Stand Up With People Without Homes:
Ask Your Legislators to Override the Governor’s Vetoes of Funding for Unaccompanied Youth + the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program
from Kelly Turley, Director of Advocacy Coalition for the Homeless whose hard won budget increases have been vetoed by Governor Baker.
Help us keep hope and progress alive!
This afternoon, Governor Charlie Baker signed the FY’16 state budget into law, while also issuing numerous vetoes and a request for supplemental funds to close out FY’15.
Disappointingly, among those vetoes were the $2 million for housing and services for unaccompanied youth in a brand new line item, 4000-0007, as well as $3 million of the recommended funding of $90.9 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP). While the overall budget includes much for which to be grateful, we cannot rest while these vetoes stand– because people without homes cannot safely rest!
As early as next week, the Legislature will take up veto overrides to restore some of the funding and language to the final budget. In order to do this, both the House and Senate must vote with a two-thirds majority to override a veto. Help us ensure that youth without homes do not lose their chance to access much-needed housing and services, and that the MRVP program has as much funding as possible to provide housing to families, youth, and adults who are experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity! Please pick up the phone today to call your State Representative and State Senator.
For insights into how meaningful the youth homelessness funding will be to youth, please read these two powerful blog posts by Synthia Kennedy (“We are not the enemy. We are houseless, not homeless”) and Ayala Livny (“The things that matter”), two of our strong allies in the multi-year Youth Without Homes Can’t Wait campaign.
Legislators can be reached via the State House switchboard (617-722-2000) or directly through the links listed here.
Help us keep hope and progress alive!
With gratitude,
Kelly
Kelly Turley
Director of Legislative Advocacy
kelly@mahomeless.org
781-595-7570 x17
On Twitter? Please Reach Out to Key Legislators to Ask for Their Support on Veto Overrides
Senate President Stan Rosenberg: @SenStan
Senator Karen Spilka: @KarenSpilka
Senator Sal DiDomenico: @SalDiDomenico
House Speaker Robert DeLeo: @SpeakerDeLeo
Representative Stephen Kulik: @repstevekulik
Other legislators can be reached via the State House switchboard (617-722-2000) or directly through the links listed here.
Please also express your disappointment to the Governor:
Phone: 617-725-4005
Twitter: @MassGovernor
link to alert
