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For those in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø focused on housing policy, it is encouraging to see it in the spotlight, though they say some issues remain unaddressed in candidates’ platforms.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s homeless population could have fewer options for places to go during the day, and there will likely be more people turned away for overnight shelter this winter, because of a drop in funding for cold weather shelters, nonprofit workers say.

Providers and experts say that people are staying in shelters in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø for longer periods of time, there are scant shelter beds, and a lack of affordable housing makes it hard for people to exit homelessness. The homeless population went up 13% in a year.

Thousands of families won’t receive expected additional summer food benefits until August because the state agencies responsible for the program failed to coordinate effectively to meet the June deadline.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is short about 92,500 units of housing that are affordable and available to its lowest-income residents.

On the last day of the session, the Senate surprised many members of the House by introducing an amendment to the car tax bill.

The Housing Committee voted along party lines to approve bills that would largely end evictions that occur when leases expire, limit consideration of certain criminal records when deciding whether to rent to someone, and require 60-day notice of rent increases.

A bill before the Planning and Development Committee to encourage more development near public transit hubs shows what some lawmakers and town officials mean when they say they want incentive-based approaches to zoning.

Attorneys questioned whether a new school board will take action and make changes needed to satisfy the state’s concerns.