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The Healey-Driscoll administration today announced upcoming changes to the state’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system that are intended to lower costs and help more families find stable, permanent housing.
The administration said the changes will include phasing out the emergency use of hotels and motels in communities around the state.
The changes align with the recommendations made by the Special Commission on Emergency Housing Assistance Programs in a report issued on Nov. 19.
The administration has been making efforts to control the size and cost of the state’s overburdened family shelter system, which has been capped at 7,500 families. In recent months, according to the administration, about 15-18 new families are seeking shelter per day — down from a high of 40 — and approximately 65% of them are long-term Massachusetts residents.
Since November 2023, the administration said it has helped more than 6,100 shelter residents get work authorizations, more than 4,300 shelter residents have gotten jobs, and more than 1,550 shelter residents have enrolled in ESOL classes. These efforts have helped more than 3,800 families exit shelter in the past year, and nearly 350 families have successfully exited temporary respite centers since Aug. 1.
“In recent years, the state’s family shelter system has grown to be increasingly unsustainable,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a prepared statement. “The size of the system has remained stable for the past year, we no longer have families relying on Emergency Departments or the airport for shelter, and all shelter sites currently have a service provider instead of relying on the National Guard.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll served as chair of the Special Commission on Emergency Housing Assistance Programs.
“I heard clearly a consensus around making shelter brief, rare and non-recurring,” Driscoll said. “Our administration is taking the guiding principles set out by that bipartisan commission and applying them to policy changes that will ensure we no longer have a one-size-fits-all system.”
Shelter models
Beginning on Dec. 10, families will be assessed according to their risk and need, and directed to either the system’s Rapid Shelter Track or the Bridge Shelter Track. Pending legislative approval, stays in the Rapid Shelter Track are expected to conclude in 30 days, while stays in the Bridge Shelter Track are expected to conclude in six months.
Families would not be able to choose between tracks.
Rapid Shelter Track: The Rapid Shelter Track involves thousands of families who have strengths and needs that position them to rapidly find self-sufficient permanent housing. They will be offered 30 days of intensive support at Temporary Respite Centers to receive assistance with transitioning quickly to stable, permanent housing — many with stabilization services available through HomeBASE — as well as assistance with and referrals for work authorizations, job placements and English classes.
The changes would allow families to stay at Temporary Respite Centers longer, increasing the maximum time from five business days to 30, with some allowance for extensions. The administration said the shift is responsive to exit data trends and feedback from providers, and is more aligned with the amount of time needed to exit to safe housing, especially when leases are involved.
Bridge Shelter Track: The Bridge Shelter Track is meant for more high-risk families and those with more complex needs that take longer to resolve to find permanent housing. They may be women who have late-term pregnancies, or people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Families in the Bridge Shelter Track would be eligible for up to six months, pending legislative approval. The goal in the Bridge Shelter Track is also to help families transition to stable, permanent housing as quickly as possible, and to connect them with work authorizations, job placements and English classes.
The administration said the changes will prioritize shelter system services around risk and need. If parents are able to work, “they will be better suited for the Rapid Shelter Track because having a job and paycheck will help them move into stable housing.” If a family has complex risks or needs, like a long eviction history or barriers to work, they may need more support to find permanent housing, and would be directed to the Bridge Shelter Track.
Hotel phase-out
The administration said hotels and motels have proven to be the most expensive shelter model, and do not provide an ideal environment for long-term shelter to help families get back on their feet. Many hotel rooms lack the space needed for services, which makes it more difficult for case management staff to engage with families.
The administration will be phasing out shelters in hotels and motels throughout fiscal 2025 and 2026, and shifting to a more cost-effective and supportive portfolio.
The administration said hotels and motels will be closed in a phased approach based on discussions with providers. Families and communities will be notified in advance of planned closures. Providers will work with families to support exits into safe and stable housing prior to a site closing.
Exit and diversion strategies
With the goal of helping more families find permanent, stable housing as quickly as possible, the administration will propose legislative changes to the HomeBASE program to increase the temporary rental subsidy. Under the plan, families would be eligible for up to $25,000 of rental assistance per year for two years — up from the current benefit of a total of $30,000 over two years or $45,000 over three.
The administration is also expanding current programs to help families with one-time costs to help them move from shelter, including HomeBASE and other state rehousing assistance programs.
Fiscal issues
The administration said it will file a supplemental budget that requests appropriation of sufficient funding for Emergency Assistance for the remainder of fiscal 2025 to a newly created reserve account: the Family Shelter and Services Reserve. The proposal anticipates using reserve funding to cover these costs, rather than impacting programs that are paid for in the annual budget.
The supplemental budget will propose to reduce the length of stay for Emergency Assistance shelter from nine months to six months, and change the extension criteria to help families and EA providers rehouse more quickly, which helps the system serve more families.
The supplemental budget will also propose to increase the amount of the HomeBASE rental stipend from $15,000 per family per year to $25,000 per family per year to better reflect current rental market prices. It will also propose to limit the benefit to two years to manage expectations.