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Massachusetts to Gradually Stop Using Hotels as Homeless Shelters

Emmanuel Paul
Emmanuel Paul - Journalist/ Storyteller

Massachusetts plans to end its reliance on hotels and motels as a housing solution for homeless families over the next two years.

This was announced last weekend by Governor Maura Healey.

The move marks another step in the reform of the state’s emergency assistance system, aimed at providing more stable and sustainable housing solutions.

In a detailed announcement, the Democratic governor emphasized that these adjustments will stabilize the system while reducing associated costs. According to Maura Healey, the system is currently saturated, with around 7,500 families housed and up to 40 new shelter applications daily in recent years. However, the current average has fallen to around 15-18 families per day.

Healey described the current situation as untenable: “In recent years, the state’s family shelter system has become increasingly unsustainable,” she said in a statement. “We have taken significant steps to curb its growth and have achieved tangible results.”

Last year, the governor had declared a state of emergency to limit shelter capacity to 7,500 families, while banning the homeless from spending the night at Boston’s Logan International Airport. This initiative was part of efforts to manage an overburdened system and better respond to families’ urgent needs.

The vast majority of people housed in transitional shelters in Massachusetts are Haitian immigrants who have recently arrived in the United States. They were also in the majority among those who sought refuge at the Boston airport, which drew the attention of conservatives who criticized Massachusetts’ policy towards immigrants as too lax.

As part of this transition, the state plans to gradually reduce the use of hotels and motels by fiscal years 2025 and 2026. Governor Maura Healey explained that these types of accommodations, while they have served as a quick fix, lack the infrastructure to provide adequate support services and can lead to family isolation. Instead, the administration plans to work with service providers to offer safe, stable housing solutions. “We want to ensure that families don’t get stuck in temporary environments where they don’t have access to the resources they need to rebuild,” said Healey.

To support this transition, the administration will increase temporary rental assistance, allowing families to receive up to $25,000 a year for two years, compared to the current assistance of $30,000 over two years or $45,000 over three years, News Center Maine noted .

Starting December 10, the state will introduce two new emergency shelter programs: the “Rapid Shelter Track ‘ and the ’Bridge Shelter Track”, each tailored to specific needs.

The former is aimed at families with the resources to find permanent housing quickly, offering them support for 30 days to facilitate this transition. The second targets families with complex needs, such as women who have recently given birth or people with developmental disabilities, for whom stable housing may take longer.

Gladys Vega, president of La Colaborativa, an immigrant aid organization based in Chelsea, welcomed efforts to reform the system while warning of the risks to vulnerable families. “As rent prices continue to rise, families in the Commonwealth are increasingly finding themselves unable to afford the cost of housing,” she said. “Many Massachusetts residents are one step away from homelessness,” added Gladys Vega, whose remarks were reported by News Center Maine.

Massachusetts has also seen an increase in demand due to the influx of migrants. This summer, Maura Healey had introduced tighter restrictions on access to shelters, limiting stays to nine months, for example, with a maximum of two 90-day extensions. In addition, from August 1ᵉʳ, non-priority families can only stay in accommodation sites for a maximum of five days.

Maura Healey justified these new restrictions by persistent constraints on the system’s capacity and the need to preserve its financial viability. However, these measures have raised concerns among advocates for the homeless, who fear that these limitations will leave some families without viable options.

This change comes against a backdrop where Massachusetts has historically relied on hotels and motels to alleviate the shortage of emergency housing.

While this solution has provided a rapid response to immediate needs, critics point to its high cost and inability to deliver long-term results. Governor Healey reiterated her commitment to providing more sustainable solutions: “We need to focus on approaches that not only meet immediate needs, but also offer a path to greater stability for families,” she promised.

This article is based on a News Center Maine text that you can view by clicking here.