Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Under new regulations, Gov. Healey capped shelter limit at 5,800 families. Do you agree?
Alongside the reduction, all adults shelter applicants will have to undergo a criminal background check.
Governor Maura Healey made a significant reduction in the number of families allowed to access the state-run emergency shelter system, capping the limit at 5,800 – a more than 20% reduction from the former cap of 7,500 families.
Alongside this change, the administration has introduced new regulations that mandate applicants consent to a local criminal background check (called a CORI check) or face exclusion from the program.
The new rules, which went into effect Friday, come as the number of families seeking shelter has declined from the peak of more than 7,500 families in 2024, a result of a surge in migrant arrivals to Massachusetts. There are currently 5,454 families in the shelter system as of March 13, according to the state’s dashboard.
Advertisement:
Families will not be eligible for emergency assistance if they fail to consent to a CORI check or if they have been convicted of a serious crime, like murder, arson, kidnapping, rape and felonies against children. They will also be required to undergo a Sex Offender Registry Information (SORI) Check and a warrant check.
“These changes will empower our team to keep families, staff and communities safe by enhancing our criminal background check process and disqualifying anyone who has been convicted of a serious crime,” Healey said in a statement.
The administration is on track to reduce the caseload to 4,000 families and eliminate all hotel shelters by the end of the year. This policy shift also coincides with the funding provided by the $425 million supplemental budget Healey signed at the end of February, aimed at reducing the taxpayer cost of the state’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system.
Advertisement:
The supplemental budget also shortened the time that families can stay in the system from nine months to six months, with plans to lower the systemwide cap even further to 4,000 families and close all hotel shelters by the end of 2025.
We want to know: Do you agree with Healey’s lowered shelter cap and background check requirements?
Tell us by filling out the form or e-mailing us at [email protected], and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.
Gov. Healey sets emergency shelter limit at 5,800: Do you agree?
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com