Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Gov. Maura Healey (front) and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll announce that, by the end of October, the Commonwealth will no longer be able to add additional units to its emergency shelter system for families experiencing homelessness during a State House press conference on Oct. 16. (Photo courtesy Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office)
Along with Gov. Maura Healey’s announcement yesterday that the state’s emergency family shelter system will reach capacity by the end of the month, the administration published a related FAQ document for municipalities that host shelters.
The document addresses questions such as, “How long will this capacity limit stay in effect?” and “Will placements continue to be made in my community?”
The administration also launched a website providing shelter placement data, listed by municipality, which it said would be updated daily.
For months, Healey said, the state’s Emergency Assistance shelter system has been expanding at an unsustainable rate to meet rising demand driven by increasing numbers of newly arriving migrant families and slower exits of families in long-term emergency shelter stays. The unprecedented demand on the system has led to safety, operational and fiscal challenges that limit further expansion, she said.
Nearly 7,000 families with children and pregnant women, or about 23,000 individuals are currently living in the shelter system, spread out among 90 municipalities at hundreds of individual shelter sites, which include a large number of hotels and motels. About half of the individuals in these shelters are newly arrived migrant families, and the other half are longtime Massachusetts residents.
Healey said the number of people seeking shelter continues to grow daily due to global conditions and federal inaction, as well as the low inventory and high cost of housing in Massachusetts.
She said the state does not have enough shelter units, service providers, or funding to continue to safely and responsibly expand shelter capacity beyond 7,500 families, a number expected to be reached by the end of October. At that time, there will be no further net increase of shelter units, and the state will no longer be able to guarantee space to accommodate families in need, Healey said.
As of Nov. 1, families seeking shelter will be assessed, and those with high needs, such as health and safety risks, will be prioritized for placement. Families who are not immediately connected with shelter will be placed on a waiting list.
Healey has appointed Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, who “has extensive experience leading large-scale emergency management operations,” as emergency assistance director. He will oversee management and coordination of the emergency shelter system, including leading the administration’s Incident Command Team, which was launched in May and includes representatives from multiple state agencies. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said Rice “will be a valuable resource for local officials as we enter this new phase of the emergency shelter program.”
Healey said the administration is prioritizing helping families who have been in shelter long-term to exit into more permanent housing options. The administration will be expanding support for rapid rehousing and rental assistance initiatives, such as HomeBASE, which helps eligible homeless families pay their first and last month’s rent and security deposits, moving expenses, and other costs.
With the business community asking for assistance filling open jobs across the state, she said, the administration has launched two new programs to get shelter residents working. The first is a partnership with Commonwealth Corporation Foundation to develop a new job skills training program to connect businesses to individuals in shelter who are still waiting for their work authorization but looking to gain on-the-job training and skills development. The second connects MassHire Regional Workforce Boards and careers centers to shelters statewide with the goal of assessing skills and work readiness of residents who have their work authorization. The initial phase of this new program is focused on 14 shelter sites across the state, representing approximately 1,500 families.
Healey, joined by the attorney general, the Legislature, the Massachusetts Business Association and others, has made multiple requests to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for federal funding and improvements to the work authorization process.
The administration is joining biweekly MMA briefings for chief municipal officials and sharing resources to help municipal officials who have placements in their communities. The next one-hour briefing is scheduled for Oct. 25 at 4 p.m. Invitations are sent from the MMA.
The administration has shared a 10-page document with local officials that includes a fact sheet, answers to frequently asked questions, answers to fiscal issues, and regional contacts for municipal officials.
While the state’s Emergency Assistance shelter program is for families with children and pregnant women, the number of homeless individuals has also been on the rise. The administration shared a directory of Services for those Experiencing Homelessness Statewide.