Mass Legislature Passes Family Shelter Restructuring

 

On March 5th the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Senate unanimously approved the Patrick-Murray Administration's proposed Article 87.  The passage of Article 87 will move the emergency shelter system for families and individuals from the Department of Transitional Assistance to the Department of Housing and Community Development, effective on July 1, 2009.
 
According to the advocacy group “One Family”, “(a)chieving the administration's goal of eliminating homelessness in the Commonwealth requires dramatic changes in the way housing services are delivered. As a result of the approved restructuring, residents of the Commonwealth, whether they are facing housing challenges or not, can expect: more seamless access to housing services, more effective use of state resources, better coordination and integration of services across systems and programs more timely and appropriate service responses at the local level.”

-From: “Article 87 Unanimously Approved” e-mails, One Family, Inc., March 06, 2009.

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