June 5, 2006
The Honorable Viriato deMacedo
State House, Room 124
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Representative deMacedo:
United Disability Housing Partnership is a cross-disability coalition of 55 organizations from across Massachusetts dedicated to improving access to housing for individuals living with disabilities. United Housing’s member organizations represent well over 250,000 individuals throughout the Commonwealth.
We are writing to you today to urge the FY 2007 Budget Conference Committee to support the highest possible funding level for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)(Line Item #7004-9024). MRVP provides rental assistance to thousands of low-income Massachusetts residents.
Affordable housing is perhaps the most important issue shared by all disability groups, regardless of the specific nature of the disability. For many individuals living with a significant disability, their only source of income is SSI, which has an average payment that is insufficient to afford fair market rent in any community in Massachusetts. In order for these persons to afford a place to live, some sort of rental assistance is necessary.
MRVP is a disability issue. This program provides an invaluable bridge to allow persons with disabilities to live independently. Although MRVP was not designed specifically to target persons living with disabilities, it has served the disability community well. In the city of Boston alone, more than half of the MRVP recipients are persons with disabilities.
United Housing urges you to support the House funding level for MRVP, which is $100,000 more than the Senate funding level.
Thank you for your attention to this important disability housing issue.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned Members of United Disability Housing Partnership