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H 4015

Childcare

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Terry Alexander and 13 co-sponsors

Expands a short-term housing bridge to provide subsidized housing payments (cap at 30% of income) for Massachusetts seniors 60+ at risk of eviction or homelessness.

Referred to Committee on Ways and Means
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Bill Summary · H 4015

Summary — H 4015 (House Docket No. 359) — “An Act promoting housing stability for older adults”

Status & procedural history
- Introduced (filed): January 8, 2025; read first time February 13, 2025.
- Referred to: initially to the Committee on Housing (4/10/2025) and to the Committee on Ways and Means (2/13/2025 per docket).
- Hearings / actions: hearing scheduled 07/23/2025; reporting date extended to 10/31/2025; reported favorably and referred to House Ways and Means (11/05/2025).
- Note on source text: the bill text provided is a Massachusetts bill focused on housing stability for older adults. A large block of unrelated South Carolina childcare tax-credit text appears appended in the materials; that SC text is not part of the Massachusetts measure summarized below.

Purpose and intent
- Expand and operationalize a short-term “housing bridge” pilot program (originally established in 2024, item 7004-0107) so it can provide interim housing stability statewide for older adults who are applying for more affordable permanent housing or who face imminent loss of housing.

Key provisions
1. Steering committee
- The Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities (or designee) shall convene and chair a steering committee to coordinate expansion of the short-term housing bridge pilot.
- Required members include: representative(s) from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs; Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless; representatives from each participating Aging Services Access Point (per G.L. c.19A §4B); Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts; three older adults with lived experience nominated by the Coalition; the House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs and of the Joint Committee on Housing; one additional senator (appointed by the Senate president); one additional representative (appointed by the House speaker); and others as the Secretary deems appropriate.
- The committee will coordinate agencies and advise on establishing/expanding the pilot and shall produce an annual report (posted on the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities website) by December 31 each year with recommendations for statewide implementation.

  1. Eligibility and benefit design (expansion)

    • Eligible households must include an individual who:
      • Is age 60 or older;
      • Resides in Massachusetts;
      • Is otherwise eligible under items 7004-0107, 7004-9005 or 7004-9024 of section 2 of chapter 140 of the acts of 2024;
      • Has income at or below 80% of area median income (AMI);
      • Is at risk of eviction due to inability to consistently pay rent.
    • While receiving assistance through the pilot, participating households shall not be required to pay more than 30% of their monthly adjusted income toward rent, mortgage, or other housing financial obligations.

  2. Program implementation and contracting

    • Subject to appropriation or third‑party reimbursement, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities shall enter into performance‑based contracts with designated older‑adult–serving agencies to establish and expand the short‑term housing bridge subsidy program.
    • The program is intended to serve older adults experiencing housing instability or homelessness across urban, suburban, and rural areas, informed by the steering committee’s recommendations.

Who would be affected
- Primary beneficiaries: Massachusetts residents age 60+ who are low- to moderate-income (≤80% AMI) and at risk of eviction or experiencing housing instability/homelessness.
- Service providers: aging services access points, Home Care Alliance partners, and designated older‑adult service agencies contracted to administer subsidies.
- State agencies: Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (lead), Executive Office of Elder Affairs, and other participating state/local partners; the Legislature will receive annual reports and recommendations.

Fiscal and operational notes
- Implementation depends on legislative appropriation or third‑party reimbursement (i.e., the program requires funding authority to operate at scale).
- The bill emphasizes performance‑based contracting and annual reporting to guide potential statewide rollout.

Potential impact
- Short-term: expand access to temporary subsidy/supports that lower housing cost burden (capping pay-to-rent at 30% of adjusted income) and reduce imminent evictions among older adults.
- System-level: aims to improve coordination between housing and elder‑service systems, collect implementation data, and produce recommendations to scale the program statewide.
- Constraints: effectiveness and scale depend on available funding, program design choices in contracts, and the steering committee’s recommendations.

Related items
- This bill builds on a short‑term housing bridge pilot in the FY2024 budget (item 7004‑0107) and references related funding items (7004‑9005, 7004‑9024).
- Related docket: HD 359 (listed as replacement).

If you want, I can:
- Produce a one‑page “talking points” brief for advocates or policymakers highlighting costs, likely beneficiaries, and implementation steps; or
- Extract and format the steering‑committee membership and reporting duties into a checklist for administrative use.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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