Pavel Payano's family came to Lawrence in the late 80s in search of the American dream. For the past several decades his parents worked as teachers in the Lawrence Public Schools. As a product of the Lawrence Public School system, the son of two Lawrence Public School Teachers, he is deeply committed to improving K-12 education and making higher education more affordable and accessible to working class families.
In the Senate, I will make sure the MA's Department of Veteran Affairs is well funded and that we are investing taxpayer dollars to ensure that those who have answered the call of service upon their return get access to the resources they need to successfully integrate into our communities.
We need to make sure our veterans have access to:
- stable housing, and address veteran homelessness,
- food insecurity and expand access to holistic and long-term VA health care, and substance treatment,
- advocate for public/private partnerships that expand access to bureaucracy-free mental health services and transition programs that provide exposure to financial literacy, and career readiness
- proper and comprehensive training for VA and non VA providers
We have a sacred obligation to ensure that we provide our veterans and their families with the resources and support services they deserve. I have been an advocate of these types of initiatives and will continue to make this a top priority of mine in the Massachusetts State Senate.