Barrett Backs Homeless Bill of Rights

Several lawmakers are hoping to establish a Homeless Bill of Rights for Massachusetts.

The proposal outlines seven fundamental rights for people experiencing homelessness, including the right to move freely in public spaces, to equal treatment by government agencies, to emergency medical care, and to vote.

At a recent public hearing, advocates urged the Legislature’s Housing Committee to move the bill forward, said an announcement.

Local Senator Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, supports the measure. “Massachusetts has experienced a rapid increase in its homeless population,” Barrett said in a statement. “Because these families lack permanent addresses, many are deprived of some of the most basic rights others may take for granted.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimated the number of homeless residents in Massachusetts in 2014 to be 21,200, a 12 percent increase from the previous year.

Barrett says this is a priority issue for residents of his district, which includes Sudbury and Weston. He’s received calls, emails and letters from 151 constituents over the past three years.

The Homeless Bill of Rights, modeled after a Rhode Island statute, advanced out of committee last legislative session. Barrett notes that similar bills have been passed in Connecticut and Illinois. He says he hopes the Massachusetts Legislature will pass the measure and send it to the Governor’s desk this time around.