Executive Summary

Additional Priorities

Homelessness and Housing Assistance

This year, the Governor's Commission on Housing and Homelessness recommended a focus on self-sufficient permanent housing. A new program - Shelter-to-Housing (line item 4403-2120) - will assess homeless families, develop a work plan, oversee application for federal and state aid programs, and provide temporary transitional housing assistance directly to the landlord or provider.

Another priority is finding appropriate housing for mentally ill individuals. Typically 100 adults on any given day prepare to be discharged from mental health inpatient units. These clients, many of them formerly homeless, are unable to pay for security deposits and basic furniture, which poses an insurmountable barrier to permanent housing. The Governor's Budget includes $3 million (line item 5046-0000) to leverage federal aid to support the following programs:

FY05 Additional Federal Aid Leveraged for Homeless ($millions)

Neediest Children

Since 1998, DSS has lost 800 foster homes, so many children are temporarily placed in sub-optimal institutional settings. To address this problem, foster care rates will be raised 11.3% and expedited recruiting will concentrate on support and family outreach. Funding for these changes is included in line item 4800-0038.

FY05 Foster Care Proposals

To minimize the inappropriate over-prescription of psychiatric drugs to mentally ill children, the Governor's Budget provides $2.65 million in line item 5042-5000 for new consultation teams, comprised of child psychiatrists and psychologists. Modeled after a successful pilot program in Central Massachusetts, the teams will answer pediatricians' prescribing questions, assist families in understanding and accessing psychiatric services, and arrange for more timely consultations with child psychiatrists.

Over the past 10 years, the number of girls committed by the courts to the custody of the Department of Youth Services (DYS) has nearly quadrupled, while the number of beds available for DYS girls has only slightly more than doubled.

Girls in DYS Custody vs. Number of Beds

The Governor's Budget includes additional funding for this area in line item 4200-0300.

FY05 Mental Health Services for DYS Girls

Welfare to Work

New federal proposals broaden the scope of welfare to work requirements. To help ease the transition, the Governor's Budget:

• Increases work requirements from 20 to 24 hours per week for families with children aged 2-5, and 34 hours per week for families with school-age children.
• Customizes work placement for those with learning disabilities, mental disabilities, and/or physical disabilities.
• Provides employment and training for TAFDC clients with disabilities.
• Improves the identification and treatment of substance abuse.
• Provides transportation to help recipients get to and from work, training, and child care.

FY05 Welfare to Work Summary

Counter-Terrorism Unit

A dramatic upgrade of the State Police Counter Terrorism Unit will centralize and improve intelligence-gathering efforts. The Governor's Budget includes $2.7 million for the following enhancements in line item 8100-0000:

• 8-12 assigned troopers
• 24/7 intelligence coverage
• 15 new research analysts to process and analyze data
• A state-of-the-art intelligence database
• Enhanced training

This funding will also complement a $5 million grant from the federal Department of Homeland Security.

New State Police Classes

To address a decline in the number of uniformed troopers, due mostly to retirements, the Governor's Budget allocates $11 million for two new classes, each consisting of 150 troopers (line item 8100-0515):

State Police Force Since 9/11/01

* Reflects Aug 02 graduation of 122 troopers

DNA Crime Lab and Forensics

Massachusetts, with its biotechnology expertise, should be at the forefront of forensic science. The Governor's Budget adds $4.15 million to enhance crime and DNA analysis at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the State Police. New funding of approximately $2 million will expand the State Police Crime Laboratory capacity (line item 8100-0000), and $2.1 million for the Chief Medical Examiner's Office (line item 8000-0105) will facilitate the 3,000 forensic autopsies and 1,000 post-mortem examinations conducted annually.