As Governor Maura Healey's administration continues its work on transforming the state's emergency shelter system, a new series of measures has been announced to boost safety and cut costs. In an official statement, Healey's directive now mandates criminal record checks for all adults seeking Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter.
Beginning this Friday, those who refuse a CORI background check, or have convictions for severe offenses—such as murder, arson, kidnapping, rape, and felonies against children—will not qualify for EA. According to the Governor's office, "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." Additionally, the process will now verify identities and family relationships before placement, following recommendations from former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis.
The shifts come after a supplemental budget was signed by Governor Healey, enabling these updates. The state's Emergency Declaration now indicates that the EA system's capacity has been reduced by over 20 percent from its 2024 peak, operating at a capacity for 5,800 families. This reduction is in step with funding allocations and underpins Healey's commitment to trimming the shelter caseload, which is at its lowest since August 2023.
Efforts to steer families towards stable housing, and discourage unnecessary shelter stays have tripled the number of families finding long-term housing solutions every month, as detailed by the Governor's office. Progress made since last year includes closing half of the hotel shelters and foreseeing a scenario where, caseload reductions could close out all hotel shelters, by year's end. Further policy provisions from the supplemental budget will also roll out, aiming to revise the eligibility procedures, and as Governor Healey stated, "Massachusetts is managing this federal problem, but Congress needs to act on meaningful immigration reform instead of making Massachusetts taxpayers foot the bill for their failures."
Collaboration between Healey's administration and Ed Davis continues, as they work to implement the Shelter Safety and Security Report recommendations. These comprehensive changes present the Governor's robust approach to not only improving the safety of sheltered families but also ensuring the responsible use of taxpayers' funds in Massachusetts' emergency shelter system.
