Should shelter for migrants and homeless families come with a time limit?

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Katie Lannan covers the State House for GBH News. Feedback? Questions? Story ideas? Reach out to Katie at katie_lannan@wgbh.org.

March 08, 2024

Updated March 11, 2024

Lawmakers in the Massachusetts House this week approved another $245 million to keep the state's emergency shelter network from buckling under unprecedented demand. But that money comes with a catch — the House's bill would also limit how long families are able to stay in shelter.

Shelter stays would be capped at either nine or 12 months, depending on a family's circumstances. Top House Democrats say it's a temporary reform that, coupled with efforts to connect shelter residents with work and job-training, will help the state continue operating a system that's stretched past its capacity amid an influx of new migrant arrivals and a persistent housing affordability crisis.

The House's Republican caucus uniformly voted against the bill, after unsuccessfully trying to add an amendment limiting shelter eligibility to people who have lived in Massachusetts for at least six months. Eight Democrats also opposed the bill, including Cambridge Rep. Mike Connolly, who doesn't see a time limit as the right answer.

Connolly and Stephanie Rosario Rodriguez of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition join Katie Lannan to discuss.