senate and of the House, Members of the Judiciary, Members of the Cabinet and of our Administration, Mayor Menino and other Municipal Officials, Reverend Clergy and most especially fellow Citizens of Massachusetts.

 

Good evening and thank you for joining me for my annual report on the state of our Commonwealth.

 

I would like to start by acknowledging and thanking our First Lady, Diane Patrick. Diane, I so appreciate your leadership in your public life and your patience in your private one. I know we all do.

 

And let us all acknowledge and thank the relatives, friends and neighbors from Massachusetts who are serving today in the military. We appreciate you – and your families – for your service to our Commonwealth and our country. A special welcome home to Senator Rush who is here. Representative Parisella who is here. Both have returned from combat duty in Iraq safely and we are so pleased.

 

* * *

 

This is my sixth speech of this kind. In that time, the world has experienced dramatic change and even turmoil. A global economic collapse. Slow job growth. Crumbling infrastructure. Growing inequality. A public craving change.

 

Periods of challenge and uncertainty are not new – not in Massachusetts and not in history. What defines us is not the challenge, but how we meet it. We remember with gratitude the generations before ours who rose to the challenges of their time and left for us a better Commonwealth. Thanks to them, many of us in this room tonight sit where our parents and grandparents could hardly imagine.

 

Now we face our test. It is a test for our time and for the future. And while others elsewhere in positions like yours and mine succumb to division and stalemate, we here pulled together and, for the good of the Commonwealth, made hard choices.

 

Like every state, we cut spending and headcount, and slimmed down programs or eliminated some. But we also chose to invest in education, in health care and in job creation – because we all know that educating our kids, having health care you can depend on, and a good job is the path to a better future.

 

That’s why today our students lead the nation in overall achievement and the world in math and science.

 

That’s why we lead the nation in health care coverage with over 98 percent of our residents insured.

 

That’s why we have moved from 47th in the nation in job creation in 2006 to 5th in the nation in the last two years, and why our state’s economy is growing faster than the national growth rate.

 

That’s why we lead the nation in energy efficiency and in veterans’ services.

 

And it’s also why we have not only closed our budget gaps, eliminated our structural deficit, and achieved the highest bond rating in our history, but – with labor at the table – made the kinds of meaningful reforms in the pension system, in municipal health benefits, in our schools, in our transportation and so much more that had eluded our predecessors for a long, long time.

 

None of this is happening by accident.

 

Auto insurance rates fell 13 percent in the last couple of years, the largest drop in America – not by accident but because we chose to reinvent that system and introduce managed competition.

 

The clean energy industry grew nearly 7 percent in Massachusetts last year, and added thousands of kilowatts of renewable generation and thousands of jobs – not by accident but because we passed the Green Communities Act and joined the world’s fundamental shift towards efficiency and renewable energy.

 

A thousand families moved out of shelters and motels and into permanent housing last year – not by accident but because we chose to move toward a “housing first” strategy, to work to end homelessness for good.
This and much more of the progress we have made together is happening because of the choices we have made together, choices inspired by our generational responsibility, our commitment to leave to others a better Commonwealth than we found.

 

Click here to read the remainder of the address.

 

Below are links to related news articles:

 

WBUR: Patrick Outlines Initiatives In State Of The State Address

The Boston Globe: Patrick Seeks Broad Changes for Community Colleges

 

How Public Housing Agencies Are Helping Residents Achieve Economic Security

More than a roof: Case Studies of Public Housing Agency Initiatives to Increase Residents’ Economic Security

 

The Center for Housing Policy recently released a new report on efforts by public housing agencies to help residents make progress toward economic security.  Despite budget shortfalls, these agencies are continuing their efforts to use subsidized housing as a platform for economic security and opportunity by implementing programs that combine housing assistance with support for increased earnings and opportunities to build assets.  

 

After a brief overview, the report profiles agencies running four initiatives: the Family Self-Sufficiency program; the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership program; Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach; and Individual Development Accounts. It concludes by highlighting two innovative approaches that merit consideration by agencies seeking to expand economic security opportunities for their residents.

 

Click here to access the full report.

Massachusetts First State In The Nation to Pursue ‘Pay for Success’ Social Innovation Contracts

Commonwealth to seek performance-based investments to spur innovative solutions to social issues, achieve better outcomes and save money

 

BOSTON — Wednesday, January 18, 2012 — The Patrick-Murray Administration today announced a first in the nation initiative to allow Massachusetts to enter into “pay for success” contracts designed to encourage innovative solutions to social problems, improve the performance of government and save taxpayer money. The Executive Office for Administration and Finance (ANF) today issued Requests for Response (RFRs) as a next step in pursuing these social innovation financing contracts.

 

“Social innovation financing is a tool that helps us tackle long term social issues with innovative methods,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “These initiatives will help us change the delivery of state services to save money and improve program performance.” 

 

Massachusetts is the first state in the nation to take formal steps to establish a comprehensive social innovation financing program that is focused on pay-for-success contracts. Funding for the Commonwealth’s program would be paid from budgetary resources, but only if the programs work to deliver better social outcomes and savings to the state budget. President Obama’s FY 2012 budget included a proposal to invest $100 million in “pay for success” projects in seven pilot areas including job training, education, juvenile justice and care of children with disabilities. Through this initiative, the Commonwealth expects to be well-positioned to compete for any federal funding that may be available in the future. 

 

“Social innovation financing is one of the tools we are pursuing to accelerate system-wide improvements in government performance,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez. “It’s a creative idea based on a simple premise – have government pay for demonstrated success rather than the promise of success.”

 

Performance-based investments will help encourage innovation and tackle challenging social issues. New and innovative programs have potential for success, but often have trouble securing government funding because it can be hard to rigorously prove their effectiveness. Social innovation financing allows the government to partner with innovative service providers and, if necessary, private foundations or other investors willing to cover the upfront costs and assume performance risk, to expand promising programs, while assuring that taxpayers will not pay for the programs unless they demonstrate success in achieving the desired outcomes.

 

Initially, the Patrick-Murray Administration plans to explore the use of social innovation financing to tackle two challenging issues:

  • Chronic Homelessness – The Administration seeks to partner with social entrepreneurs to provide stable housing for several hundred chronically homeless individuals. The goal of the initiative will be to improve the well-being of the individuals while simultaneously reducing housing and Medicaid costs.

 

  • Juvenile Justice – The Administration seeks to partner with social entrepreneurs to support youth aging out of the juvenile corrections and probation systems so as to assist them in making successful transitions to adulthood. The juvenile justice contract will be designed with the specific goal of reducing recidivism and improving education and employment outcomes over a six-year period for a significant segment of the more than 750 youth who exit the juvenile corrections and probation systems annually. 

 

The Administration may expand these initiatives to additional policy domains in the future. 

 

Through the RFRs being issued today, the Patrick-Murray Administration will explore a number of options for social innovation financing, including:

  • Pay-for-success contracts – agreements which will allow the state to pay service providers after they have demonstrated success, rather than the current process of paying for the promise of success. These contracts will target innovative social service programs in domains where sophisticated, multi-year performance measurement is possible.

 

  • Social impact bonds – financing arrangements where third party intermediaries and investors give service providers, typically non-profits, upfront funding and other expertise to allow them to enter into pay-for-success contracts with the government. For example, the United Kingdom is piloting a social impact bond program to reduce criminal recidivism.

 

For information on social innovation bonds or pay-for-success contracts please contact Abby Dosoretz at ANF at (617) 727-2040 x 35-402 or email social.innovation@state.ma.us

 

Click here to access the Boston Globe article on social impact bonds.

 

To locate the RFRs:
 
1.  Go to Comm-PASS
2.  Select the “Solicitation Search” link
3.  Enter the Document Number listed below in the Document Number field
4.  Select Open from the Document Status drop-down menu
5.  Select the Search button
6.  Select the View icon for the matching record to access all current information
7.  Select the record’s “Other Information” tab, then click the “Browse Amendment History” link to access all previous versions of this record, if any
 
The Document Number’s are:
 
RFR ANF SIF HI
RFR ANF SIF HSP
RFR ANF SIF YI
RFR ANF SIF YSP