Imagine applying for emergency shelter for you and your children and being denied because you don’t have proof that you’ve slept somewhere “unfit for human habitation” first.

Shockingly, this has been the reality for thousands of Massachusetts families since 2012. That year, the state implemented a policy that required families experiencing homelessness to prove they had already stayed somewhere not meant for human habitation before being able to access emergency shelter and other housing resources.

This immoral policy has led to almost 3,800 families being approved for shelter only after staying with their children in emergency rooms, cars, campgrounds, parks, laundromats, transit stations, and other places unfit for any human being to sleep – let alone children.

In response, EMPath and its partners have been advocating for a bill that would revise the language in this policy. Refiled this session by Representative Marjorie Decker, the bill would no longer require families to complete this unnecessary step.

On July 30, EMPath testified at the Massachusetts State House in support of the bill.

“One mom told me her daughter had nightmares well after getting into shelter from the one night they slept at the train station,” EMPath’s Director of Advocacy Chelsea Sedani told the Joint Committee on Housing. “Another mom shared that her experience sleeping somewhere unsafe with her child triggered her anxiety and depression. She struggled to bounce back in the months that followed.”

“In addition to safety concerns, our staff are reporting an increased level of trauma experienced by families entering shelter after having slept somewhere not meant for human habitation,” Chelsea explained.

During testimony, advocates also took the opportunity to express support for a second set of bills (H1305/S797), which would codify the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) in state law and raise the value of these vouchers.

MRVP provides subsidies to help families and individuals with low incomes pay rent. However, the current value of the vouchers is based on 2005 rent levels. Additionally, the program is not written into statute or state law but rather is left up to the unpredictability of the annual state budget, putting it in jeopardy each year.

While both the emergency shelter and MRVP changes were approved in this year’s state budget, this proposed legislation goes a step further by seeking to codify them in law.

These two bills are about something bigger than individual state programs. They are about human rights and dignity. No child – no person – should be forced to sleep somewhere unsafe just to qualify for shelter. And housing assistance should address the realities for families in the current market – not the market from 14 years ago.

Shelter is a basic need and a human right – and our policies should reflect that.

Stay updated on these two bills by following EMPath and MA Coalition for the Homeless.

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