We at Homes for Families believe that housing vouchers are the single best way to eradicate homelessness on a large scale, which is why strengthening the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) has been our top legislative priority for decades. This year is no different; the primary bill we are advocating for is H.1428/S.898: An Act Codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program.
MRVP is the State’s largest rental assistance program and a tested, but currently vastly underfunded resource to help extremely low income households avoid homelessness and leave shelters. In 1990, MRVP assisted 20,000 households; today, it assists less than 9,000. This bill, filed by Rep. Madaro and Senator Lovely, will strengthen MRVP by codifying the program into state statute, increasing its funding, reducing the voucher holder’s rent liability, requiring unit inspections, and increasing data sharing.
How does the current MRVP system work:
The Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program offers both tenant and project based rental subsidies. The tenant-based voucher, which is known as Mobile, is assigned to the Participant and is valid for any housing unit that meets the standards of the state sanitary code. Project Based vouchers are assigned to a specific housing unit or development. The owner rents these units to a program eligible tenant, and Project Based tenants who move forfeit the subsidy. The voucher holder pays 40% of their income towards rent, while the remainder of the rent is covered by the voucher.
With both mobile and Project based vouchers, regional non-profit housing agency or a local housing authority administer the program locally. There are currently 8 regional non-profit housing agencies and 112 local housing authorities that administer the MRVP throughout the Commonwealth. Through the assistance of this program, thousands of Massachusetts’ families and individuals benefit from the long-term stabilization of their often uncertain housing and financial situation.
Brief History of MRVP
Despite the fact that vouchers have historically proven to be the best tool to combat homelessness, funding for MRVP has changed drastically since its inception in the 1966 (The program was referred to then as Section 707, and later renamed MRVP in 1992). For the first 25 years that the program existed, funding grew steadily, peaking in 1990 when MRVP was funded at $120 million and served over 20,000 households. Massachusetts has never returned to this level of funding and voucher utilization.
Between 1990 and 2006, the budget for MRVP was slashed year after year and the number of households with vouchers decreased from 20,000 to about 4,500 in 2006. Our friends at CHAPA published a report with the following table showing how voucher utilization decreased during the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
| Year | Total Vouchers | Tenant Based | Project Based |
| 1992 | 16,613 | 11,243 | 5,470 |
| 1993 | 13,885 | 8,766 | 5,119 |
| 1996 | 10,292 | 5,650 | 4,642 |
| 1999 | 7,871 | 3,600 | 4,271 |
| 2000 | 7,310 | 3,114 | 4,196 |
| 2003 | 5,858 | 2,340 | 3,518 |
| 2009 | 5,171 | 2,164 | 3,007 |
Funding for MRVP was slashed all the way down to about $24 million by the turn of the decade, and the homelessness crisis was exacerbated because of it. Homes for Families, together with the Housing Solutions Campaign, has been fighting to restore funding for this crucial program ever since then.
In a 15 year span, from FY2006 to FY2021, funding for MRVP has increased from $26M to $120M (an increase of 460%!), and finally back to the level of funding at its 1990 peak. We are also optimistic that the level of funding for this year will increase to approximately $150,000,000. Below is a breakdown of how funding for MRVP has increased since FY2013.
| MRVP | Governor’s Budget | House Budget | Senate Budget | Final Budget |
| FY2013 | 46,040,000 | 46,500,000 | 42,000,000 | 42,000,000 |
| FY2014 | 46,500,000 | 46,500,000 | 57,500,000 | 57,500,000 |
| FY2015 | 57,500,000 | 60,500,000 | 70,000,000 | 65,000,000 |
| FY2016 | 75,421,578 | 90,931,597 | 85,421,578 | 90,931,597 |
| FY2017 | 82,931,597 | 100,000,000 | 100,000,000 | 85,347,706 |
| FY2018 | 97,503,438 | 100,000,000 | 100,000,000 | 92,734,677 |
| FY2019 | 97,469,569 | 100,000,000 | 97,469,569 | 100,000,000 |
| FY2020 | 100,000,000 | 110,000,000 | 104,000,000 | 110,000,000 |
| FY2021 | 112,167,549 | 125,500,000 | 125,501,294 | 125,501,294 |
| FY2022 | 122,645,860 | 150,000,000 | 150,000,000 | ? |
It is important to note that the $120,000,00 that was allocated to MRVP in 1990 is equivalent to far more than that in today’s dollars. When factoring in inflation, 120 million in 1990 is equal to just under 250 million in 2021, meaning that funding for MRVP is still miles behind where is used to be. While getting back to the level of funding from the 1990’s was certainly a big achievement, the next goal is to restore the funding if the program had kept pace with inflation.
What will this bill do?
H.1428/S.898: An Act Codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program will strengthen MRVP in several important ways. This bill will enshrine MRVP into state statute, meaning that the program will no longer be subject to a budget process that changes on a whim year after year. Codifying the program will protect MRVP and ensure its sustainability, while also allowing important changes to be made.
The most significant change in this bill is that it would mandate that voucher holders pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent. Currently, voucher holders are expected to pay “between 30% and 40%”, which invariably leads to tenants to paying 40% in order to secure housing. Lowering the tenant rent share by 10% would significantly enhance MRVP by allowing voucher holders to keep more of their income in pocket. Everybody knows the 30% rule when it comes to housing, so asking our most vulnerable citizens to pay 40% is unjust and unnecessary. If funding for MRVP continues on its upward trajectory, the program can certainly cover the cost that comes with lowering the voucher holder rent share.
It is also important to note that the federal section 8 voucher program only requires those with vouchers to pay 30% of their income towards rent, which further begs the question why MRVP requires 40%. Aligning the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program with the more generous federal section 8 program is one of the chief objectives of the bill.
H.1428.S.898 will also create a centralized voucher management system that will collect data on utilization, race, ethnicity, income, and other important metrics, and require that DHCD submit an annual report to the Housing Committee on the program. More data will lead to increased transparency, equity, and accountability, and ensure that the program evolves with demographic changes in our state.
Finally, the bill will stipulate that the administering agency must inspect each unit before any assistance payment is made to determine whether it meets the minimum standards of fitness for human habitation as required by the State Sanitary Code. These inspections must continue no less than every two years during the term of assistance. This recommendation comes directly from dozens of families with lived experience that HFF has partnered with who have reported that the units they moved into with their vouchers were not sanitary and ready to be lived in. Requiring unit inspection is another way that we can more closely align MRVP with the section 8 program and ensure that no family moves into an apartment with substandard living conditions.
How can you help?
- Write/call your elected officials.
You can find your State Representative and Senator HERE. These elected officials work for you, and it is immensely important that they hear from their constituents about what you want them to do as your representative. Here is a script you can use to email or call your representatives:
Dear Representative/Senator [NAME],
My name is [NAME] and I am Emailing on behalf of [ORGANIZATION]. I live in your district and wanted to talk to you about a piece of legislation that is crucial to helping end family homelessness in Massachusetts. This bill is incredibly important to me and I would really appreciate your advocacy around, especially by co-sponsoring the bill.
On any given night in our state, 18,471 people experience homelessness, a number that has more than doubled since 1990, and over 12,000 of them are in families with children. Since 2007, no other State in America has seen a larger increase in family homelessness. It doesn’t have to be this way! There are concrete laws that can be passed that will drastically transform Massachusetts into a State where homelessness really is brief, rare, and non-recurring.
As your constituent, here is the bill I’d like you to co-sponsor and support:
HD.3277/SD.1899: An Act codifying the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program
This bill would put the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program into state statute, and reduce tenant share of rent from 40% to 30% of income, as well as making several other changes to the program to make it more generous and equitable.
Sincerely, [NAME]
You can also reference the fact sheet below, as well as our legislative action toolkit for more resources!
2. Use social media!
Join HFF on social media to spread the word on MRVP. In our toolkit, you will find sample posts and Cookie Day GIFs that you can share with or tweet to your legislators.
Tweet directly at your Representatives and Senators!
Homes for Families: Opening Doors 