WESTFIELD – State Rep. John Velis said Wednesday at the State House was an “unbelievable day for veterans in terms of housing.”
Velis said veterans in Massachusetts will now have a housing preference that applies to any city or town in the Commonwealth. Previously, they would have had to wait for an opening in their town of residence.
Also, for veterans who are 100% disabled, their disability income will no longer exclude them from being eliglble for subsidized housing.
The bill that was passed also established an office for state veterans homes and housing oversight, and will appoint a full-time executive director to oversee its programs. This is the only part of the bill that made Velis nervous.
“We just had a big fight for the Holyoke Soldiers Home,” he said.
Velis said he saw in this language an additional layer of command that concerned him.
Speaking to colleagues about his concerns that the new office would take local authority from the Holyoke Solders Home, they said they didn’t think the law would be interpreted that way.
“So I filed an amendment,” he said.
His amendment reads: “Nothing in the aforementioned shall be construed as giving oversight authority to the newly created Office of Veterans Home and Housing over the two solders homes in Massachusetts.”
The amendment was adopted, which now means that the superintendents of the respective Soldiers Homes are in charge of day to day operations.
Velis said the amendment pushes back what he believed was the trend of Boston to try to exert control over the Holyoke Soldiers Home.
He said the leadership understood his concern right away, but now it will be abundantly clear fifteen years from now. Without the amendment, nothing codified that would allow a court to look at this and give the authority of day-to-day operations to the superintendents.
Velis said it’s more important than ever to make this clear as the search continues for a new superintendent at the Holyoke Soldiers Home.
“What this does is firmly establish local control here in Western Massachusetts vs. further Boston encroachment,” Velis said.
“It’s said Boston doesn’t know Western Mass. exists.Today we showed that’s not always the case,” he said.
