120+ Local Leaders Sign Letter Condemning State Shelter Policies

SALEM, MA - Over 120 local, elected leaders have signed a letter condemning recently-implemented Massachusetts state shelter policies.

Last Tuesday, the state started enforcing a new system that moves families into shorter- or longer-term shelters contingent on their qualifications. People on the “bridge” track, often with intellectual or developmental disabilities, can stay in shelters longer than those on the “rapid” track.

“It is heartbreaking to watch families with young children be forced into unsafe situations while the wealthy get tax breaks,” said Worcester district councilor Etel Haxhiaj. “The policies instituted do nothing to end or prevent family homelessness.”

The local leaders who signed the letter argue these tracks severely limit the amount of time families have to find affordable housing. They are asking the administration to rescind the policy barring overflow shelter families from accessing others, the two-track policy that puts some families in respite centers for 30 days and others in emergency shelters for six months and to invest more robustly in homelessness prevention.

The letter was signed by elected leaders from Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Salem, Worcester and many other Massachusetts communities.

“Immigrants and families at the forefront of the housing crisis will not have an ally in the White House,” said at-large city councilor Kyle Davis. “But Massachusetts could step up to the plate.”