Although the Legislature is in “lame duck” session until later in the year, the Massachusetts Special Commission on Poverty (authorized by Outside Section 128 of the FY22 Budget) is actively holding hearings and accepting testimony to “investigate, develop and recommend methods and strategies for reducing poverty and expanding opportunity for people with low incomes to address basic needs of Massachusetts residents.”

A last-ditch effort to save them fizzled in the State House on Wednesday after lawmakers rejected the proposal by not folding it into a wider amendment to a supplemental spending bill, sending a blow to those who serve the immigrant community.

An attempt to restore state-funded food benefits for legally present immigrants met a dead end on Wednesday, with the leader of the House saying he was not aware of the amendment that would have done so, about two hours before it was dismissed.

Watch La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega’s remarks at Immigrants Day 2024.

The Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition sent a letter to Chairman Michlewitz and Chairman Rodrigues today, urging Ways and Means to include $18 million for state SNAP in the FY25 budget.

The Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition sent a letter to Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll today, requesting inclusion of sufficient funding in the FY25 House 2 Budget to continue providing nutrition benefits for immigrant families in need.

“We were very, very pleased that the Legislature understood the crisis going on,” said Patricia Baker, a senior policy advocate at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, who had pushed for reforms.

"This is going to be huge for our families. This is going to be such a relief for many of them because they're dealing with so much on their plate," said Norieliz DeJesus, policy and organizing director at Chelsea-based La Colaborativa community group.

This State House News Service story appeared in WBUR, MassLive, the Franklin Observer, and the New Bedford Light.

Members of the Feeding Our Neighbors Coalition, formed in January 2023 to address the basic unmet needs of legally present low income immigrant families in Massachusetts, lauded the General Court and Governor for passing a Supplemental Budget on December 4th that provides $6 million in state funding to restore basic benefits to legal immigrants ineligible for federal benefits.

Organizations and individuals across the Commonwealth came together to testify in support of An act establishing basic needs assistance for Massachusetts immigrant residents (H135/S76) when the bill was heard before the Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities in October 2023.

“The struggle to make ends meet has become a nightmare,” Figueroa said in Spanish at a hearing considering legislation that would revive a program that makes some legal immigrants, such as refugees and asylum seekers, eligible for popular safety net programs including food assistance and cash benefits.

Low-income immigrant families would be eligible for state food benefits and cash assistance under legislation discussed Tuesday that coincides with a surge of new arrivals who are coming to Massachusetts.

New Bedford State Rep. Antonio Cabral is the lead sponsor on the Feeding Our Neighbors Campaign’s bill to restore food and cash assistance to lawfully present immigrants in Massachusetts .

Members of the media and public were invited to attend a legislative briefing on Tuesday, May 2, 2023 to raise awareness to the plight of the immigrant community who lack access to basic food assistance and other key benefits.

We joined fellow immigrants rights advocates for the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition’s 27th Immigrants Day.

La Colaborativa and The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute hosted an event to launch their Feeding Our Neighbors campaign on Wednesday, February 15.