(MassLive/The Republican – Dennis Hohenberger) Providing the Holyoke City Council’s Development and Government Relations Committee with a legislative update Monday, state Rep. Patricia A. Duffy said the legislative theme for 2023 entailed “off-ramping” from the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the Healey-Driscoll administration said it would end its health emergency May 11, Duffy acknowledged that a challenge would arise when the substantial federal aid spigot is turned off.
“That’s a big chunk of change slowly moving away from the table,” Duffy said.
Duffy called for more affordable housing, new home construction, senior communities and rental units to address the high cost of housing at all economic levels in Massachusetts.
“We think we’re well placed to help Holyoke in this crisis,” Duffy said.
State Sen. John C. Velis, D-Westfield, who joined the meeting via Zoom because he was nursing a basketball injury, agreed with Duffy’s assessment of the challenges of finding affordable housing, which has outstripped supply, driving up home prices.
Velis chairs the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, and he expressed concerns about mental health and substance abuse across all demographics, particularly among children.
Velis cited a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that found record high levels of sadness and violence among adolescent girls. The study said three out of five teen girls in the nation “felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021.”
The senator said he expected lawmakers to pass mental health and substance abuse bills because the influx of fentanyl has changed the addiction landscape, “robbing people of their lives in ways we haven’t seen before.”
Talks shifted to available state resources.
Duffy said Gov. Maura T. Healey proposed a budget that boosts local aid to $8.4 billion, an 8.2% increase over last fiscal year, and fully funds the Student Opportunity Act. Healey’s budget includes nearly $12 million in unrestricted local aid for Holyoke, a $200,000 increase over last year.
Duffy said a fundamental flaw in calculating local aid hurts Gateway Cities like Holyoke. While the state revamped Chapter 70 — or education funding that benefits low-income communities — the antiquated local aid formula remains unchanged, she said.
She suggested that a special commission conduct an in-depth study to address the impact of the current formula has low-income communities.
Velis and Duffy met recently with Mayor Joshua A. Garcia and Councilor Kevin A. Jourdain, a Finance Committee member, to discuss the issue. In response, Jourdain filed an order to begin a “dialogue” on local aid and disbursement practices.