Advocates rally outside State House to decry new limits on shelter stays

Protestors assembled near the Massachusetts State House on Monday to express their opposition to proposed alterations to the state’s emergency shelter system; new measures to progressively limit the period of time that families can spend at overflow shelters to five days only. 
 
Healey made the announcements last week, which will come into force on Thursday this week. Her administration has stated that pa of some families will be sheltered as the state adds further pressure on the shelter systems due to an influx of migration and lack of affordable homes. 
 
Some of the families that will benefit with the new limits are those that have been evicted or threatened with eviction by no fault of their own or 
 
“unforeseen or uncontrollable factors for the Massachusetts residents such as fires or floods,” one or more veterans in the household, medical or newborn children or, domestic abuse situations. 
 
Those who are not prioritized will only be accommodated in the overflow center, or what is known as temporary respite shelters, and can only spend five days there starting August 1 of the same year. Earlier, the state had decided on a limit in May regarding the over flu sites of 30 days. Healey has stated that the state “cannot fund” the current size of the existing system. 
 
Holders on Monday pressed Healey to reverse the policy change, saying the policy revision will be detrimental to children and families. 
 
The protest was led by Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and it intended to demand from the governor and legislature, ‘to defend the right to shelter for children and families. 
 
In her speech at the event, a member of the coalition, Kelly Turley said that she worries that even more families will end up homeless and without jobs and housing in the state if they cannot locate accessible shelter. 
 
“The state has even spent $11 million on consultants to offer such plans on providing access to shelters,” Turley said. “At the same time, we’re telling families we don’t have money to provide a safe place for them to stay. ” 
 
Personally, Craig Andrade, associate dean at the practice, discipline at the Boston University School of Public Health also briefly spoke to GBH about the switch as being ‘inhumane. ’ 
 
“They will not obtain housing on their own because the state regulates other options,” he said to the station. “The kind of people that will be forced out will end up being without homes. ” 
 
He said that providers have informed GBH that they are already observing families living in the park or any other area and not in a site of a family shelter.