Massachusetts shelters have reached capacity, state officials said Thursday, meaning families, including migrants arriving from other states and residents weathering a housing crunch, will be placed on a waitlist rather than provided housing as we move into the critical winter months.
Gov. Maura Healey has said the state will start a waitlist when the number of families in emergency shelters reaches 7,500. Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice said Thursday that the threshold had been reached. Families will be placed through the end of the day, and beginning Friday, eligible families will be put on a waitlist.
"Our administration continues to provide arriving families with resources, basic necessities and support, and we are working with community partners to connect them with safe, overnight options," Rice added.
Officials said they are working to move families out of the emergency system to more permanent solutions, which will open up beds. This includes bulking up benefits in the HomeBASE rehousing program from $20,000 to $45,000 and more benefits for landlords.
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Healey has said she doesn’t want to see families out on the street but that the state has essentially reached its shelter capacity.
Families can still visit emergency assistance officers or the Quincy Family Welcome center to be screened for eligibility. The Family Welcome Centers in Quincy and Allston offer services including hot meals and basic supplies like diapers, warm clothes and hygiene kits.
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The spike in demand is being driven in part by migrant families entering the state.
Many of the migrants are arriving from other states. Some states led by Republicans — including Texas and Florida — have bused or flown immigrants to states and cities led by Democrats, including California, Massachusetts, New York and Chicago.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced he is limiting shelter stays for migrant families with children to 60 days. In Chicago, officials have looked to relocate migrants seeking asylum from police stations and the city’s airports to winterized camps with massive tents.
Critics argue Healey’s decision to cap shelter placements violates the state’s “right-to-shelter” law. Under the four-decade-old law, Massachusetts is legally required to provide emergency shelter to eligible families.
Under Healey's plan, women, young children and those with acute medical needs and health issues will be given priority. The state is also considering limiting how long a family can stay in a shelter, Healey said.
With winter not far off, officials are scrambling to prevent families from ending up on the street. On Tuesday, Healey announced a $5 million grant program to help local organizations create overnight shelter for families and pregnant individuals with no other options. Healey has also said she’s pressing federal officials to speed up the process by which migrants can get work authorizations and ultimately exit the shelter system to free up more space.
For families denied shelter, the state has made a flyer that suggests a handful of options, the first being to “return to the last safe place you stayed.”
Denying families emergency shelter could force some into unsafe living conditions, said Kelly Turley, director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.
She and other homeless advocates have pressed the Legislature to approve money for a large living site similar to what Mariano described.
“We’re very concerned that after 40 years of having the right to shelter, that the administration is moving forward with their plan without making sure congregate shelter is available,” Turley said.
Advocates welcoming new migrants to the state say they’re concerned about how to help those with no friends or family and nowhere to stay.
“When people come, especially those with babies, do we send them to the street?” said Geralde Gabeau, executive director of the Immigrant Family Services Institute in Boston. “We are not sending them to the street, so we need a place to send them."
Families are housed in hundreds of locations in 90 cities and towns in a range of facilities, from traditional shelters to temporary sites like college dorms.
The state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities last week issued guidance on the coming changes to the shelter system.
Top priority will be given to families at imminent risk of domestic violence or who have an infant up to 3 months old, have family members with an immunocompromised condition, are experiencing a high-risk pregnancy or who include a family member with a medical device, specifically a tracheostomy tube. Additional priority levels will take into account the age and medical needs of family members.
Under the guidance, families will be offered available shelter units based on their position on the waitlist. The list will be refreshed once a day and those eligible for shelter will be contacted by email, phone call and text. Families on the waitlist for six months or longer will have to undergo another assessment.
