Healey Administration Expands Limits on Massachusetts Overflow Shelter System

Days after the Healey administration announced a new policy under which migrant and homeless families living in overcrowded shelters would be removed after five days, officials have now granted shelter managers the authority to extend a family’s stay for up to a month.

Information card issued by Executive Office of Housing and Liveable Communities On Wednesday — the day before the new five-day policy went into effect — shelter providers were told they could grant “administrative extensions” of up to 30 business days “at any time during a family’s stay.”

Such extensions could be granted to families whose housing plans are pending, are on the verge of securing rides or flights to their next location or have health issues that need to be addressed. The goal, officials say, is to divert people away from permanent emergency shelters that have been overcrowded for months.

Social workers in overcrowded areas will work to reunite families with a friend or family member. If staying with someone else isn’t an option, social workers will refer families to other “safe alternatives,” according to the fact sheet. Families who have subsidies to help cover rent costs can also move into an apartment or house if they find a qualifying unit, officials said.

Currently, overflow shelters in Chelsea, Lexington, Cambridge and Norfolk have capacity for 300 families and allow them to stay for 30 days with the option to reapply. Last week, Healey’s administration announced they would be moved to “temporary respite facilities” with a five-day limit and no option to stay longer. Those families could be airlifted from Massachusetts to the state or apply for a subsidy to help cover rent, officials said at the time.

News of a possible 30-day extension comes two days after the Globe reported on migrant families sleeping rough in Boston as overcrowded shelters reached capacity and a waiting list grew Down temporary housing for over 750 families.

“This is a really tough situation,” Gov. Maura Healey told Boston Public Radio’s GBH on Wednesday. “In Massachusetts, we are a kind and generous people. We are full here, too.”

An information booklet was published on Wednesday reflecting a slight easing of the rules at a time when Healey is introducing increasingly stringent restrictions on who gets priority for shelter and how long they can stay in shelter.

“It’s progress that they’re recognizing the position of families,” Kelly Turley, director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, said Wednesday evening. “But it’s the day before this policy goes into effect, and families are very concerned. Providers are very concerned. Right now, there’s no safety net for the safety net.”

Last week, when announcing a five-day limit on overflow shelter stays, Healey announced that people would have to wait at least six months before they could apply for placement in a longer-stay facility.

In places where long-term shelter has long been unavailable, the state has expanded its priority list to include families of veterans or people displaced by natural disasters. As Healey acknowledged last week, that means prioritizing vulnerable Massachusetts residents over newly arrived migrants.

The administration has taken steps to control costs for the emergency assistance program, which was created under a 1986 state law on shelter rights. The law requires the state to quickly provide shelter and other necessities to homeless parents with children and pregnant women, although the administration has imposed cuts to the shelter system to save money.

In October, the state capped shelter capacity at 7,500 families, then in April limited shelter stays to nine months. Families who exceeded the new nine-month stay were given 90-day notices to leave, and those who were staying at Logan Airport were kicked out. The state announced a “re-ticketing” policy so families could fly out of state, and in June, Healey staff members traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border to deliver a clear message to those at the border: Massachusetts no longer has room to house migrants. The administration also turned to outside consultants.

Samantha J. Gross can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @samanthajgross.