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Mass. state shelter system to begin process to evict migrants and other families

150 families will receive 90-day notices to leave in July, meaning the system could see the first state-mandated departures by Sept. 29.

By Molly Farrar

June 12, 2024

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The state’s overwhelmed shelter system will begin issuing notices next month for migrant and homeless families to leave the shelters, Governor Maura Healey’s office announced Wednesday.

About 150 families will get a 90-day notice to leave the state’s Emergency Assistance Family Shelter System starting in early July, meaning the system will see the first state-mandated departures by Sept. 29. Some families can qualify for up to two 90-day extensions, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) said.

Half of the families in the shelters are migrants, and more than 4,000 have been in the system for more than nine months, officials said. Up to 150 families will receive exit notices per month.

Extensions can be offered to families that are about to be housed, include a veteran, have children in public school, or are experiencing pregnancy, health issues, disability, or domestic violence concerns. The EOHLC released guidelines for families seeking extensions Wednesday.

After the two 90-day extensions, families with babies, health problems, or risk of violence or harm can also submit a hardship waiver.

Families facing eviction will be notified via email and by mail to their shelter address, according to the state’s guidelines.

Last year, average shelter stay was 14 months

In October, Healey began capping the number of families in the overburdened system at 7,500, a then-unprecedented limit on the state’s “right-to-shelter” law. The stay limits are necessary to address the state’s current capacity and financial burdens, according to Healey.

Lawmakers addressed the capacity issues in March and approved the nine-month stay maximum. It nearly cuts in half a typical stay. In 2023, the state reported that families sheltered an average of 14 months.

Families who leave the system can reapply for shelter immediately, the guidelines said, but will join a waitlist after hundreds of families. Nearly 800 families were waiting for shelter as of last week, The Boston Globe reported.

Healey said in a statement that there’s been a “steady increase” in families leaving the system as the state prepares to issue the eviction notices.

“This policy is a responsible measure to address the capacity and fiscal constraints of our state’s emergency assistance system,” Healey said. “This new length of stay policy will strengthen those efforts to connect families with the resources and services they need to move into more stable housing and contribute to our workforce. We’re grateful to the Legislature for their partnership.”