Access to emergency shelters would be restricted under a proposal by Sens. Peter Durant, R-Spencer, and Ryan Fattman, R-Webster.
As winter approaches and more families might struggle to put a roof over their heads, Central Massachusetts legislators have proposed restrictions on migrants’ eligibility for emergency shelter.
Emergency family shelters would be available only for U.S. citizens and those who have been in Massachusetts for longer than one year, under a legislative proposal by Sens. Peter Durant, R-Spencer, and Ryan Fattman, R-Webster.
These bills could greatly affect Worcester County where the most recent count identified a record-high 3,110 homeless residents, about 20% higher than 2024. More than 200 people were found unsheltered, living in their cars or encampments on the night of the homelessness census.
“Our goal is to make Massachusetts less attractive for people just entering the country,” Durant said.
While acknowledging the state’s responsibility to take care of those in need, he added, “but again, we want to keep it so that it is for residents of Massachusetts. It is for those who are here legally and not just trying to take advantage of the system.”
Massachusetts is the only state with a right-to-shelter law, enacted in 1983, which guarantees homeless families with children and pregnant women access to emergency shelters. A influx of migrants in 2023 strained state shelters, prompting policymakers to reconsider the law.
In response, Gov. Maura Healey proposed new limits on the right-to-shelter law earlier this year, including imposing a statutory residency requirement, meaning that applicants should show an intent to remain, either through independent documentary verification or through three months of physical presence in the state. Before that, only self-attestation was required.
In April, the number of families in shelters fell below 5,000 for the first time since July 2023, according to state data, following new limits on the Emergency Assistance Shelter System. And the number of families of migrants, refugees or asylum seekers fell to less than half.
But these changes have shifted the financial burden to HomeBASE, a program that provides cash assistance to families eligible for shelters, Durant said.
Durant also introduced a bill that would limit HomeBASE to those who have resided in Massachusetts for longer than one year, restricting recent arrivals’ eligibility for state assistance to pay for rent and utilities.
The emergency shelter system was estimated to cost the state $1 billion in fiscal 2025. But hidden costs to cover health care emerge when Massachusetts is a “magnet” to migrants, Durant added.
“People are resourceful,” Durant said. If his bills pass, he expects ineligible migrants to leave the U.S., relocate to stay with their relatives, or make other arrangements.
Advocates argue that these proposed restrictions are taking the last safety net away before new arrivals reach self-sufficiency.
Meg Gallo, program director at the Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center’s Worcester office, said refugees, the main clients she works with, typically do not enter shelters when they arrive. Instead, they receive initial housing assistance through resettlement programs and, with immediate work authorization, typically become able to pay their rent within four to six months.
They could end up forced into shelters, however, under recent federal funding cuts on MassHealth and food assistance programs like SNAP and WIC, Gallo said.
She worries that these cuts will cause tremendous hardship for new arrivals who work to get their feet on the ground, making them more vulnerable to homelessness. If shelter is not available as a safety net, she said, “that is creating a situation where we are just inviting people to be on the streets.”