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The Massachusetts House budget makes $500 million available to cover emergency assistance shelter costs for FY'25. The House budget debate is set for Wednesday, April 24.
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A comingling of operational and government funds flagged auditors to a misuse issue for the Springfield, Massachusetts, nonprofit. Now they need to pay back the government.
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As lawmakers around the country struggle with an over-capacity emergency shelter crisis, Mass. lawmakers wrestle with reform and time limits in the only state in the country that guarantees access to shelter.
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The Massachusetts Senate this week takes its second run in three years at a bill to expand access to early education and fortify that sector's workforce.
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An attempt by Congress to sort out the immigration issue fell apart last week. The question of how Massachusetts' governor will handle the ever increasing number of unhoused families seeking shelter in the Commonwealth, continues to be top-of-mind for many across the Baystate.
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Springfield leads the way in western Massachusetts with almost 300 families in the emergency shelters, followed by Holyoke and Chicopee.
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The drinking water well and pipes for the state park in Charlemont were replaced with more modern, better planned systems. Engineers say they hope the to get 30 to 40 years out of the recent upgrades.
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As family and friends come together for various holidays this and next month, will it be possible to discuss the war between Israel and Hamas, as many people disagree so strongly about what's happening and what should happen next. Maybe, with some agreements in place, says John Sarrouf from Essential Partners in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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The number of homeless families in Massachusetts continues to rise. As of October 2023, almost 7,000 families are living in emergency shelters — hotels, dorms and apartments — run by the state. In many communities, including West Springfield, the children enroll in public schools, where educators try to meet learning and basic needs.
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Families will soon be able to upload documentation to a state website, and meet with case workers virtually rather than making an in-person appointment.