THE METER IS RUNNINGDate: 2/17/2010 Feb. 17, 2010
State continues to pay for welfare families in hotels
By Katelyn Gendron
Reminder Assistant Editor
Valley legislators such as State Sen. Stephen Buoniconti are refusing to back down on welfare reform, citing a failed system whose generosity is being taken advantage of by record numbers of beneficiaries.
Buoniconti plans to create an amendment to his transitional assistance reform bill, filed in July 2009, that will draw specific attention to the expensive practice of placing homeless families in hotels and motels, and will eventually eliminate the policy all together.
"We have a systematic failure," he told Reminder Publications. "We have a much sweeter deal than other states around us ... our kindness is being taken advantage of."
Buoniconti noted that Massachusetts residency isn't required for those receiving transitional assistance from the Commonwealth, prompting many to cross into the state to receive benefits. The state pays an average of $2,500 per family each month in hotels or motels, totaling approximately $2.3 million per month.
Phil Hailer, spokesperson for the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) -- the agency in charge of Transitional Aid to Families and Dependent Children since July 1, 2009 -- explained 940 families are currently placed in hotels or motels statewide because of the Commonwealth's lack of a better option.
He added the state has been at capacity with its 2,000 shelter beds for quite some time and the hotel placements were a last resort.
"We have to take in any income-eligible family regardless of capacity," Hailer said.
Buoniconti said the burden to care for such families is disproportionate for certain municipalities such as Chicopee, Greenfield, Holyoke, Springfield and West Springfield. Buoniconti noted there are over 300 families placed in hotels and motels in Western Massachusetts and over 350 in Greater Boston but only a small number in Central Massachusetts.
"West Springfield alone has 12 percent of the homeless population [in placements]," he added.
Buoniconti has been working with the DHCD, other human service organizations such as the New England Farm Workers' Council and state legislators -- Sen. Michael Knapik, Rep. James Welch and Rep. Michael Kane -- to make swift progress.
"The Administration is going to propose regulatory changes to tighten eligibility [for welfare and transitional assistance] but we don't think it goes far enough," Buoniconti said. "We need to try to get rid of this program because it's a failed program."
Buoniconti and Welch anticipate releasing their 10-point plan this week, which calls for the DHCD to submit a report to the legislature within 30 days detailing the elimination of hotel-motel placements, a savings of $36 million per year; institute a residency requirement; waive the 20-mile rule, which requires families to be placed within 20 miles of their last known residence; and require DHCD to reimburse communities for any student bused out of district while in hotel placement, among other points.
Buoniconti noted West Springfield Public Schools were forced to allocate an additional $165,000 earlier this month to cover the cost of busing students placed in the town hotels to their home districts.
Welch said shelter placements would save the state money as well as provide needed services and amenities such as childcare, casework and kitchen facilities, which hotels can't provide.
Tom Salter, vice president of the New England Farm Workers' Council, Shelter and Housing Division, concurred, adding that his facilities provide live-in families 24-7 coverage and casework up to one year after they've received permanent housing.
"I'm in preliminary discussions with DHCD [about] the possibility of our agency opening up a building with small units," Salter said, adding the facility would accommodate 20 to 21 families.
He said his agency currently has 30 families in Springfield and 29 families in placements in Holyoke.
Salter explained the poor economy has increased the number of homeless families in need of emergency housing and transitional assistance as well as increased their length of stay from 120 days to 220 days.
Salter said he has yet to hear from DHCD on how to proceed.
Buoniconti and Welch noted reform could take many months, however, they're committed to the task at hand.
Speaking to the press before Outlook 2010 in Agawam on Friday, Gov. Deval Patrick called the recent death of a child in a West Springfield motel a "terrible tragedy."
Patrick said, "We are legally obligated to house homeless people and if there are not adequate shelter facilities for that we and other administrations have used motels."
When asked what needs to be done to replace the use of motels, he answered, "What we need is permanent housing ... that's our strategy. In order for that strategy to take hold we need the whole wraparound to make it possible for people to stay in that housing. They need a job. They need other services so folks can get back on their feet."
Additional reporting contributed by G. Michael Dobbs.
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