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Witnesses with lived experience urge lawmakers not to shrink shelter access as H.5.94 is debated
Summary
Three witnesses who had lived through hotel-based emergency shelter and lengthy waits told the House Human Services Committee that H.5.94 as drafted risks leaving people unsheltered, and members pressed the administration on metrics, funding and who will lead implementation.
The House Human Services Committee heard extended testimony on H.5.94 on Jan. 30 from people with lived experience who said the bill, as drafted, would risk pushing people outside or imposing additional barriers to shelter and housing.
Norman Croteau, who said he is currently sheltered at a Motel 6, described becoming homeless after a landlord sold apartments and issued no-cause evictions. Croteau said he and his partner—who has complex health and mobility needs—moved through fair hearings and hotel stays, and urged the committee: "Please make sure you don't create a program that leaves us unsheltered, that adds hurdles or requirements, or that forces us to live on cots with many other people in the same room. That is not dignified." He…
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