July 25, 2024
Dear Kelly,
On Tuesday, Governor Healey and her Administration announced severe limitations on access to overflow shelters for children and families, while also detailing a new prioritization plan for families awaiting access to the Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter program.
Starting on August 1st, the Administration plans to limit families to five days of shelter at the four state-funded overflow sites in Cambridge, Chelsea, Lexington, and Norfolk. Families choosing to take the five days of overflow shelter (which will be rebranded as "temporary respite centers") will not be allowed to access EA shelter for at least six months. Instead, those families will be offered transportation assistance to relocate outside of Massachusetts and the option to seek HomeBASE rehousing benefits within Massachusetts. See more details from the Governor's office here: July 23rd press release
We are shocked and saddened that families already deemed eligible for shelter who have proven that they have no other safe place to go will be forced to make the impossible choice between immediate safety for their children and the hope of coming off of the waiting list and swiftly accessing EA shelter. We expect that the families who will be most deeply harmed by this new policy will be families seeking shelter after being evicted for nonpayment of rent from a market-rate unit, newly arrived immigrant families who are resettling in Massachusetts, and others
We are calling on the Governor to reconsider this plan and we are calling on the Legislature to intervene to stop these unfair and unprecedented eligibility restrictions. We hope you can join us next Monday for one of two actions that we are planning along with Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and allied organizations.
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Who: Families, advocates, providers, community leaders, faith community members, legislators, members of the media, and more
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What: Two actions/press conferences to maintain access to shelter for families with children
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When: Monday, July 29th, 11 a.m.–12 p.m.
- Where:
- Boston: In front of the Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133, on the Beacon Street side, across from the Boston Common
- Springfield: In front of Governor Healey's Western Massachusetts Office, State Office Building, 436 Dwight Street, Springfield, MA 01103
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Can’t come in person? We will be back in touch to share a sample call script so you can reach out to the Governor, your State Representative, and your State Senator that day.
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Organizational cosponsors: Please contact Kelly if your organization would like to cosponsor the event.
Thank you as always for your collaboration in ensuring that everyone in Massachusetts has a safe and permanent place to call home.
With hope and gratitude,
Kelly and Julia
Kelly Turley
She/her/hers
Associate Director
kelly@mahomeless.org
Julia Garvey
She/her/hers
Community Organizer/Legislative Advocate
julia.garvey@mahomeless.org
P.S. Stay up to date with the Coalition’s advocacy initiatives by following us on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. (Links also included at the top of this message.)
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