By Tiffany Williams –
On Friday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed a comprehensive supplemental budget aimed at reducing the taxpayer burden of the state’s Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter system. This initiative aligns with her proposals to enhance safety for both shelter residents and neighboring communities.
Alongside the budget, she unveiled a detailed security assessment report commissioned from former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, who currently serves as president and CEO of The Edward Davis Company (EDC). The assessment includes a series of tailored recommendations designed to bolster safety protocols at shelter sites. To ensure effective implementation, the administration has decided to retain EDC’s expertise, with many of the suggested safety measures already in progress.
A pivotal recommendation from the report is the modification of the presumptive eligibility policy regarding family placements within the shelter system. The newly signed supplemental budget empowers the administration to restrict this policy, a significant step towards improving the system’s overall efficiency and safety.
The Governor’s office highlighted that these supplemental budget proposals are a continuation of efforts made over recent months to assist families in transitioning to stable housing, reducing the overall size of the shelter system in response to the rising demand. Notably, in the previous month alone, nearly 700 families were successfully placed into stable housing, marking the highest number recorded in over a decade. Consequently, the EA system is currently accommodating approximately 5,800 families, reflecting a substantial 22 percent decrease from the peak levels observed in 2023 and early 2024. Significantly, over 75 percent of families seeking shelter are long-time residents of Massachusetts. In a further commitment to improving the system, the administration has halved the number of families residing in hotel shelters, with the ambitious goal of completely phasing out hotel accommodations by the end of this calendar year.
With a funding allocation of $425 million, the Fiscal Year 2025 supplemental budget ensures financial support for essential EA shelter-related services throughout the remainder of the fiscal year, reinforcing the administration’s commitment to a more effective shelter program.
The bill also incorporates critical policy changes proposed by Governor Healey in January. These measures are designed to ensure that the EA program remains affordable, safe, and sustainable in the future. Key changes include:
– Continuing the mandate for disclosures concerning criminal history and Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) checks for all adult applicants (ages 18 and older).
– Establishing protocols for the verification of identity, residency, lawful immigration status, and familial relationships of all household members prior to shelter placement.
The administration is projected to release updated regulations and enact additional policy provisions from the supplemental budget, which encompass an adjusted six-month limit on stay periods and reforms to the presumptive eligibility process. Plans are already underway to reduce the shelter caseload to 4,000, including the closure of all hotel shelters by the end of 2025.
Furthermore, the EDC report outlines several safety and security enhancements for shelter sites, focusing on improving staff training, refining intake and placement procedures, fortifying onsite security measures, evaluating and strengthening existing policies from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), augmenting data collection efforts, and establishing uniform security standards across all shelters.
Many of these action items have been proactively addressed by Governor Healey through administrative measures or as part of the supplemental budget initiatives. For instance, she mandated that all adult residents (ages 18 and older) within the EA shelter system undergo CORI checks, in addition to the existing sex offender registry and warrant checks that are conducted for all applicants and residents. Previously, these CORI checks were not legally required; however, under Governor Healey’s directive, they are now standard procedure, enhancing public safety and security. All adult EA residents must undergo CORI checks or face termination from the program for failure to consent.