Number of families in Mass. emergency shelter down to lowest level since 2023

The number of families in the state's emergency shelters has fallen below 5,000, the lowest level since the summer of 2023. The Healey administration is touting the decrease as the result of policies aimed at reining in the shelter system.

“We inherited an Emergency Shelter System that was on an unsustainable path,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement. “We’ve taken decisive action to reduce the number of families in shelter and lower the cost of the system — and we’re getting results.”

Massachusetts is required to house homeless families and pregnant women under its right to shelter law. The emergency shelter system expanded as the state began to see an influx of new migrant families arrive in late 2022 and 2023, many drawn by the state's shelter policies.

The run on shelter beds caused the cost of the shelter system to nearly triple over earlier levels, eventually costing taxpayers over $1 billion annually. That prompted the state to clamp down on capacity and lengths of stay, as well as to introduce new requirements limiting the numbers of families who qualify.

By late 2023, the number of families in shelters peaked as the Healey administration introduced a 7,500-family cap.

State officials mobilized hotels for shelter space as demand for beds increased. Now, the number of hotels has been more than halved, with 44 hotels now in use, down from 100 in fall 2023. And the Healey administration claims it’s on track to end the costly practice this year.

The administration said the reduction in shelter stays is due to new policies restricting eligibility. That includes requiring that residents have legal status in the U.S. and are Massachusetts residents.

The state also limited shelter stays to six months, down from a year under the previous rules.

The administration said the number of families in shelter is on track to decline even further, as the state seeks to return to levels seen before the increase in new migrant arrivals. In March, the state again reduced the system's capacity to 5,800 families — that will drop to 4,000 in 2026.

Less than half of the families now in emergency shelter entered the country as migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, according to state data.

Along with new state shelter restrictions, stricter immigration enforcement from the federal government is also a factor in the decline of demand for shelter, according to Jeff Thielman of the nonprofit  International Institute of New England. The nonprofit has state contracts to assist families as they’re exiting shelters.

“We are seeing fewer people coming to Massachusetts from other countries, especially through the southern border, because the borders have been pretty much closed,” Thielman said.

He noted the decrease in migrant arrivals began late in the Biden administration, and accelerated further under President Trump.

It’s hard to say if the shelter system is on a path to being sustainable, Thielman said. But in order to avoid increased demand in the future, he said the state should focus on services that prevent people from needing shelter in the first place. That includes housing resources and help for people seeking to enter the workforce.