[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6595486,"mediaKeyId","3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748","parentId",3032496,"title","Residents and advocates urge Cambridge to continue Rise Up-style cash assistance and expand housing supports","audioSeconds",5807,"startMs",2876480,"endMs",8683935,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748&start=2876&end=8683","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748/thumbnail_2876480.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6595486/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Residents-and-advocates-urge-Cambridge-to-continue-Rise-Up-style-cash-assistance-and-expand-housing-supports","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595486-78507553e0b70926b966cac7b5c70cd5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770774085&Signature=d354V9bHrNpLpoZ6pSjW83iOwnePWkts-joDSL9JbWXoeeWRxXiOjgaKIcBvJoVHMZP66aXzTK4xtWWc025WFI10FPmiZcIH6ZMO1MohkpvXqC2CjISBQ4641YG6q-G4m9qYX-~6s4P-D~XgC05XXnG4TOrNgPS-cf-ISc7fLQmZnMa0RUnOjLNACR~Fc31v41fKJqhJ8f4lbX8kXWCve0SH0goc6mgxJZliXvbLqftJAifEQ6pBtg9YEo8MbiXYAN7HUlApa0wMsNTVDngt647yru5NzelEGH246vleQh4NXMB8j2T20BUdHzMW1JjOXrbqd4BBnrd8x47hfzAGjw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Cambridge, MA","date","2025-04-16T14:50:00Z","article","Several public commenters urged the Finance Committee to preserve or create a successor to the ARPA-funded \"Rise Up\" guaranteed-income pilot and to expand direct cash assistance and housing supports for low-income families.

Geeta Pradhan of the Cambridge Community Foundation told the committee the philanthropic community contributed \"$1,600,000\" for an early guaranteed-basic-income pilot that served about 30 single-parent households and said the city later invested \"over 18,000,000\" (as stated in the transcript) in a program serving low-income families with average household incomes quoted by the speaker as $26,500 annually. Pradhan said flexible monthly cash helped families pay rent, utilities and other immediate needs and urged the Council to prioritize a successor program.

Tina Allou of the CEOC described tax-preparation and food-bank demand among low-income residents and urged continued cash assistance. Resident Dan Totten and others argued the Transition Wellness Center should be funded and suggested redirecting existing city resources; Totten also highlighted the social value of shelter. Rabbi Yoni recommended the Council consider a pilot \"right to counsel\" program to preserve tenancies, suggesting an $840,000 pilot and legal vouchers up to $10,000 per tenant.

Councilors and staff discussed funding limits and trade-offs. Finance staff said the $5 million stabilization fund is one-time free cash and that any successor cash program funded from it could create ongoing obligations that must be absorbed in future budgets. Speakers urged the Council to consider targeting cash to the lowest-income households and to weigh means-testing and program scale.

No formal action was taken; public comment was recorded and staff asked to return with scoping work for council review.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cambridge - Apr 16, 2025 3:00 PM - Finance Committee - Committee Meeting - Apr 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Multiple public commenters urged the Council to create a successor to the ARPA-funded 'Rise Up' cash assistance program and to expand municipal housing vouchers and legal supports; commenters cited prior pilot numbers and the city’s high cost of living.","taxTitle","Cambridge City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",3771,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6595491,"Council debates future of Transition Wellness Center as shelter closures loom",3224,2538799,5762995,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748&start=2538&end=5762","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748/thumbnail_2538799.jpg","/articles/6595491/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Council-debates-future-of-Transition-Wellness-Center-as-shelter-closures-loom","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595491-bb9b5bb97043a773f561c51ad36fee52/orig.mp4?Expires=1770774085&Signature=W7zMnyFhOh4dl3MazxSA7JiJ2y8htLTXUQszlhClIPK2g~2qPQXcRIA~TS-iJFignpLvb5AjvPO8J40cjhQAV~jehjkwA2f~-EpI1A7KjCitRYAUtGxjX5At4XT8o04n6LxFyB3vjxj8SxypbHIq5UVkrSZkd6YIqWBzqRvkKs57JWqi-F37RUoOBdhRkONkGGdXuL9sofPM0NDEaEYAiFlMKGQEzz8xC~YF6dtxBxR8Zi~mHqRmn80TkqzUZnNcirMwopsnDLrhlJw0haSa-3cvKgtqKQtdU58QWcQDW6H8i6ytNynZx3z5ypWZLTZepLMXEbxEM0tYAtSw0vF1ew__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Finance Committee discussed funding priorities that include the Transition Wellness Center as several seasonal and temporary shelters prepare to close. City staff warned that some people currently using the wellness center may not be placed immediately if the center closes.

Chair Cher Nolan said the meeting’s presentation was adjusted to include a discussion of funding for the Transition Wellness Center. Assistant City Manager (ACM) Semenoff (staff title in the transcript) told the committee that there are about \"16, 17, 18 people who are not placed,\" and that staff believed perhaps five of the residents could be housed between now and June but that it \"could be more than that.\" Semenoff added that regional shelter capacity is limited and that even if the center remained open, many people regional providers report they could still fill any additional shelter beds.

Public commenters urged the Council to preserve the center. Dan Totten, who identified himself as a Cambridge resident, called the Transition Wellness Center \"one of the most effective shelter programs Cambridge has ever implemented\" and urged councilors to find funding. Totten suggested taking $3 million from the Affordable Housing Trust allocation and directing it to shelter as a way to fund the center; the committee’s finance staff noted legal limits on how Affordable Housing Trust dollars may be used.

Councilors and staff described trade-offs: staff said certain federal rental- and voucher-related programs cannot be funded from the Affordable Housing Trust, and the City’s proposed $5 million stabilization fund would be one-time free cash that the administration said must be absorbed into the operating budget in subsequent years if used for ongoing needs. Council members asked administrators whether additional emergency housing options might be available in city-owned units; staff said many of the people who remain unhoused face barriers to housing placement that are not quickly solved and that some placements require months.

No appropriation or closure decision was made at the meeting. Committee members said they wanted further scoping and options analysis before taking any final action on the wellness center.","Councilors and public commenters pressed the Finance Committee to consider funding to keep the Transition Wellness Center open as winter shelters and other seasonal sites close; staff said roughly 17–22 people at the site remain unplaced and that immediate housing placements are limited.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6595495,"Cambridge finance staff propose $5 million stabilization fund to cover potential federal funding cuts",1653,4003704,5657630,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748&start=4003&end=5657","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3032496-d745ee4522b9510e93504f89267c1748/thumbnail_4003704.jpg","/articles/6595495/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Cambridge-finance-staff-propose-5-million-stabilization-fund-to-cover-potential-federal-funding-cuts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6595495-b6daeadfad219e1221a0d38c591e2087/orig.mp4?Expires=1770774085&Signature=BaHPgDJxC7FHTczCuGFzGQMU9LnMv8y-~tKcS68vmsY~QZNaaylUq5UGanJVo9fRFZMFB2zSuE3fx-BErVSrhe4ZuyFzRc5TPT615pU9CQu21HCjXIxnC-7eS8dbSeov~gTFayEmE86VnUFr4Kk5vhQp1UJQyQIdvwxrjmtxXuB~ThpXptPOlsPc1wSg0Nify6B2ofXFYiiivg9VFvbBMklOa9RYEjVrgzHqrwGLapJ1x68Qt1R2ofWxT2dBCMGTM-~d8rHiR1c0RqXujS-ONd2tjHw2-gtrqU3IyKUm1lHAsVRyf0XCaI8bAyPpU9vprarvQMKupyw0s8zz4KVVvA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cambridge finance staff recommended that the City set aside $5 million in one-time free cash as a stabilization fund to cover expected federal funding gaps, and outlined a new council-driven process to prioritize and scope future initiatives.

Claire Spinner, assistant city manager for finance, told the Finance Committee that \"given this uncertainty at this moment, we are recommending investing $5,000,000 towards a stabilization fund for expected federal funding gaps.\" Spinner said the money would come from certified free cash and would not be invested in a special account; it would be available if federal grants are cut.

The recommendation grew out of staff presentations that showed longer-term operating- and capital-budget pressures, including rising debt-service costs and an uncertain commercial tax base. Spinner said the city typically receives about $20 million in federal grants each year for programs that include housing supports, special education, fuel assistance and school meals; she told the committee that the city faces \"more than $20,000,000 of exposure in federal funding gaps in different areas.\" She highlighted three specific near-term concerns: housing stabilization for mixed-status families (staff estimated about 40 families could be affected), emergency housing vouchers (staff said $4,000,000 in federal funding currently supports roughly 130 people), and the Transition Wellness Center.

Spinner and City Manager remarks emphasized that the $5 million is a one-time use of free cash and that any programs supported with that money in FY26 would create ongoing operating obligations that the city must absorb in subsequent budgets. \"If we invest our reserves in FY '26, we'll need to find $5,000,000 elsewhere in future budgets,\" Spinner said, and later added that the administration \"can work that problem over the next 12 months, but we can't add more than that.\" Councilors pressed staff about whether the $5 million could be larger; staff replied that the $5 million reflects a limit based on realistic ability to absorb ongoing costs in FY27 and beyond.

Committee members and public commenters urged prioritizing direct aid to low-income families, and several councilors said they want a formal prioritization process. Spinner outlined a proposed schedule: solicit ideas from councilors, hold a council working session, select two or three initiatives to have staff scope in detail, then return to the council with operational and financial analysis to guide final prioritization.

No appropriation was adopted at the meeting. The recommendation was presented for council discussion; any use of the stabilization fund would require a later appropriation vote by the Council.

Chair Cher Nolan opened the meeting by noting the presentation had been adjusted to include a discussion of the Transition Wellness Center. The Committee continued its meeting despite remote-communication outages after the Law Department advised the chair could decide to proceed when reasonable efforts to fix technical issues are underway.

What happens next: staff will continue to refine projections and return with scoped cost and operational plans for the highest-priority initiatives. Any appropriation of the proposed stabilization fund would require a subsequent Council vote.","City finance staff recommended using $5 million in one-time free cash to create a stabilization fund to backfill expected federal grant losses, while urging the Council to prioritize a small number of initiatives for scoping given uncertain revenue projections.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Residents and advocates urge Cambridge to continue Rise Up-style cash assistance and expand housing supports

Council debates future of Transition Wellness Center as shelter closures loom

Cambridge finance staff propose $5 million stabilization fund to cover potential federal funding cuts