![]() ![]() Her administration believes actual costs in both this year and next will top $915 million. Healey this week unveiled a state budget plan that proposes spending $325 million on the emergency shelter program, but that’s well short of what’s needed. The influx of migrant families has strained state finances. That demand far outpaces the roughly 180 families the state has been able to accommodate at overflow shelters in Quincy, a former courthouse in Cambridge, and elsewhere. The system is still at capacity, according to state data, and as of last week, there were more than 540 families on the state’s waitlist. The crisis has shown few signs of abating since. Lawmakers also passed language requiring Healey stand up overflow sites after she began limiting how many people the shelter system could house under a 7,500-family cap. The Legislature included up to $50 million for overflow shelters - and $250 million overall for the system - in a multibillion-dollar spending bill Healey signed last month. As of mid-January, 1,305 homeless and migrant families were staying in hotels, motels, or shelters in Boston, by far the most of any Massachusetts town or city Worcester, with 302 families, had the second most, according to state data. Of the roughly 7,500 families in the state system, about half are migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers, state officials have said. The overflow sites are designed for those waiting for a place in the state’s emergency shelter program, where officials say the demands have pushed costs to nearly $1 billion a year. She added that, “we need to have a sense that all the state options have been exhausted.” Wu said that Boston wants to help, but noted the Melnea Cass site would be the largest overflow site in Massachusetts and is the first time the state is asking a community to give up a local asset to address the migrant crisis. “You’re really putting us in a bad, bad situation,” said Rodney Singleton on the call. She faced stiff pushback from some Roxbury residents who said their neighborhood was already overburdened with problems due to decades of disinvestment. The center could hold 300 to 400 people, providing places to sleep, showers, play, and access to computers. Indeed, her administration said the site could start accepting families as soon as next Wednesday, and the operation would wind down in mid-to-late May. “It looks like it could work well,” she said. Healey made her pitch to about 250 people on the Zoom call, saying she was asking for help from the community and emphasizing she knew that the facility was important. Politicians, including Governor Healey, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and multiple state legislators and city councilors attended an online listening session Friday about the proposal. It wasn’t immediately clear how that would affect others who currently use the recreation complex, including for afterschool or sports programs. Should the state ultimately open a shelter at the Roxbury center, officials believe it could hold roughly 100 families, according to Healey’s office. ![]() “Our system is at capacity and there is an urgent need for additional safety-net sites,” Rice said, “and we appreciate the collaboration of communities to help us ensure that no family is left out in the cold.” Scott Rice, the state’s emergency assistance director, said the Healey administration is evaluating “numerous facilities,” including the Roxbury center, for homeless families, “especially those staying at Logan Airport overnight.” Scores of people have been sleeping in the airport’s Terminal E, including about 80 people on Thursday night, the Globe reported. It includes a 24,000-square-foot indoor field house and an outdoor pool for use during warmer months. The Cass complex in Roxbury is the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s only year-round indoor facility, according to the state’s website. ![]()
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