(The Reminder – Trent Levakis) The Development and Government Relations Committee was visited by state Rep. Patricia Duffy (D-Holyoke) and state Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) during their March 27 meeting and the two provided the city with a legislative update for the year ahead.
Duffy early in discussion called for more affordable housing in Holyoke, as well as new home construction and rental units to address the high cost of housing for all economic levels at this current state. She added that she and Velis felt like they were “well placed” to help the city through housing difficulties.
Duffy noted during her comments in early discussions that the legislative theme for 2023 was focused on moving off from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and back to a more pre-pandemic style. Duffy said challenges would arise when federal aid related to the coronavirus pandemic is halted.
“While the state has been and seems to continue to be very financially healthy, that’s a big chunk of change that’s slowly moving away from the table,” Duffy noted.
Velis, who was in virtual attendance of the meeting via Zoom, had the same line of thinking as Duffy on the challenges of affordable housing. He said he would argue the state is already at a point where affordability to live in the commonwealth is becoming increasingly more challenging.
“Housing is going to be the issue that comes up over and over again on a reoccurring basis,” Velis said. “There are many drivers of that, but a big driver of that is demand just far exceeds supply. We do not have enough housing units in the commonwealth of Massachusetts to try and help control these costs from skyrocketing.”
As chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, Velis shared concerns about mental health and substance abuse, specifically among children. He said he expects lawmakers to pass mental health and substance abuse related bills due to the influx of fentanyl has changed the addiction landscape.
“We are in the middle right now of both a mental health and substance abuse crisis in Massachusetts and beyond. It continues to plague us, I think it’s getting worse, I don’t think it’s getting better,” Velis said. “We are at a crisis and these two issues in my opinion are the biggest issues that not enough people are talking about. I’ve got serious concerns about mental health impacts on all demographics, but certainly on kids in particular right now.”
Velis referred to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that found record high levels of sadness and violence among adolescent girls. He added that adolescent girls specifically are experiencing depression in unprecedented ways.
Duffy went further into state resources as she mentioned Gov. Maura Healey had 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.
According to Duffy, a fundamental flaw in calculating local aid hurts Gateway Cities like Holyoke. She added that the local aid formula has remained unchanged while the state has already redone Chapter 70, education funding that benefits low-income communities.
“We do hear you [on local aid] … I think much like what happened with Chapter 70, I think the underlying formula is flawed,” Duffy said.
She suggested that a special commission conduct an in-depth study to address the impact of the current formula has low-income communities.
Duffy and the city have already began formal discussions on the issue. Duffy and Velis had met with Mayor Joshua Garcia and At-Large Councilor Kevin Jourdain prior to the meeting to discuss their options. Out of that discussion, Jourdain filed an order to begin a further discussion on local aid and disbursement practices.