Homeless advocates push for increased shelter bed funding

A proposed budget amendment would lift the minimum reimbursement for shelter beds at Friends of the Homeless to $20 per night

SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for the homeless, including area legislators, are once again pushing for an increase in state funds for the lowest paid shelters in the state including the Friends of the Homeless Resource Center on Worthington Street.

The rate increase is critically needed by Friends of the Homeless, which receives far less than most shelters in the state, according to William J. Miller, executive director. The Pine Street Inn in Boston, for example, receives reimbursements ranging from $42.86 to $63.32 for its shelter beds, according to statewide figures provided by Miller.

“For Friends of the Homeless, however, this issue is not simply a question of fairness,” Miller said. “This is about keeping our doors open.”

Under a legislative amendment sponsored by state Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham, programs providing beds for the homeless would receive a minimum state reimbursement of $20 per bed, per night. The amendment passed the Senate, and is now being considered by a joint conference committee.

The amendment would benefit Friends of the Homeless which is paid at a rate of $12.97 per night for 85 beds, and at a rate of $17.02 per night for 48 beds, according to a list of rates provided by Miller.

Friends of the Homeless “appreciates that our legislators are taking this issue very seriously,” Miller said.

“We applaud Sen. Candaras, in particular, for creating some movement toward parity,” Miller said. “We understand that this is a very difficult year to make any gains at all.”

The Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness and the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance have both urged legislators to increase the minimum reimbursement for shelter beds.

Miller has been lobbying for a change in the reimbursement formula in recent years. A push for increased funding failed last year in the Legislature.

Candaras said the proposal to raise the minimum rate to $20 is not as high as she would like, but is the best that could be expected in current hard budget times. She estimated that it will result in an increase of approximately $271,000 for Friends of the Homeless.

“We will stay focused on this and bring these rates up on these two contracts (Friends of the Homeless) to being where they need to be so they can do the job they need to do,” Candaras said.

Separate bills that were proposed in the House and Senate, aimed at setting the rate at approximately $30 per night, were supported by several area legislators but failed to advance, officials said.

Pamela Schwartz, director of the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness, said the disparity in reimbursement rates “is a fluke of history that needs to be adjusted.”

A change in that policy is a “long time in coming,” she said.

“We are really grateful for Sen. Candaras’ effort and hoping it will come to fruition,” Schwartz said.

Friends of the Homeless and supporters celebrated a newly renovated, expanded $12.5 million resource center last fall, afforded with a mix of public and private funds.