Boston, MA

Which Massachusetts communities have the most migrant families living in emergency shelters?

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2024

Which Massachusetts communities have the most migrant families living in emergency shelters?

BOSTON — The number of migrant families in Massachusetts in need of housing continues to grow, nearly two months after the state reached its emergency shelter capacity limit of 7,500.

Since Nov. 10, 2023, 1,393 families have applied to live in the Emergency Housing Assitance Program, according to a new report released this week.

The report showed that the number of families on the Emergency Housing Assistance Program waitlist for services has also jumped to 391 as of Dec. 28, 2023.

The state also offered insight into what is provided to migrant families who are deemed eligible to receive state assistance.

“Families on our waitlist are provided assistance with transportation to locations within Massachusetts of their choosing and information on additional state resources and assistance in finding housing,” the report stated. “For example, EOHLC administers the HomeBASE program, which can provide eligible homeless families with help paying first/last month’s rent and security deposits, moving expenses, stipends to help with ongoing housing costs, and other costs that can help families stabilize an existing housing situation or stably rehouse.”

Officials noted that when space becomes available, families on the waitlist are offered overnight shelter at state-run overflow sites in Quincy, Revere, and Cambridge, as well as United Way sites.

Also as of Dec. 28, 2023, the number of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the Emergency Housing Assistance Program who obtained authorization to work in the United States had climbed to 2,713.

In November, Gov. Maura Healey and her administration hosted a work authorization clinic.

The report showed that $247 million has been spent on the Emergency Housing Assistance Program this fiscal year. In December 2023, the Healey administration predicted that emergency shelter costs would approach $1 billion annually this fiscal year and the next fiscal year.

Also included in the report was an updated breakdown of where families in the shelter system are staying. Boston leads the way with 1,309 families as of Jan. 2, 2024, followed by 302 in Worcester, 289 in Springfield, 283 in Lynn, and 195 in Peabody.

In the report, the full list of updated communities sheltering families can be found on pages eight, nine, and 10 of the document below:

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Boston, MA

Full-length Replay: Boston | FOX Sports

Published

12 hours ago

April 11, 2026

Press Room

Full-length Replay: Boston | FOX Sports

Boston boasts a passionate sporting culture.

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Boston, MA

A long line awaited the opening of Uniqlo in Downtown Crossing. Take a look inside. – The Boston Globe

Published

24 hours ago

April 10, 2026

Press Room

A long line awaited the opening of Uniqlo in Downtown Crossing. Take a look inside. – The Boston Globe

After 20 long, empty years, 399 Washington Street in Boston flooded once again with shoppers on Friday, as Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo made its Downtown debut.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was on hand to help cut the ribbon at the store. A long line of eager shoppers queued up outside, taking in the opening-day festivities, which included a giveaways and a taiko drum performance.

A taiko drum performance entertained shoppers as they waited in line at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu helped cut the ribbon to Uniqlo in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Once inside the brightly lit storefront, customers perused displays of floral maxi skirts, linen blend shorts, and workout T-shirts. Spanning more than 20,000 square feet across two levels, the storefront got a substantive refresh from Uniqlo, which bathed the space in an airy white but preserved the exposed brick ceiling, embellished columns, and central staircase.

The new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing had its grand opening Friday. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Mannequins pose and shoppers browse at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

The debut of Uniqlo marks the first time that this retail space has been occupied since Barnes & Noble moved out in 2006. Just down the block, Asian lifestyle store Teso Life is also preparing for an opening in another long-empty storefront, sparking optimism about the future of the neighborhood.

The downtown location is Uniqlo’s sixth in Massachusetts, joining outposts on Newbury Street, at the Shops at Chestnut Hill, at the Natick Mall, in Braintree’s South Shore Plaza, and at the Burlington Mall.

Take a look at some more photos at the scene from Uniqlo’s grand opening.

Throngs of shoppers wait in line outside the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

The crowd outside the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Shoppers receive gift bags as they walk into the new Uniqlo store.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Shoppers examine wares at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

A display of shorts at the new Uniqlo store.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

A display of clothes at Uniqlo.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Shoppers wait in line to pay for items at the new Uniqlo store in Downtown Crossing.Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff

Dana Gerber can be reached at dana.gerber@globe.com. Follow her @danagerber6.

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Boston, MA

Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return

Published

1 day ago

April 10, 2026

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Despite Celtics loss, Jayson Tatum feels weight lifted after New York return

NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum was not looking forward to his first game back at Madison Square Garden since he ruptured his Achilles there last May.

He won’t remember the outcome fondly, either. The Celtics lost to the Knicks in a 112-106 nailbiter, missing out on a chance to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

But regardless of the result, Tatum viewed Thursday night’s matchup as another important step in his comeback journey.

“It was a big moment, big hurdle for me,” he said. “I was nervous and anxious to come back here. Obviously, I wanted to win and play great, but more importantly, I just kind of wanted to walk off the floor on my own two feet.”

Tatum did that, delivering an uneven but productive performance in his 16th game of the season.

The good: He played a season-high 40 minutes and tallied 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, narrowly missing what would have been his second triple-double in Boston’s last five games. The not-so-good: He shot the ball poorly (7-for-22; 2-for-10 from 3-point range), committed six turnovers and was a team-worst minus-16.

Despite the loss — just the Celtics’ third with Tatum in the lineup this season — he called the night a “huge” mental victory for him. He made the call earlier in the week to play in this game rather than Friday’s home matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans, which would have delayed his emotional MSG return until a potential Celtics-Knicks rematch in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Tatum admitted he was “not thrilled” about the prospect of returning to MSG, but he wanted to “face the challenge head-on” and remove one of the final pieces of mental baggage he’d been carrying since his injury. The anxiety he felt when he arrived at the arena for morning shootaround lingered past tipoff before eventually dissipating.

“Today was important to me, especially when I made the decision to come back and then made the decision to play today,” Tatum said. “I’m glad I did. I feel a lot better. Even (with) the loss.”

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said Tatum “looked good out there.”

“It looked comfortable,” Mazzulla said. “… Obviously a ton of emotions on a day like this, but once the game started, he kind of got in a game flow.”

Tatum now is likely to sit out against New Orleans, as he is not yet cleared to play on back-to-back nights. The Celtics can clinch the second seed by beating the Pelicans or the Orlando Magic in Sunday’s regular-season finale (both at TD Garden), or with a Knicks loss to the Toronto Raptors or Charlotte Hornets.

“I’m definitely checking off a lot of boxes,” Tatum said. “This was one of the last few. Obviously, playoffs coming up soon, but this is one of the ones that was at the top.”

Reserves Payton Pritchard (23 points, 10-for-20, six assists) and Baylor Scheierman (season-high 20 points, 7-for-8) starred in supporting roles for a Celtics team that was playing without top scorer Jaylen Brown. The Celtics got little offensive production from starters Derrick White and Sam Hauser, who scored a combined 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting in the loss.

The Celtics listed four-fifths of their starting lineup as questionable for Thursday’s game before upgrading White, Hauser and Neemias Queta to available. Brown was ruled out with Achilles tendonitis, the same ailment that sidelined him for wins over Atlanta and Charlotte late last month.

Jordan Walsh filled Brown’s spot, making his third start in the last seven games. Walsh sat through six consecutive DNP-CDs after Tatum’s return but recently reclaimed a spot in Mazzulla’s rotation. He spent much of the first half guarding Jalen Brunson, New York’s All-Star point guard, before getting in foul trouble and sitting for the final 20-plus minutes.

Knicks wing Mikal Bridges opened the game with a personal 7-0 run, but the Celtics responded by scoring 21 of the next 28 points. Tatum sparked that early rally with a steal and a fast-break layup, followed by a spinning and-one finish over Josh Hart and a drawn foul on another drive. He also lobbed an alley-oop to Queta, who added a putback off a missed Hauser 3-pointer and drew a foul on his second offensive rebound of the first quarter.

Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta, left, and New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns battle for a loose ball during the first half of an NBA game Thursday, April 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Pritchard scored 11 points over the final five minutes of the opening period. Brunson countered with eight points in the final 63 seconds — free throws after a Walsh foul and two triples — to cut Boston’s lead to 29-26.

The Knicks built a five-point lead early in the second by capitalizing on a series of Nikola Vucevic miscues. The Celtics’ backup center allowed two makes at the rim by his counterpart, Mitchell Robinson, fouled Robinson on a lob and committed a turnover that led to a fast-break layup by Jordan Clarkson.

The Celtics were outscored by nine points during Vucevic’s first shift off the bench, continuing a trend that’s persisted since his return from a fractured ring finger last weekend. The trade-deadline pickup was a minus-15 in the first half Sunday against Toronto and a minus-11 in the first quarter Tuesday against Charlotte.

Vucevic eventually scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and finished as plus-1 in 24 minutes. The Celtics view his often choppy minutes as necessary to get him reintegrated before the postseason.

“(They’re) very important,” Pritchard said. “He just came back from an injury, so he’s been out for a while. New team. So it’s an adjustment period, and we don’t have time to practice and play against each other, so this is kind of our practice time with him. He’s being thrown out there in these moments, but it’ll make us better and ready for the playoffs.”

Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens recently said Vucevic will benefit more than any other Celtic from the team’s upcoming weeklong break, which will afford him valuable practice time before the playoffs begin. He’s been Mazzulla’s go-to big behind Queta since his finger healed, resulting in three straight healthy DNPs for Luka Garza.

As Boston entered halftime down 54-53, Tatum was one rebound shy of a double-double — plus four assists and a block on an OG Anunoby 3-pointer — but hadn’t made a field goal since his pair of early-game layups (2-for-11; 0-for-5 from three). Pritchard was the Celtics’ top scorer and shooter in the first half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-12. The rest of the team shot just 32.4% from the field.

Walsh picked up his fourth foul two seconds into the second half, then surrendered a Bridges 3-pointer. New York proceeded to hit four of those in quick succession, mounting an 18-6 run to stretch its lead to 72-59.

That’s when the Celtics finally found their stroke from beyond the arc. Six 3-pointers from five different players — including Vucevic’s first two 3-point makes since March 4 — erased New York’s cushion and put Boston up 78-76.

Pritchard and Scheierman — who subbed in for Walsh at the 9:23 mark of the third and played the rest of the way — each hit two threes in the quarter, and the Celtics took an 83-81 lead into the fourth.

“It was a fun experience, obviously,” said Scheierman, a second-year pro who’s looking to cement his spot in Mazzulla’s playoff rotation. “I wish we could’ve won at the end of the day, (but) obviously, it was a lot of fun to do that.”

Tatum sat for the first 2:15 of the final quarter before checking back in and burying a 3-pointer moments later. He then converted an and-one fadeaway over Robinson that made it 92-85, only for New York to reply with a 7-0 run. Hart’s transition layup off a Tatum turnover tied it at 92-92 with 6:21 remaining.

Boston scored on five of its next seven possessions — including two more 3-pointers by the red-hot Scheierman, who went 6-for-7 from deep — but could not manufacture enough stops at the other end. Consecutive threes by Hart in the final minute iced the game for New York.

Hart finished with 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead all scorers, with Brunson adding 25 and 10 assists.

“We’re just taking it a game at a time, “Pritchard said. “Obviously, we wanted this one. Didn’t get it. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and trying to get that win. Once that game’s over, we’ll look forward to the next.”

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