Dozens of Massachusetts homeless and migrant families staying in state-run shelters will be evicted Friday as a new policy imposing a limit on stays takes effect.
The Democratic Healey administration imposed the cap last month as it looked to tame runaway costs in the system, which are set to hit $1 billion a year over the next two years.
Healey’s office issued notices to families staying in state-run overflow shelters in Chelsea, Lexington, Cambridge, and Norfolk, according to published reports.
Healey’s office announced last month that, starting Aug. 1, the state would 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.”
In a statement, Healey said the changes are “in line with the policies of other cities facing similar challenges as Massachusetts,” MassLive previously reported.
“We have been saying for months now that the rapid growth of our Emergency Assistance shelter system is not sustainable,” Healey said. “Massachusetts is out of shelter space, and we simply cannot afford the current size of this system.”
The move came despite appeals by activists and some members of Boston City Council, who argued that they would hurt immigrant families.
“This change will likely force families with young children onto the streets of Boston and other municipalities across the commonwealth,” a cadre of Boston City Council members wrote in an Aug. 1 letter to Healey.
The letter was signed by Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Councilors Ben Weber, Enrique Pepén, Henry Santana, Julia Mejia, Liz Breadon, Brian Worrell, Gabriela Coletta Zapata, and Tania Fernandes Anderson, more than half of the 13-member body.
Last year, Healey capped the number of families that could be in the shelter system at once at about 7,500, a ceiling that was reached in November. This year, she signed a new law limiting shelter stays to nine months.
Advocates protested the change during an event at the State House on Thursday.
The rally on Beacon Hill came after a full week of smaller demonstrations in front of the governor’s office; the release of a letter signed by dozens of advocacy groups, medical professionals and social workers; and another well-attended rally last week where protestors called the new guidelines “cruel,” State House News Service reported.
House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka have both said they stand behind Healey’s decision, the wire service reported.
