Massachusetts is planning to further reduce the size of its shelter system for families experiencing homelessness. According to shelter providers, the state has told them the reduction will be more widespread than previously announced.
It comes on the heels of other sweeping changes in how the state shelters families. State officials say those changes mean families are moving out of shelter at a record pace, and shelter demand is down.
Just under 4,100 families are currently in the shelter system, according to the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
According to a draft policy document presented to shelter providers by the state and reviewed by WBUR, the state is setting targets to reduce the number of family shelter units to 3,200 by January. The state had previously announced a cap of 4,000 family shelter units for 2026, as stipulated in the supplemental budget passed by the legislature in February. Officials will also phase out the use of hotels and motels as shelter space this summer, which is sooner than expected.
The new target would result in the state sheltering fewer than half the families it did a year ago when there was peak demand. The state spent around $1 billion a year to shelter families and provide services to them. A massive influx of migrants arriving in Massachusetts contributed to an overall increase in homelessness.
Some advocates fear the state might be moving too far, too fast.
“ I just hope that we don’t overcorrect, and we don’t start taking down more shelter units, until we really know what the need is and how these new policies play out,” said John Yazwinski, president and CEO of Father Bills & MainSpring. The South Shore shelter and housing provider contracts with the state to operate 160 family shelter units.
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Associate Director Kelly Turley said she and other advocates are urging lawmakers to roll back some restrictions on access to shelter. This includes the cap on how many families can be in shelter at a given time, which Turley called “egregious.”
In an effort to control the cost of the shelters and associated services, the state implemented a six-month time limit for families to remain in the shelter system earlier this year, with limited opportunities for extensions. State officials also instituted new eligibility requirements, including proof of Massachusetts residency with an intention to remain in the state, and proof of legal status in the U.S. for all members of the family or at least one child under the age of 18. The state also made changes this year to the complex priority criteria families have to meet in order to qualify for shelter.
Previously, families had “presumptive eligibility,” meaning they could enter shelter and then provide any necessary documentation later. People facing homelessness often don’t have all of their documents in order, according to advocates.
Yazwinski said in the past year, Father Bill’s & MainSpring spent $70,000 of its private funding to put up 18 families who were waiting to see if they are eligible to get into the shelter system.
He and other providers and advocates said Massachusetts has moved away from being a right-to-shelter state for families, as it was for decades under a state law passed in 1983.
“In the past, before these changes were made, families got access on demand,” Yazwinski said. “If we knew a child and parents were sleeping outside or going to be outside within a matter of hours, they were able to get into the shelter system. Those changes have been made where they can’t [do that].”
Turley said the eligibility restrictions and time limits aren’t doing anything to prevent families from becoming homeless.
“Families may not be eligible for shelter because of the stricter eligibility criteria, and they may be doubled up or tripled up with family members or friends or staying in places not meant for human habitation,” she said. She added that some families forced to leave shelter before they’re ready often end up in tenuous, sometimes unsafe situations instead of stable, permanent housing.
The state allows families to reapply for shelter, but that takes time. Families often end up on a long waitlist for shelter. According to the state, there are currently about 160 families on the shelter waitlist.
“Of course, it causes great disruption to children if they’re in a stable shelter situation and that shelter placement is taken away because of arbitrary time limits,” Turley said.
Families that don’t get into traditional shelter can enter temporary overflow shelter sites operated by the state, known as rapid shelters. The state plans to close sites in Norfolk and Chelsea this summer, leaving just a rapid shelter site in Cambridge.
Meanwhile, nonprofit organizations and houses of worship are filling in gaps for vulnerable families. FamilyAid, which provides services including state-contracted shelter, has seen a 53% increase in families entering its homelessness prevention program.
The program offers supports, including landlord mediation and financial assistance to pay rent.
FamilyAid President and CEO Larry Seamans said the biggest increase in demand for the program is from families unable to access the shelter system because of the new eligibility requirements.
“Our goal in the program is to help to sustain those families in their existing housing, because the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place,” he said.
Seamans and other providers stressed that families also face the potential of massive cuts to federal assistance programs, including SNAP food assistance, housing subsidies and Medicaid. They worry such cuts would lead to more families living on the edge and losing their homes.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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