Budget Amendment ID: FY2012-S3-501-R1
Redraft EHS 501
Special Commission on Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Ms. Clark, Ms. Chang-Diaz and Ms. Flanagan and Mr. Kennedy and Ms. Spilka and Mr. Keenan and Ms. Candaras and Mr. McGee moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after section __, the following new section:-
“Section _ Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission for the purpose of studying the adequacy and limitations of current services to meet the safety, support, housing, health, education, and quality of life needs of unaccompanied homeless or unstably housed youth as defined under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 11431-11435 (2002). The commission is charged with identifying and addressing barriers to housing, services and education for unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness. Two working groups shall be established within the commission to ensure a full and comprehensive report addressing the needs of all subpopulations of unaccompanied homeless youth; one working group focusing on the specific needs of youth under 18 years of age and a second group focusing on the needs of youth 18 to 22 years of age. The Commission’s report shall include recommendations for addressing the needs of non-system involved youth as well as unstably housed youth with the goal of ensuring a comprehensive and effective response to the unique needs of this population. The commission, in formulating its recommendations, shall take account of the best policies and practices in other states and jurisdictions.
The commission shall include the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services or designee, the Commissioner of Department of Children and Families or designee, the Commissioner of Department of Public Health or designee, the Commissioner of Department of Mental Health or designee, the Commissioner of the Department of Youth Services or designee, the Commissioner of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education or designee, the Commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care or designee, the Undersecretary for the Department of Housing and Community Development or designee, two members of the Senate, two members of the House of Representatives, three youth who have experienced homelessness, a representative from each of the following organizations: Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, Children’s League of Massachusetts, Task Force on Youth Aging Out of Department of Children and Families Care, Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, the Massachusetts Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance, and seven persons to be appointed by the Governor, five of whom shall be unaccompanied youth service providers.
The commission shall submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representative, the President of the Senate, and the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities no later than 9 months after the passage of this Act, setting forth the commission’s conclusions on how to improve access to services for unaccompanied homeless or unstably housed youth, together with any recommendations for regulatory or legislative action with a timeline for implementation, cost estimates and finance mechanisms. Thereafter, the commission shall submit a report annually by December 31 of each year to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities detailing the extent of homelessness among unaccompanied youth within the Commonwealth and the progress made toward implementing the commission’s recommendations, along with other efforts to address the needs of this population.