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.
