Massachusetts' shelter tightening begins for waitlisted families

Homeless families who once got a lifeline from the state as they awaited shelter placement are leaving this week under the new rules.

The big picture: Massachusetts took a page out of the GOP playbook and rolled back emergency family housing resources despite the state's right-to-shelter law.

• Gov. Maura Healey cited mounting costs.
• The state spent more than $1 billion last fiscal year on the shelter system and foresees spending billions more in the next few years, per the state's biweekly shelter report.

Catch up fast: The new rules took effect Aug. 1, limiting stays for families waitlisted for emergency shelter.

• Before, eligible families could stay in overflow shelters until space opened up.
• Now many eligible families are limited to five days in overflow shelters, which the state is now calling "temporary respite centers."
• City councilors in Boston, Chelsea and Worcester, as well as state lawmakers, have sent letters to Healey urging her to rescind the five-day limit to no avail.

Zoom in: Families who spend five days in those centers can't get placement in the shelter system for at least six months, even those prioritized, like families who experienced domestic violence, flooding or no-fault evictions.

• The state will pay to ship families, including migrants, to other states where they have friends or family, or direct families to subsidized housing programs, which also have long waits.

Yes, but: Providers can let "priority families" stay at one of two assessment sites if they have nowhere else to go while they wait for a shelter spot to open up, under state guidance.

• As of Thursday, the state had 53 priority families staying at the sites in Revere and Quincy, said Kevin Connor, a housing office spokesperson.
• Those families typically stay for two weeks or less.

The state will let providers extend stays at the overflow sites up to 30 days in certain circumstances, like if a family member has three chronic conditions or if someone has a high-risk or late-term pregnancy.