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With Norfolk prison shelter open, Healey says no more sleeping at Logan
The announcement comes after Healey sent word to the U.S. southern border that the state is out of shelter space.
On Friday, Governor Maura Healey’s office declared that sleeping overnight at Logan Airport will no longer be allowed as of July 9, as a new shelter opens that will accommodate over a hundred families.
The announcement comes only a few days after Healey told officials at the southern border that “our shelters are full.”
Families sleeping at Logan on the Emergency Assistance shelter waitlist will be offered transfers to the state’s new safety-net system, including a former prison in Norfolk, which opened this week, according to a press release from the governor’s office. The new site will accommodate up to 140 families at total capacity.
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Eligible families will continue to be placed in other safety-net and shelter sites as space becomes available, the release said.
State staff at Logan will inform families of the new policy and their options, including helping them secure transportation to another location where they have family or another option for a safe place to stay.
With the new safety-net site in Norfolk and the nine-month length-of-stay policy, Emergency Assistance Director Scott Rice said the state is in the position to end the practice of families staying overnight in the airport.
“This is in the best interest of families and travelers and staff at Logan, as the airport is not an appropriate place for people to seek shelter,” Rice said in a statement.
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Earlier this week, Gov. Healey sent a team of officials, led by Rice, to the southern border to spread the message that Massachusetts is out of shelter space. The officials met with organizations that assist families, such as Catholic Charities and the Interfaith Welcome Coalition.
The trip resulted in new partnerships with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Joint Task Force North that will help share information in the future, according to Healey.
“We are going to continue to spread the word that Massachusetts is out of shelter space and that, if families are traveling to Massachusetts, they need to be prepared with a plan for housing that does not include Logan Airport or our Emergency Assistance shelters,” Rice said in a statement.
The administration has increased efforts to provide families experiencing homelessness with housing assistance, work authorization applications, job placements, English classes, and options for traveling to other cities.
As a result, the number of families leaving the shelters has steadily increased over the past few months, with more than 300 families leaving in May — the highest number in years, the release said.
The governor’s office expects these numbers to continue increasing as it implements the nine-month length of stay limit and the 30-day engagement requirements at safety-net sites.
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