Advocates for those in shelters ask Gov. Healey to rescind limit as time runs out

BOSTON - Advocates for the homeless brought their message straight to the office of Gov. Maura Healey Thursday, delivering a petition, as they implored her to rescind a new policy that allows some families only five days to stay in the state's four emergency overflow shelters in Lexington, Chelsea, Norfolk and Cambridge.

Families have nowhere to go

"We're very concerned that families who have no place else to go will be left on the streets, in transit stations , in cars," said Kelly Turley with Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Advocates said migrant and homeless families are already in these shelters because they have no other options.

WBZ-TV spoke to a mother of two who has been living for a month at an overflow shelter at the Cambridge Registry of Deeds.  She said she has no other family and after Friday, does not know where she'll go. Tim Scalona, whose own family was forced into the shelter system for years when he was a child knows all too well the insecurity especially felt by children. He attended the State House rally Thursday.

"The system, sort of, creates a lot of questions about why is this happening to me, will I have this shelter for a long period of time, will I continue to have food," said Scalona.

Healey says families are still being helped

Some families have been given extensions under certain circumstances, such as applying for jobs or looking at housing options.  Others have been given tickets for transportation out of Massachusetts, which Jeff Thielman of the International Institute of New England said is a harsh and unrealistic solution.

"The message really is go back to where you came from," said Thielman. "It can't be Haiti, that's not realistic, if it's the Texas border I don't think that's realistic."

Healey maintained the shelter capacity is overwhelmed but insists families are still being helped and treated humanely. "What's happening right now is case managers are on site continuing to work with families, to relocate families, and that's going to continue," said Healey.

The advocates believe the state needs to give the shelter system more time to transition families out rather than force them out as time is now running out.