BOSTON (WHDH) – Protesters gathered in Boston and Springfield Monday to push back on newly-announced state emergency shelter rules that advocates say will increase the number of people with no safe place to sleep at night.
Protests took place outside the State House in Boston and the state office building in Springfield.
In a previous statement announcing the demonstrations, organizers said Massachusetts “is on the verge of forcing hundreds of children and their families into unsheltered homelessness in an unprecedented violation of our state’s values.”
As officials grapple with the effects of the influx of migrants arriving in Massachusetts, Gov. Maura Healey on Tuesday of last week said the state would soon prioritize shelter space for families who are homeless due to no-fault evictions or sudden circumstances such as floods or fires.
Healey’s administration said families would also be prioritized if at least one family member is a veteran, if they are at risk of domestic violence, if they have significant medical needs, or if they have newborn children.
The new policy is scheduled to take effect on Thursday of this week and will establish a five-day cap for families waiting in overflow shelters for more long-term placement in an emergency assistance shelter.
If people utilize an overflow shelter, though, they will need to wait six months before qualifying for emergency assistance shelter placement.
Just under a week after Healey’s announcement and just days before the new shelter rules take effect, advocates called on the governor to protect Massachusetts’ right to shelter law and “avoid a humanitarian crisis that will put a stain on Massachusetts’ moral standing for generations.”
“[Emergency assistance] shelter is the last resort for families with no safe place to sleep,” organizers said. “Under the changes announced by the Governor, families who are deemed eligible for shelter will now be forced to choose: wait in an unsafe place for a shelter placement or stay for 5 nights in a state-run overflow site but then wait at least 6 months to access [emergency assistance] shelter.”
“Five days is not enough time to find housing or alternative temporary options, and this change is going to leave families and children with no other options but to sleep on the street,” organizers continued.
Karissa Hand, a spokesperson for Healey, in a statement said the state currently does not have space available in its emergency assistance shelters or in its overflow shelters.
Hand said state Family Welcome Centers “do everything in their power to connect families with alternative options,” including offering transportation to family and friends and providing various diversion services.
“[B]ut it is essential that families understand the lack of shelter space before they travel here,” she said.
Hand said the “key reason” for new changes “is to free up space and provide short term respite to newly arriving families in need.”
“There are approximately 8,000 families in shelter in Massachusetts at present, including both longtime Massachusetts residents and newly arriving immigrant families, and unfortunately we do not have additional capacity at this time,” Hand said.
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