Massachusetts Allocates $245 Million for Emergency Shelters Amid Growing Demand
Lawmakers Propose Nine-Month Shelter Stays to Address Capacity Challenges
According to Just the News with a rising number of people seeking shelter the Massachusetts House of Representatives agreed to allocate budget to provide an extra $245 million to help emergency family shelters. This decision to allocate budget comes as the state faces difficulty in accommodating more migrants causing strain on the existing shelter system. To tackle this issue lawmakers are suggesting that people stay in shelters for only nine months as currently they are staying for much longer around 13-14 months on average.
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Movoto)$245M Massachusetts Lawmakers Allocate Budget to Ease Migrant Shelter Strain as Demand Soars
Struggles Persist Despite Efforts: Massachusetts Grapples with Sustained Shelter Demand and Local Challenges
Even though steps have been taken to ease the pressure such as Governor Maura Healey’s attempt to limit the number of families to 7,500 the demand for shelter remains high with over 700 families still waiting for help. Massachusetts stands out because it has a law that guarantees shelter to those in need but there are worries about how long this can be sustained. Aaron Michlewitz, the head of the House Ways and Means Committee stressed the importance of keeping the benefits of the shelter program while finding ways to make it more manageable. Yet certain towns like Stoughton are finding it harder to cope. In a letter to Governor Healey, Stoughton’s Town Manager, Thomas Calter, explained the challenges they face in accommodating more migrants without any say in the matter. He asked for more allocate budget from the state to support the 230 migrant families in their care. With limited funds available towns like Stoughton are looking for other ways to handle the unexpected costs of sheltering migrants during this crisis.
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