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By Laura Crimaldi
December 14, 2008
Advocates for homeless children are worried that the state's budget crisis will soon cut off access to child care for homeless families.
"This is a huge issue," said Sue Heilman, head of Horizons for Homeless Children in Roxbury. "Because of the state budget's crisis, they've had to cut back on vouchers for homeless families."
Last December, the state began issuing day-care vouchers to homeless families with young children as soon as they entered a shelter, Heilman said. The policy change increased the number receiving vouchers from 800 to about 2,000.
But as the number of homeless families skyrockets due to the failing economy, foreclosures and job losses, the state could no longer keep up with the demand for subsidized day-care and implemented a "voucher freeze" on Nov. 3.
Heilman said the freeze could suspend the priority status for homeless children by February. As of October, 2,379 children under age 6 were living in homeless shelters, according to Horizon.
"For mom to get out of being homeless, really, she really needs time to go to school, to go to a job-training program to work. Child care is such an important piece because it helps the parent move out of homelessness and poverty," said Heilman, who oversees three day-care centers for homeless children.
The state Department of Early Education and Care provides vouchers, contracts and grants for early education and after-school programs for 31,000 children from low-income families. There are another 18,000 children on a waiting list, state figures show.
The state spends $517 million annually on day-care subsidies, Heilman said. Gov. Deval Patrick cut spending on child care for low-income children by $3.4 million as part of $1.4 billion in emergency budget cuts. A EEC newsletter, however, states that cut had no bearing on the voucher freeze.
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