Jul 23, 2024 - News

Massachusetts is 'out of shelter space,' Gov. Healey says

Steph Solis

A security worker enters the decommissioned prison in Norfolk. — A security worker enters the decommissioned prison in Norfolk, which now holds families waitlisted for shelter. Photo: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The Healey administration is changing who can get prioritized for emergency shelter and cutting stays in its overflow sites to five days.

Why it matters: The administration says the changes will address capacity constraints, lower costs and make the EA system financially sustainable long-term.

The Norfolk site, which just opened last month, is already nearing capacity.

The big picture: It's the state's latest effort to rein in the shelter system, following nine-month caps for family shelter stays, trips to the U.S.-Mexico border and requests for federal funding.

The changes also prioritize long-time Massachusetts residents facing calamities, rather than new arrivals fleeing violence and other conflicts in their home countries.
New arrivals make up roughly half of families in the emergency shelter system, which has cost Massachusetts more than $1 billion last fiscal year.

What they're saying: "Massachusetts is out of shelter space, and we simply cannot afford the current size of this system," Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

Zoom in: The state's family emergency shelter system is prioritizing families who are unhoused because of a no-fault eviction or "unusual circumstances" in Massachusetts, including a flood or fire.

The state will also prioritize families with at least one veteran.
The system will continue to prioritize families with significant medical needs, newborn children and those at risk of domestic violence, as well as those who are unhoused because of disasters.
These rules take effect Aug. 1.

Everyone else can stay at an overflow site, which the state is now calling a "temporary respite center," for five days.

That includes the sites in Chelsea, Lexington, Cambridge and the former prison in Norfolk.
The state doesn't plan to open more sites, citing operational and financial constraints.

Yes, but: Those who "choose" to stay there have to wait at least six months for shelter placement, according to a news release from Healey's office.

They will be eligible for HomeBASE and other homelessness diversion services, though many struggle to access HomeBASE benefits.
Those who are at an overflow site before Aug. 1 will still be prioritized for shelter.
These new rules do not apply to United Way shelter sites.

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Massachusetts is 'out of shelter space,' Gov. Healey says

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