A state committee charged with studying Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system, which houses local families and migrants, has proposed cutting costs in light of a $1 billion bill this fiscal year, including through the use of expensive hotels and motels.
A draft final report On the shelter system, the group released Tuesday largely shrugs off proposing specific changes and instead calls on state officials to make family homelessness rare, brief and one-off — broad themes that could drive reforms in the in light of the enormous costs and increased demand.
The suggestions come as migrants in Massachusetts and those involved in resettlement raise concerns about newly elected President Donald Trump’s positions on immigration, including a promise to carry out mass deportations at the start of his second term in the White House.
The draft report calls on the Healey government to “take steps to reduce costs within the (emergency shelter) system and increase efficiency” and eliminate the use of expensive hotels and motels, which officials used to quickly expand the shelter system’s capacity increase to a minimum.
The document, which is due before the Legislature on Dec. 1, does not provide a detailed overview of redesigning and lowering the price of emergency shelters, which are expected to cost $1 billion in each of the next fiscal years.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, chairman of the committee that wrote the report, has brought any major changes to the shelter system to the Legislature, arguing that lawmakers can decide “whether they want to know more details about what the hard border is and what the soft limit is.” border.”
“I would say we made this not about drawing lines in the sand, but about guiding principles so that we can come to some consensus,” she said. “Glad to better understand where those lines can be drawn from the Legislature, should they choose to take that up.”
But two committee members, Republican Rep. Paul Frost of Auburn and Sen. Ryan Fattman, said the draft doesn’t get to the heart of what they say drives the cost of shelter: the ability of out-of-state residents, including immigrants, to receive services.
Fattman, who still is think about a possible voting question in 2026 Addressing the shelter system, he told the Herald the report is “over the moon” and “definitely not specific enough.” He said it should be recommended to make it permanent restrictions imposed on the system by Governor Maura Healey through executive action.
“If some of those executive orders work, we need to enshrine them in law and not just make it the wave of a pen, but project that as ‘this is something that works,’” he said at the meeting.
Frost said the draft report does not address the main reason the commission was created.
“And that is the cause of this overflow, which has caused us to reach the limit of 7,500,” he said, referring to the maximum number of families who can receive services from the shelter system. “We need to do something to address the problem of out-of-state applicants.”
Sen. Robyn Kennedy, a Democrat from Worcester, fired back at Frost.
“While it may be easy at this point to blame migrants and suggest that the problem we face is because of them, that is cruel and inhumane, and frankly inaccurate,” she said. “It’s not because of the moment we’re in, it’s because of the system that is so deeply broken.”
The report states that the number of families qualifying for and requesting state-funded shelter services “began to increase rapidly” in 2022 due to federal immigration and work permit policies, a shortage of affordable housing and the end of COVID-era programs.
Healey administration officials have estimated that about half of the families in the shelter system are migrants from other countries and the other half are Massachusetts residents.
In nine short paragraphs, the draft report addresses everything from fiscal sustainability to policies “that set clear expectations and outcomes” and the move to a “needs-based” model rather than a “one-size-fits-all” ‘-approach.
The document recommends limiting reliance on hotels and motels to house homeless families, although it backs up this suggestion by recognizing that they “can be a last resort for increasing capacity during times of rapid changes in demand. ”
Hotels and motels, which can cost taxpayers hundreds of dollars per night for a single family, make up about 46% of the shelter portfolio in Massachusetts, according to the report.
“Data shows that hotels and motels are the most expensive type of accommodation in the EA system, yet often provide each family with a studio-style living space without cooking facilities,” the report said. “These sites were rapidly scaled up to respond to rising demand for EA care in 2023, but have presented significant challenges for families, providers and municipalities.”
Kennedy said the draft report should also include a section addressing what comes next after the document is released and the committee is disbanded.
“The work is not complete and it is not correct, and we need a public body that continues to meet, that continues to investigate and investigate these issues,” she said.
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless Associate Director Kelly Turley agreed with Kennedy’s idea.
“We strongly support Senator Kennedy’s recommendation to have a body that will continue the work,” Turley told the Herald. “We want to ensure that the body that continues the work is actually made up of people who are on the ground.”
Chris Van Buskirk/Boston Herald
Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll said it was unfortunate that a draft report on the emergency shelter system provided guidance for reforms. (Chris Van Buskirk/Boston Herald)