Take Action Today! Speak Up for Housing and Homelessness Programs

3/27/2013 - by: Sister Linda Bessom

From Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless

Right now, both the House and Senate are working busily to prepare their state budget recommendations for fiscal year 2014. In two weeks, on Wednesday, April 10th, the House Ways and Means Committee is expected to release its recommendations, which will then be followed by a debate by the full House on budget priorities for the year ahead. Now is the time to weigh in again with your State Representative and State Senator to let them know that you care about families, youth, and adults experiencing homelessness and want to see critical changes investments made/maintained in the FY'14 budget.

Please click here to the see the Coalition's overall list of budget priorities. More detailed fact sheets on many of the priorities can be found here, including campaigns to:

Ensure that children and families no longer have to stay in places not meant for human habitation before becoming eligible for Emergency Assistance family shelter
Begin funding housing and support services for unaccompanied youth
Increase funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program

Click here for a downloadable fact sheet.

Click here for talking points in a downloadable format. (or see box below)

Legislators can be reached via the State House switchboard at 617-722-2000. For more information, go to www.malegislature.gov/People

Contact Kelly Turley with any feedback from your State Representative and State Senator, or if you have any questions: kelly@mahomeless.org; 781-595-7570 x17.

April 3 is "Raising Our Voices for Youth" Call-In Day

Please make plans to call your State Representative and Senator to ask for their support to help end unaccompanied youth homelessness. To find out who they are, click here. Fill in your address and click on the link of your legislators to get their information. The general State House switchboard number is 617-722-2000 . When you call, you can also speak with an aide if you can’t reach the legislator. You can make a difference!

PHONE SCRIPT RE: UNACCOMPANIED YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

Good morning/afternoon! My name is _______________________ and I am an individual member of (name of UCC Church and location. I live at (your address) and my phone number is _________. In light of the MACUCC 2011 Resolution to End Homelessness among Youth and Young Adults in Massachusetts, I am calling (your Representative/Senator’s name) today to share my concerns for the more than six thousand unaccompanied youth and young adults experiencing homelessness.

I am asking (Representative or Senator’s name) to:
Read the Report of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth that will be released by March 31, 2013 and attend the Legislative Briefing on Tuesday, April 9th, 1- 2:30 p.m. in Room 437 of the State House. Please send an aide if (Representative or Senator’s name) cannot attend.

Support House Bill 135 “An Act Providing Housing and Support Services for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth” (Lead sponsors: Representative Jim O’Day and Senator Katherine Clark).

Include $500,000 in the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget through the Executive Office of Health and Human Services administrative line item 4000-0300 to address the needs of unaccompanied youth and young adults experiencing homelessness by funding housing and services, and by conducting an unaccompanied youth count to better understand the scope of need for this population. The concrete needs for housing and supportive services for unaccompanied homeless youth are addressed in the Report of this Commission.
Thank you for your time and interest in these landmark opportunities to do the right thing for youth and young adults of our Commonwealth. (If you speak to an aide, you also can say: “Please get back to me to let me know what the Senator/Representative will do.”). Have a nice day!

Complete the advocacy circle! Call 781-595-7570 - Kelly Turley ext. 17 or e-mail Kelly@mahomeless.org, Samantha Alves ext .20 - Samantha@mahomeless.org to let us know what happened in these phone conversations. Samantha may post your remarks on the Coalition’s blog at www.mahomeless.org.

Author

Sister Linda Bessom

Linda Bessom, SND, is the Senior Community Organizer for the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. She represents the Coalition on the MACUCC's Task Force to End Homelessness.