State officials visit border to spread word about lack of shelter space in Mass.

Gov. Maura Healey is sending members of her administration to the U.S. southern border in Texas this week, as record numbers of immigrant families continue to arrive in Massachusetts and the state’s family shelter system is at capacity.

The administration said the goal of the trip is to make connections with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Joint Task Force-North, non-governmental organizations, and families to educate them about the lack of shelter availability in Massachusetts.

In a statement, Emergency Assistance Director Lt. Gen. Scott Rice said that the trip is an opportunity to make sure families arriving in the U.S. and the organizations that work with them “have accurate information about the lack of shelter space in Massachusetts.”

“It is essential that we get the word out that our shelters are full so that families can plan accordingly to make sure they have a safe place to go,” said Rice, a retired lieutenant general of the U.S. Air Force who was appointed by Gov. Healey last October to lead the Emergency Assistance shelter program.

The administration’s team is visiting the most common points of entry for families that later arrive in Massachusetts. Led by Rice, the team includes the Emergency Assistance incident command deputy director, pre-shelter policy lead for Incident Command, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants, and the strategy manager at the Division of Housing Stabilization.

The Emergency Assistance shelter program is for families with children and pregnant women experiencing homelessness. Last October, Healey announced that the system had reached capacity at 7,500 families. Approximately half of the families in the system are newly arrived immigrants and half are long-time Massachusetts families, according to the administration.

The administration is implementing a new nine-month length-of-stay policy in Emergency Assistance shelters that was signed into law in late April. Families staying in safety-net sites are subject to 30-day engagement requirements.

The administration has also prioritized work authorizations, job training and placement, ESOL classes, and rehousing assistance to help families leave EA sites for more stable housing.

Since November 2023, the administration reports that it has helped 3,785 immigrants apply for work authorizations, and it is expected that the vast majority have been approved. Additionally, 1,120 immigrants are enrolled in ESOL classes. Overall, 1,120 EA residents have gotten jobs in the past few months. The number of families leaving the EA system has steadily increased each month, with more than 331 families leaving in May, the highest number in years.