08-04-2025
How many families are in Massachusetts emergency housing assistance
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – There are 5,449 families in Massachusetts who are currently being housed in emergency housing in Massachusetts, the state's biweekly report indicates.
In December last year, the Healey Administration changed how it handles families' needs and risks, and assigns them to shelters. They are placed on one of two tracks, the Bridge or the Rapid shelter. Both tracks have the overarching goal of making shelter stays rare, brief, and non-recurring, and aim to give families the resources they need to acquire stable housing and employment.
Bridge track families are considered to have higher or more complex needs and are permitted to stay in traditional shelters for up to six months. There are 5,201 families currently in this system.
Rapid track families are determined to have lower support needs and are permitted to stay in temporary shelter sites for up to 30 days. There are 248 families currently in this system.
Clarion Hotel in West Springfield closing its emergency shelter
The state is also working to transition families out of hotels and place them into safe and stable housing. Over the last 14 days, 1,709 hotel rooms have been in use for those in the emergency shelter system, and 92 have since been phased out.
As of April 3rd, 5,449 families are in shelters or hotels, 2,316 of those entered Massachusetts as migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. In western Massachusetts, around 537 families are being housed in emergency shelters.
In western Massachusetts, there are currently no Rapid track families at temporary respite centers. The following towns and cities have families in the Bridge track:
Amherst: 6
Chicopee: 44, 30 hotel rooms in use
Greenfield: 10
Holyoke: 163
Northampton: 8, 8 hotel rooms in use
Pittsfield: 15
Springfield: 254
West Springfield: 37, 36 hotel rooms in use
Domestic violence or abuse: 417
Health and Safety Risk / Ask to Leave, Threatened Eviction: 1,231
Housing situation not meant for human habitation: 1,860
Fire, flood, or natural disaster: 35
Asked to leave a Teen Living Program: 11
Other: 1,425
Eviction: 464
In fiscal year 2024, the state spent $894 million on the system. In total, since October 2022, Massachusetts has spent over $58.3 million in supplemental funding for school districts across the state. According to the report, fiscal year 2025's project costs will be around $1.064 billion.
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