We at Homes for Families advocate for the implementation of both permanent and emergency legislative solutions to eliminate family homelessness. One of these pieces of legislation that, in conjunction with vouchers and other forms of social assistance, can help families access more permanent housing options is H.1372: An Act Promoting Housing Stability for Families by Strengthening the HomeBASE Program. H.1372 is one of Homes for Families’ top 3 legislative priorities because it would fortify and improve one of the key homelessness prevention programs in the Commonwealth.
Championed by lead sponsor and state Representative Christine Barber, H.1372 is a first-time filed bill that would codify HomeBASE, Massachusetts’ re-housing benefit program, into state statute. Barber is currently joined by twenty-two other Representative co-sponsors; we hope that with your help, this list will grow.
How does the current HomeBASE system work?
HomeBASE is a program administered by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) designed to divert families from entering shelter, and get families already in shelter out. The program provides a maximum of $10,000 in rental assistance over the course of one year to qualified recipients. This can come in the form of the first and last month’s rent for a new home, a security deposit at a new home, furniture, a monthly stipend to help pay rent for up to one year, utilities, or travel costs.
The amount and type of assistance is based on a family’s needs and is determined through an assessment. HomeBASE additionally provides a designated stabilization worker for each family to help access community supports and offer resources to resolve issues that may arise, including tenancy-related issues. Families enjoy the support of a case manager and may access agency resources such as:
- Education
- Workforce development
- Child care
- Other support to ensure they succeed as new tenants
The major problem with HomeBASE is that despite offering a wide range of economic supports, there is currently no way for families to renew the program, meaning that many families face a return to homelessness after their one year of assistance expires.
While renewals are the biggest issue with the program, there are also problems with the housing stabilization planning infrastructure. HomeBASE mandates that participating families have a clear housing stabilization plan that is made in conjunction with a case worker, but many families do not even know about this requirement. Other important issues include reports of coercion and poor data tracking; many families feel as if they are forced to take HomeBASE benefits if it is determined that they have been in the shelter system for too long, even if they don’t like the housing situation they are being forced into.
In regards to the poor data tracking, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has no requirement to report on the race and ethnicity of HomeBASE families, resulting in a lack of knowledge regarding which groups would most benefit from the program.
Brief History of HomeBASE
Below is a table that displays the amount of funding HomeBASE has received over the last 11 fiscal years. As you can see, the program’s funding has dropped off by a substantial margin in that time. From its peak in FY2013 to now in FY2021, HomeBASE experienced a $50 million decrease in funding, or 65%. With housing instability exacerbated by the pandemic, it is critical that the HomeBASE program returns to its maximum funding levels from 2013. As it currently stands, the program is simply not as effective as it can be.
| Fiscal Year | Governor’s Budget | House Budget | Senate Budget | Final Budget |
| 2012 | 38,561,732 | 38,561,732 | 38,561,732 | 38,561,732 |
| 2013 | 83,374,371 | 83,374,371 | 90,787,766 | 83,374,371 |
| 2014 | 58,788,556 | 58,963,556 | 58,788,556 | 58,963,556 |
| 2015 | 24,322,911 | 25,955,535 | 24,203,353 | 25,955,535 |
| 2016 | 26,249,331 | 31,250,331 | 26,249,331 | 31,249,331 |
| 2017 | 31,943,664 | 31,943,664 | 31,943,664 | 31,943,664 |
| 2018 | 31,079,696 | 31,079,696 | 32,579,696 | 30,147,305 |
| 2019 | 30,147,305 | 32,000,000 | 30,147,305 | 32,000,000 |
| 2020 | 25,825,000 | 25,825,000 | 25,825,000 | 25,825,000 |
| 2021 | 27,158,178 | 25,825,000 | 27,158,178 | 29,058,618 |
| 2022 | 25,970,612 | 25,970,612 | 25,970,612 | ? |
One of the main reasons that this bill seeks to codify the program is that if it is written into state statute, HomeBASE will no longer be subject to the whims of the budget process, which as the table above clearly demonstrates, often leads to the radical decrease in funding for crucial programs.
What will this bill do?
The goal of H.1372 is to codify HomeBASE into state statute and allow families who are facing a return to homelessness due to their benefits expiring after one year the ability to renew.
What often happens is that after the year of benefits is up, families are no closer to securing permanent housing than they were when they arrived in shelter, which means that allowing these benefits to expire would result in families becoming homeless again. This bill would direct DHCD to allow families to re-up with HomeBASE “in cases where a.) the family complied with their rehousing plan during the prior period of assistance, b.) continues to include a child under the age of 21 or a pregnant person, and c.) has a gross income that does not exceed 50 percent of area median income or has not had income in excess of said 50 percent level for a period of six months.”
Another vital feature to H.1372 is what the bill does to de-link HomeBASE and Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT). While HomeBASE works to help families out of the shelter system into stable housing, RAFT tries to make sure families do not enter, or re-enter, the EA system in the first place. The language in H.1372 gives families the opportunity to combine funds from HomeBASE and RAFT if they so qualify for both.
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 it, 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: H.1372: An Act Promoting Housing Stability for Families by Strengthening the HomeBASE Program
This bill would put HomeBASE into state statute and direct DHCD to provide much-needed renewals of rental assistance to families who would otherwise face a return to homelessness.
Sincerely, [NAME]
2. Use social media!
Join HFF on social media to spread the word on HomeBASE.
3. Sign the organizational endorsement form!
Join our partners over at Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and have your organization endorse H.1372 through the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdoK1j671xAqTpJ23GMDCJm-8r1vBwe3oCsQ3_a8I_IQeExMg/viewform.
Please use the following fact sheet when reaching out to your Representatives and Senators and spreading the word about this bill!
Homes for Families: Opening Doors 