Gov. Healey Pushes $425M Spending Bill To Prevent Shelter Crisis As Funds Set To Run Dry By Jan. 31

Gov. Maura Healey has proposed a $425 million spending bill to keep Massachusetts' emergency shelter system running through the end of fiscal year 2025. 

The plan unveiled recently would drain nearly all remaining pandemic-era surplus funds to cover rising shelter costs. Without the cash injection, state officials predict funding for the system, which supports migrants and residents, will run out by January 31.

Healey stressed the urgency in a letter to lawmakers, calling for immediate action. "Additional resources are necessary to fund the current system in the short term while accelerating efforts to increase the rate of exits and bring the caseload down to sustainable levels," Healey wrote. She also criticized the federal government's inaction on border security and immigration reform.

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The state-run shelter system currently houses about 7,500 families, including children and pregnant women. This number is pushing the system to its limits, with state data showing Massachusetts spent about $325 million on the Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter program in the first half of fiscal year 2024.

The EA budget for Fiscal Year 2024 was $955 million, reflecting a significant increase from previous years. 

Healey's proposal includes policy reforms aimed at reducing costs. She plans to cut the maximum stay in state shelters from nine to six months and phase out the use of hotels and motels by the end of 2024. 

The governor's spending plan has sparked heated debate. Massachusetts operates under a “right-to-shelter” law, which mandates emergency housing for eligible families. Critics argue the system is financially unsustainable and point to recent incidents to bolster their case. 

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For example, in December 2024, Massachusetts State Police arrested 28-year-old Dominican national Leonardo Andujar Sanchez at a state-run emergency family shelter in Revere. Authorities discovered approximately 10 pounds of fentanyl, valued at over $1 million, along with an AR-15 rifle and large-capacity magazines in his possession.

Earlier in the year, in March 2024, 26-year-old Haitian national Cory Bernard Alvarez was arrested for allegedly raping a 15-year-old girl at a Comfort Inn in Rockland, Massachusetts, which was serving as a migrant shelter. 

Alvarez was initially held without bail but was released on a $500 bond in June, despite an immigration detainer lodged by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE agents rearrested him in August near his residence in Brockton. 

Massachusetts Republicans have criticized Gov. Maura Healey’s administration for allegedly spending nearly $1 billion on the state’s migrant crisis without sufficient transparency. 

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MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale stated in a release from the State's Republican Party, “The Healey-Driscoll Administration has shrouded nearly $1 billion spent in secrecy, leaving Massachusetts residents in the dark.” 

She accused the administration of withholding critical information on numerous incidents involving police, fire and emergency medical services.

Still, Healey's administration maintains the system has provided vital support to vulnerable families. "Massachusetts taxpayers should not be footing the bill for this federal problem," Healey said in a public statement, calling for federal action on immigration reform.

While Democrats control both the Massachusetts House and Senate, their response remains uncertain. Senate President Karen Spilka's office said it would review the bill upon arrival, while House Speaker Ron Mariano is yet to respond.

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