Facing a cost of more than $1 billion, Healey proposes dramatic changes to emergency shelter system (Boston Globe)
Below is an excerpt from a Boston Globe article published On November 24. It discusses new changes implemented to the Emergency Shelter System by Governor Healey, with hopes of alleviating financial pressures on the state. Advocates say the new regulations will continue to constrain and force families into homelessness. Massachusetts Law Reform Institute’s Andrea Park is quoted.
Governor Maura Healey said Friday she will seek to cap stays in emergency shelters for homeless and migrant families to six months, marking her latest effort to contain spending within a strained shelter system that is projected to cost the state nearly $1.1 billion this fiscal year.
If approved by the Legislature, Healey’s proposal would slice three months off the maximum time families are allowed in shelters, which itself was among the first restrictions the state put on shelter stays since the inception of Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law four decades ago.
The proposal is one of several dramatic changes Healey’s administration will impose — or try to impose — in the coming weeks and months. State officials said Friday they intend to “phase out” the use of hotels and motels to shelter homeless families, a task that proved a years-long effort for Healey’s predecessor. Healey said she will also ask lawmakers to increase subsidies available to families looking for long-term housing to help move more of them out of shelter.
More immediately, state officials said they are creating a new, two-track system for eligible homeless and migrant families seeking shelter. Starting Dec. 10, many families will be allowed to stay for 30 business days in so-called temporary respite centers; they’re currently capped at five days, which critics have argued is “cruel” and has helped push families to the street.
Read more at the Boston Globe.
