The Healey administration will make another series of major changes to the state’s emergency shelter system starting next week.
www.boston25news.com
Starting Aug. 1, the state will prioritize for placement in emergency assistance shelters families who are homeless because of a no-fault eviction, who have at least one member who is a veteran, or who are homeless “because of sudden or unusual circumstances in Massachusetts beyond their control, such as a flood or fire,” Healey’s office said.
The administration at the same time will cap how long families awaiting a longer-term shelter placement can stay at overflow sites, sometimes referred to as safety net sites, at five days. Families who choose to use one of those locations after Aug. 1 will then need to wait at least six months to secure placement into an emergency assistance shelter, though they will remain eligible for other diversion services such as reticketing and HomeBase, Healey’s office said.
Existing overflow sites in Chelsea, Lexington, Cambridge, and Norfolk will adopt those new policies next week, and the state will not open any additional locations “due to operational and financial constraints,” according to the governor’s office.