The Task Team to End Homelessness announced Tuesday that Gov. Patrick has signed the Unaccompanied Youth Homelessness Bill into law! Following is a news release from the MA Coalition for the Homeless, which championed the bill.
Dear concerned advocates of unaccompanied homeless youth:
Good News: Governor Patrick has signed into law the landmark unaccompanied youth homelessness bill, House Bill 4517!
Today, we celebrate and also look ahead to the advocacy needed to ensure that this law has real meaning for youth without homes.
Thank you for your continued support and years of advocacy that have brought us to this milestone! We look forward to keeping up the work until all young people - and all people in Massachusetts -have a safe and permanent place to call home.
With gratitude and hope,
Kelly Turley
Director of Legislative Advocacy
kelly@mahomeless.org
781-595-7570 x17
We have so many lawmakers to thank for their work on this bill, notably:
Governor Deval Patrick
Representative Jim O'Day, the bill's chief sponsor and member of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo
Senate President Therese Murray
Representative Brian Dempsey, Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means
Senator Stephen Brewer, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Senator Harriette Chandler, a key Senate sponsor and member of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Representative Kay Khan, a key House sponsor and member of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Representative Ted Speliotis, Chair of the House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading, where the bill began the day on Tuesday
Senator Jamie Eldridge, a key Senate sponsor and co-author of the recent Senate sign-on letter to Senate Ways and Means
Senator Jason Lewis, a key Senate sponsor and co-author of the recent Senate sign-on letter to Senate Ways and Means
U.S. Congresswoman Katherine Clark, the bill's original co-sponsor, when she was serving as State Senator and former member of the Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth