Chelmsford's Budget Buddies gets boost in state budget

The state Legislature’s recently passed annual budget contains several items of specific interest to Chelmsford -- including funds for Budget Buddies, a Chelmsford non-profit that teaches financial literacy to the area’s low-income women.

State Senator Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, filed the successful $60,000 amendment during the Senate’s budget debate back in May. The efforts of Barrett and the town’s House delegation paid off, as funding was included in the compromise budget sent to the Governor.

The organization pairs low-income women with volunteer coaches who give one-on-one training on how to make good economic decisions. Their program offers workshops on topics such as fraud protection and credit card strategies. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women account for 58% of Lowell adults living in poverty.

“The program extends a hand to local women who truly need it,” Barrett said. “It aims to cut off the cycle of poverty by getting down to the nitty-gritty of dollars and cents.” He directed praise at founders Anita Saville and Kathy Brough, both Chelmsford residents.

“We are again grateful for the financial support Senator Barrett has helped secure for us as well as his long-standing belief in our program and its mission,” said Saville, Budget Buddies Executive Director. “The new state funding comes as we end our fifth year and embark on an ambitious initiative to bring financial coaching to new groups of low-income women in the Merrimack Valley and beyond.”

“The inclusion of this funding will help Budget Buddies continue to build on their success of serving those in need of learning personal financial management. It will also enable them to enhance their already outstanding program,” said State Representative Thomas A. Golden Jr, D-Lowell.

Before entering the Budget Buddies Program, 44% of students are typically able to pay their bills on time; that number jumps to 83% after graduation. In five years, the program has partnered with 16 social service agencies and helped more than 300 women. It recently launched its first Spanish language initiative.

“I am pleased that we were able to assist Budget Buddies with the important work they do in mentoring women to be economically self-sufficient and in acquiring core money-management skills,” said State Representative James Arciero, D-Westford. “Their innovative approach of using personal financial coaches will help hundreds of women to gain greater financial literacy and to become more independent and in control of their own finances.”

The budget also includes funds to test the water quality of three local rivers -- the Assabet, Sudbury, and Concord. The Concord River runs through Chelmsford. Barrett sponsored the successful $25,000 amendment. Currently the waterways fail to meet certain quality benchmarks set by state and federal law.

“State government needs to get back into the business of keeping our rivers clean and beautiful,” Barrett said. “In the meantime, excellent non-profits have been doing the work.” Barrett directed praise at OARS, a local organization expected to do the water quality testing. “I’m glad we’re able to provide some support for its efforts.”

In 1999 the federal government designated parts of the Concord, Sudbury, and Assabet rivers as “wild and scenic” for their ecological features and cultural importance. As it happens, they’re the closest “wild and scenic” rivers to a major metropolitan area in the entire U.S.

On a matter of statewide interest, the compromise budget contains new funding for the Secure Jobs Initiative, a program geared towards assisting low-income parents. Barrett filed the successful amendment in the Senate budget.

The program helps parents in temporary living situations get connected with job training services and find employment. “The state seldom manages to bring together housing and job training for the same people,” Barrett said. “Secure Jobs is that rare coordinated approach.”

Barrett also secured $500,000 in funding for a detention diversion program run by the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps. The aim of the initiative is to prevent young people from re-entering the juvenile justice system. Justice Policy Institute research suggests “the detention experience may increase the odds that youth will recidivate.”

The detention diversion program provides community-based support and supervision. Barrett noted that program workers provide 24/7 case management, including coordination with probation staff, face-to-face communication and curfew checks, and weekly family check-ins.

Barrett pushed successfully for funds to hire a state climatologist to advise government on the impacts of global warming. “Climate change is definitely happening and means rising oceans, extreme temperatures, and wilder storms,” Barrett said. “A climatologist will provide enormous help to state and local officials.”

Other successful efforts backed by Barrett include additional funds for the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the agency that promotes the arts across the state and gives grants to local cultural groups. The Council will receive a $2 million boost from last fiscal year. In addition, Barrett pushed for an increase to legal aid for low-income people. The money helps with assistance on non-criminal problems like evictions and heating shutoffs. The final budget contains an increase of $2 million.

Other major budget items include:

• $4.51B for Chapter 70 education aid, a $111.2M increase over FY 2015.
• $979.8M for Unrestricted General Government Aid for community investments in education, public safety, roads and bridges, and health care, a $34M increase over last fiscal year.
• $90.9M for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program to fund between 900 and 1050 new rental assistance vouchers, an increase of almost $20M over last fiscal year’s budget.

The compromise budget now heads to the Governor’s desk for his signature.