Senate adds funds for Budget Buddies and local rivers

During recent Senate debate on the state budget, the body adopted several items of specific interest to Chelmsford.

State Senator Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, championed a $60,000 amendment to fund Budget Buddies, a Chelmsford non-profit that teaches financial literacy to the area’s low-income women. The organization pairs women with volunteer coaches who provide one-on-one training and offers workshops on topics such as fraud protection and credit card strategies.

A recent survey of Budget Buddies graduates found a 45 percent increase in the number of clients who, after completing the program, say they put money in savings; and a 54 percent increase in the number of clients who, after completing the program, say they stay within their budget.

“Budget Buddies is run by a thoughtful, research-oriented staff,” Barrett said, directing praise at founders Anita Saville and Kathy Brough, both of Chelmsford.

This is the third consecutive year Barrett has succeeded in including the funding in the Senate version of the budget. In the past, the money has been used to expand the program in the Merrimack Valley and update the program’s curriculum.

The Senate also added funding to test the water quality of three local rivers, including the Concord River in Chelmsford.

Barrett managed to insert the $25,000 amendment into the Senate budget. Currently, the waterways -- the Concord, the Assabet, and the Sudbury -- fail to meet certain quality benchmarks set by state and federal law.

“These rivers are treasures -- hot spots for local recreation and storied settings for Massachusetts history,” Barrett said. “In 1999 the federal government designated parts of the waterways 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.”

Barrett commended OARS, the local community organization expected to do the water quality testing. “OARS does the heavy lifting of organizing volunteers to wade into local rivers to gather samples for testing,” he said.

“There is much work ahead to ensure that the rivers become ‘fishable and swimmable’ and remain healthy in the face of climate change and stormwater pollution,” said Alison Field-Juma, Executive Director of OARS. “My thanks to Sen. Barrett for pushing the funding along.”

On matters of statewide interest, the Senate adopted several amendments offered by Barrett to fund programs that assist people living in especially difficult circumstances.

One initiative, run by the Robert F. Kennedy Children’s Action Corps, aims to prevent troubled young people from re-entering the juvenile justice system. The Senate voted $500,000 for the Corps’ Detention Diversion Program.

“Programs that keep kids out of lock up make a difference,” Barrett said. Even a short time spent in juvenile detention damages educational and job prospects. RFK provides 24/7 case management for kids while they await trial, including coordination with probation staff, curfew checks, and weekly family check-ins.

“I see the effects of detention on the lives of children all the time,” said Dorchester Juvenile Court Judge Leslie Harris, Ret. “This is the only program in the Massachusetts courts that addresses the problem.”

A second Barrett amendment adds funds for the Secure Jobs Initiative, which connects low-income parents in homeless shelters and emergency housing to job training and job placement services, including follow-up support for a full year.

Barrett also increased funding for the Disabled Persons Protection Commission, charged with preventing abuse against persons with disabilities. DPPC runs a hotline to accept reports of abuse, oversees investigations, and develops plans to protect victims from further harm.

Budget cuts in recent years have forced the agency to reduce staff. Barrett’s amendment boosts funding by $250,000 to pay for three new staff members.

The Senate budget also includes:

· $4.63B in Chapter 70 education aid, a $116.1M increase benefiting every school district, including a minimum increase of $55 per pupil;

· $136.4M for substance abuse prevention and treatment, allowing for 150 new residential treatment beds and other lifesaving programs;

· $6.2M for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program to provide nearly 200 new vouchers for low income people with disabilities and help them transition from nursing homes to independent housing;

· $15M for the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support the state’s thriving creative economy.

The next step is a conference committee to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions of the budget.