Gov. Healey wants to limit shelter to Massachusetts residents
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Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday asked lawmakers to limit emergency shelter to Massachusetts residents, among other major changes to the state's right-to-shelter law.
Why it matters: The emergency shelter system has come under scrutiny in recent years for expanding to house thousands of migrants fleeing their native countries, which Republicans and some Democrats say leaves residents in need without resources.
Between the lines: Healey's letter comes after months of mounting GOP scrutiny over shelter spending and violence at the state-run facilities, including a news conference Tuesday hosted by GOP lawmakers.
- Shelter spending ballooned to $1 billion in fiscal 2024 and will likely cost the same this fiscal year.
- Republican lawmakers' criticisms grew louder after records showed 1,000 serious incidents, including more than a dozen sex offenses, at the shelters.
Driving the news: Healey asked lawmakers in a letter Wednesday to consider a list of reforms, perhaps the biggest being eliminating the law's presumed eligibility standard.
- The 1982 law requires that families self-attest to meeting the state's eligibility requirements without providing documentation up front.
Other proposed changes include:
- Running background checks on adult applicants. The state currently only makes applicants disclose criminal convictions if they're relevant to a recent eviction.
- Considering applicants who had evictions or inhabitable homes only if those homes were in Massachusetts.
- Requiring that all applicants show proof of citizenship or lawful permanent residency. There's an exception for mixed-status families if a child is a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
- Requiring residents to prove they plan to stay in Massachusetts through documentation or have a "physical presence" in the state for three months.
- Rejecting higher earners seeking shelter
Healey's letter suggested a waiver to the residency and identity requirement for victims of domestic violence, fires and floods.
What we're watching: Now it's up to the Democrat-controlled legislature to decide whether to overhaul the right-to-shelter law, as Republicans want, or implement other measures to address the problems at state-run shelters.