Shelter Policy Flips

The Healey-Driscoll administration has suddenly changed its Emergency Assistance (EA) prioritization and safety-net sites for migrants and other families experiencing homelessness, ‘to address the system’s continuing capacity constraints, lower costs, and protect the financial sustainability of the EA system.’

Beginning August 1, 2024, according to an administration press release, families will be prioritized for placement in EA shelters if they are homeless because of a no-fault eviction or because of sudden or unusual circumstances in Massachusetts beyond their control, such as a flood or fire, or if they have at least one member who is a veteran. Families will continue to be prioritized if they have significant medical needs, newborn children, are at risk of domestic violence, or are homeless because of fire, flood, or other disasters.

Families who are not prioritized for placement in EA shelters will be eligible to stay at a “temporary respite center” for up to five days. On August 1, the state’s safety-net sites in Chelsea, Lexington, Cambridge and Norfolk will be transitioned to temporary respite centers. Norfolk is the newest of these sites and is nearing capacity. The administration said it will not be opening additional respite center sites due to operational and financial constraints.

Relief in Norfolk

Norfolk Town Administrator Justin Casanova-Davis said, "The new rules also mean that children temporarily housed at the BSCC shelter [adjacent to Norfolk Prison] will not be enrolled in Norfolk Public Schools or the King Philip Regional School District.”

The site in Norfolk currently has a capacity of 225 people with more than 60 families housed on site. The site is managed by a state-contracted shelter operator while the Town of Norfolk has provided limited first responder assistance as needed.

"The Town of Norfolk supports the changes announced by the Governor today as they ensure the Town can continue to support the shelter without overtaxing its ability to provide core programs and services to residents,” said Casanova-Davis.

Franklin Stays the Same

“There has been no changes made to the emergency shelter site in Franklin,” according to Amy M. Frigulietti, Deputy Town Administrator. The Franklin site is operated by a state contracted shelter provider and is not considered an overflow site, she added.

The Legislature recently passed a nine-month length of stay requirement in EA shelters, which Governor Healey signed into law and recently implemented. Governor Healey also previously implemented a 30-day recertification requirement at safety-net sites.

Families who choose to stay at a temporary respite center will be required to wait six months or more for placement in the state’s emergency family shelter system. They will remain eligible for other diversion services, such as reticketing and the HomeBASE program. Families who have been in temporary respite centers prior to the policy change on August 1 will retain their prioritization for placement into EA shelter, and the state will begin helping them leave these sites according to the date in which they entered. This policy does not apply to United Way shelter sites.

Policy or Politics?

MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale commented on the Governor’s sudden policy shift, stating, “The Healey-Driscoll Administration is finally implementing some of the measures we've been advocating, despite repeated opposition from the Democratic supermajority.” Just in time for the election, The Healey-Driscoll Administration is making changes to the Emergency Assistance shelter system that Republican leaders, including Minority Leaders Jones and Tarr, have been advocating for over the past year and a half, she added. “While it's good to see some necessary steps being taken, it's frustrating to consider the significant amount of money that has been wasted reaching this point,” Carnevale added.

Last year, Governor Healey declared that a state of emergency exists in Massachusetts due to rapidly rising numbers of immigrant families arriving in Massachusetts in need of shelter and services and a severe lack of shelter availability in the state. In the fall, she announced that the EA system was at capacity at 7,500 families.