Close Menu
    What's Hot
    – 20230173bccc501cd5ca1cb6d4e1a55309c444

    Child mental health forum to be held in Norristown

    May 13, 2024
    – 202309651575b3861327.14722519

    GameStop's stock prices surged when Roaring Kitty made a comeback on social media

    May 13, 2024
    – 202303van Jones 2023

    Van Jones criticized possible Trump VP candidates for avoiding 2024 election questions, saying it's like failing kindergarten

    May 13, 2024
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Telegram
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Plaza JournalThe Plaza Journal
    Subscribe
    Friday, July 11
    • Sports
      • American Football
      • Basketball
      • Baseball
      • Boxing
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Hockey
      • Tennis
    • Politics
      – 2023102

      John Dean believes the hush money case against Trump is very strong

      May 13, 2024
      – 202405my screenshots 2024 05 13 at 85135am e1715608366191

      “Cruel and unfeeling” Trump assistant boasts about causing innocent homeless people to be arrested

      May 13, 2024
      – 202305stopthestealrally 01062021 getty

      Only 5 percent of people mention January 6th as the most important memory from Trump's presidency: Survey

      May 13, 2024
      – 202405AP24082659643362 e1714510107248

      7 in 10 say they’ve given a lot of thought to election: Gallup

      May 13, 2024
      – 202405AP24133009758539

      Trump: ‘Hannibal Lecter is a wonderful man’

      May 13, 2024
    • Technology
    • United States
    • United Kingdom
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Science
      1. Archaeology
      2. Anthropology
      3. Space
      4. Biology
      5. Ecology
      6. Geology
      7. Nanotechnology
      8. Neurology
      9. Paleontology
      10. Psychology
      11. Mathematics
      12. Geography
      13. Astrophysics
      14. Oceanography
      15. Physics
      Featured
      – 20240513unesco hunting cave

      How perspiration and endurance helped humans become excellent runners and hunters

      Biology May 13, 20244 Mins Read
      Recent
      – 20240513unesco hunting cave

      How perspiration and endurance helped humans become excellent runners and hunters

      May 13, 2024
      – 202405112024 aurora photos

      Amazing photos of colorful skies around the world as auroras shine in bright colors

      May 11, 2024
      – 20240510mosquitoes scotland

      Scotland has suddenly seen a large increase in mosquitoes

      May 10, 2024
    • Health
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    The Plaza JournalThe Plaza Journal
    Home»Local News

    Senate has agreed to provide as much as $840 million for state-operated shelters, setting the stage for negotiations with the House

    By Carlos HansenMarch 22, 2024 Local News 5 Mins Read
    – 202311leadershipas06
    BOSTON, MA - November 6: Senate President Karen Spilka looks on during a press conference following the weekly leadership meeting at the Massachusetts State House. (Photo by Amanda Sabga/Boston Herald)
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Massachusetts senators agreed on Thursday to transfer hundreds of millions of one-time use funds to a state-operated shelter system struggling with an increase in migrants from other countries and rising costs. This move is intended to provide temporary financial support to an emergency shelter network facing looming financial difficulties due to high demand and declining state revenues.

    The spending bill, approved by the Senate with a 32-8 vote, brings Beacon Hill closer to addressing the temporary financial needs of the struggling emergency shelter network, which is expected to exhaust its funding this spring amid record demand and declining state revenues.

    The endorsement from the Senate sets the stage for potentially tense and time-sensitive negotiations with the House, where lawmakers will need to iron out the details of two different funding plans for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

    This is a discussion where speed is likely to be crucial, as highlighted by Senate budget writer Michael Rodrigues, a Democrat from Westport who guided the spending bill through the Senate floor.

    “Currently, about half of the families in the shelter system are from Massachusetts. If action is not taken soon, we could be facing thousands of these families suddenly without homes in many communities throughout the state. That is an unacceptable and irresponsible outcome,” Rodrigues said.

    The Senate's plan grants Gov. Maura Healey access to more than $1 billion in surplus funding from the pandemic, which can be utilized only once. It authorizes her to allocate up to $840 million over fiscal years 2024 and 2025, with decreasing monthly spending limits.

    The proposal also sets a maximum stay of nine months for families with children and pregnant individuals in state-operated shelters, with options for extension in 90-day increments if certain criteria, such as being a single parent with a disabled child, are met.

    Utilizing the one-time funding would come at a time when Massachusetts is facing financial challenges, having consistently fallen short of already reduced monthly revenue targets since the beginning of fiscal year 2024.

    A few weeks ago, House lawmakers took a more focused approach in a spending bill they passed earlier this month, earmarking $245 million in surplus revenue from the pandemic specifically for shelter expenses in fiscal year 2024. Rodrigues believes that funds for the shelter system are expected to be depleted in the first or second week of April, putting pressure on House-Senate negotiators to reach an agreement before then.“We’re aiming to get this done as swiftly as possible,” he stated. “I don’t have any fixed positions. I will enter the conference committee with Chairman (Aaron) Michlewitz with an open mind.”

    Massachusetts is currently spending around $75 million monthly — approximately $10,000 per family — on the 7,500 migrant and local families residing in various emergency shelters across the state, according to Rodrigues.

    This represents a significant increase from the $45 million per month mentioned by Healey as the state's previous spending.

    when she initially

    announced a state of emergency regarding the shelter crisis in August. The Healey administration estimated the state would spend $932 million on shelters this fiscal year and the same amount in the next, a significant cost that has prompted lawmakers to allocate millions to the system to maintain services. Republicans, who have limited influence on policy in the Legislature, have criticized Democrats on Beacon Hill for increasing funding for the shelter system without implementing what they consider to be adequate measures to reduce demand for services. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr tried, without success, to persuade Democrats to agree to

    a six-month residency requirement

    for shelter access, a proposal some lawmakers have repeatedly urged this session.

    He stated that if lawmakers and the Healey administration are going to fundamentally change the right-to-shelter law by capping the system at 7,500 families and trying to impose a nine-month time limit, then officials should also consider a residency requirement.

    “We are proposing to collectively change this law in the bill that is currently pending before us. The question is … how should we best modify it?” Tarr said. “Clearly, we should specify that in terms of those entitled to a right to shelter, we should narrow that eligibility.” Amid a series of bargaining and negotiating amendments, many senators were clear that the demand for shelters in Massachusetts was not going to diminish in the near future. A developing crisis in Haiti, where armed gangs are regularly launching attacks across the country amidst a governmental upheaval, has the potential to send more families to Massachusetts, which has one of the largest Haitian communities in the United States.

    Sen. John Velis, a Westfield Democrat, said he encountered people from Haiti during a National Guard deployment to a shelter in Massachusetts and found himself pondering what “would I do if I were in their circumstance.”

    “I’ll tell you what I’d do if I was in their circumstance, I’d take my son, if I was in a place like Haiti, I’d take my wife and I’d leave that place. People are dying, people are being assaulted. Gangs are taking over the country in Haiti,” he said.

    Massachusetts senators voted Thursday to allocate hundreds of millions of one-time use dollars to a state-run shelter system struggling under the burden of an influx of migrants from other countries and escalating costs that show little sign of decreasing.

    Sen. John Velis, a Westfield Democrat, said he interacted with people from Haiti during a National Guard deployment to a shelter in Massachusetts and found himself wondering what “would I do if I were in their circumstance.”

    “I’ll tell you what I’d do if I was in their circumstance, I’d grab my son, if I was in a place like Haiti, I’d grab my wife and I’d get the hell out of there. People are dying, people are getting raped. Gangs are running the country in Haiti,” he said.

    Immigration Massachusetts Legislature Migrant crisis Politics State House
    Carlos Hansen

    Keep Reading

    – 20230173bccc501cd5ca1cb6d4e1a55309c444

    Child mental health forum to be held in Norristown

    – 2024058 1

    Deciphering Thaksin’s invite to Myanmar’s ethnic groups

    – 2023102

    John Dean believes the hush money case against Trump is very strong

    – 202307AP081203023809 e1690573674664

    Record travel anticipated this Memorial Day weekend

    Add A Comment
    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Must Read
    Latest Posts
    – 20230173bccc501cd5ca1cb6d4e1a55309c444

    Child mental health forum to be held in Norristown

    May 13, 2024
    – 202309651575b3861327.14722519

    GameStop's stock prices surged when Roaring Kitty made a comeback on social media

    May 13, 2024
    – 202303van Jones 2023

    Van Jones criticized possible Trump VP candidates for avoiding 2024 election questions, saying it's like failing kindergarten

    May 13, 2024
    – 20240513Depositphotos 241148346 L

    Chicken fat supercapacitors may be able to store future green energy

    May 13, 2024
    – 202405antisemitism

    Most students at prestigious universities believe that there is an issue with antisemitism, as per a survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report

    May 13, 2024
    The Plaza Journal White Logo
    X-twitter Facebook Google Pinterest Telegram

    News

    • World
    • US Politics
    • EU Politics
    • Business
    • Opinions
    • Connections
    • Science

    Company

    • Information
    • Advertising
    • Classified Ads
    • Contact Info
    • Do Not Sell Data
    • GDPR Policy
    • Media Kits

    The Plaza Journal

    • Contact Us
    • Subscription
    • Submit an Anonymous Tip
    • Newsletters
    • Sponsored News
    • Advertise With Us
    • Privacy Notice

    Keep updated

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    Copyright © 2025 The Plaza Journal. All rights reserved.
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Cookie Policy
    • Accessibility

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.