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Healey extends emergency shelter stay for families who meet certain criteria

A protester holding a sign outside the State Office Building on Dwight St in Springfield earlier this week. Housing advocates in Springfield and Boston held protests Monday to challenge Governor Maura Healey's restrictions limiting families on staying at emergency assistance shelters.
Nirvani Williams
/
NEPM
A protester holding a sign outside the State Office Building on Dwight St in Springfield earlier this week. Housing advocates in Springfield and Boston held protests Monday to challenge Governor Maura Healey's restrictions limiting families on staying at emergency assistance shelters.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has made significant changes to an emergency assistance shelter measure that goes into effect Thursday.

The Healey administration released new guidelines, just before the new policy went into effect, granting those running shelters the authority to extend a family’s stay by up to a month.

The policy, released to housing shelters and advocates through a press release last week, stated that Massachusetts families will be prioritized for placement in emergency shelters if they are homeless because of a no-fault eviction or because of sudden circumstances out of their control that took place in the state.

Families with significant medical needs and newborns will be prioritized.

But those who do not meet this criteria will be allowed to stay in overflow shelters for five days before having to leave and find new housing. With the new change, shelter providers can issue extensions for families who "meet a designated criteria.”

A fact sheet updated yesterday by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities states extension may be granted for families who do not have “rehousing plans, delays in transportation, and health-related events.”

Laurie Millman is the executive director for the Center for New Americans in Northampton.

"I think the governor realized that what she was proposing was not a realistic solution,” Millman said. “In 30 days, we'll be dealing with the issue again. But at least 30 days gives us a chance to come up with some solutions."

Millman suggests Healey convene a task force of people working with new arrivals seeking housing to explore what resources are available and direct initiatives towards that.

Statehouse News Service contributed to this reporting.

Nirvani Williams covers socioeconomic disparities for New England Public Media, joining the news team in June 2021 through Report for America.
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