Seeking Shelter

Stories of how Massachusetts is responding to a rapid rise in migrants. The new arrivals are filling family shelters, bringing new challenges for schools, and testing state leaders' commitment to welcome newcomers.

View of the Massachusetts State House from the corner of Tremont and Park Streets. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

House, Senate approve plan to cap family shelter stays at 9 months and up budget by $251 million

The agreement would pull another $251 million from the so-called Transitional Escrow Account to help pay for fiscal 2024 shelter system costs, with another $175 million available in the budget...

Health

Apr 25, 2024

La Colaborativa in Chelsea is opening a new day shelter at its headquarters on Tuesday. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

New day shelter opens in Chelsea, as state shelters remain full

La Colaborativa plans to open a new day shelter Tuesday in Chelsea to provide services for up to 200 people. The shelter is supported by a state grant administered by...

Health

Feb 19, 2024

According to a survey by the nonprofit Immigrant Family Services Institute in Boston, about 30% of recently-arrived Haitian women are pregnant. (Yoss Sabalet/Getty Images)

Pregnant newcomers to Mass. can face hurdles when seeking care

As Massachusetts grapples with an increase in new immigration, medical care is one of the challenges. This is particularly true for people who are pregnant. Patients and medical teams report...

Health

05:28Feb 15, 2024

Jeannot Bocaje left Haiti six years ago for Chile. After facing discrimination there, he set out on the road again and arrived in Massachusetts last year. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

Tracing the path to Massachusetts for thousands of new Haitian immigrants

Massachusetts has seen a dramatic increase in the number of immigrants moving to the state, and local officials say it is straining the state's safety net. While each person has...

Local Coverage

06:04Feb 9, 2024

The state has opened four temporary sites for families on the shelter waitlist. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Massachusetts overflow shelters, as seen through one family’s eyes

Since arriving in Massachusetts in mid-December, John's family has been on a harrowing journey. With their young daughter, he and his wife spent 12 nights sleeping on the hard floor...

Local Coverage

04:13Feb 5, 2024

Cots set up in the Melnea Cass Recreational Complex for the homeless migrants staying at Logan Airport. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Healey, Boston officials tour Roxbury rec center ahead of immigrants' arrival from Logan

About 75 people are expected to move into the facility Wednesday. Healey thanked the Roxbury community for vacating the center until the end of May, saying, "We're here today because...

Local Coverage

Jan 31, 2024

Dozens of migrant families sleep at Logan Airport as they wait for permanent shelter. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

Boston's Logan Airport is a 'de facto shelter' for homeless families

Between 100 and 200 people, including young children, have been sent by the state’s Family Welcome Centers to sleep in a baggage claim area. "I don't want to be rude,...

Local Coverage

05:08Jan 26, 2024

A child catches a few moments of sleep at the Immigrant Family Services Institute, in Mattapan. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

'Beyond terrible': With overflow shelters full, families huddle in cars and at Logan

More than 590 families are on the waitlist for the Massachusetts family shelter system. Recently created overflow sites have space for fewer than half of them. One homeless advocate called...

Local Coverage

04:37Jan 24, 2024

Huguens Altidor leads a computer skills class with a group migrants recently taken in by the Bethel AME Church rectory in Jamaica Plain. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

With help from the community, a church opens its doors to provide overflow shelter

The state shelter system was capped earlier this year, and now many community members are stepping up to help homeless families. A church in Jamaica Plain has converted a former...

Health

Dec 26, 2023

Immigrant Family Services Institute, in Mattapan, helps feed homeless families that have been waitlisted for the state's family shelter system. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

'Pretty bleak': Waitlist for family shelter tops 200 households after first month

Two overflow shelters have come online, but advocates said they don't have enough space for all the waitlisted families. That’s left some families sleeping in cars and even outside.

Local Coverage

Dec 11, 2023

Volunteers scoop ice cream during an ice cream social at the Catholic Charities Inn the largest assistance shelter run by Catholic Charities of Boston. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Catholic Charities Boston gets grant to temporarily shelter up to 27 families on state waitlist

Catholic Charities Boston is the first organization to receive an award from the $5 million funding pot, and will use the grant for bedding and meals for families on the...

Local Coverage

Nov 22, 2023

Rose Juliane Charles waits with her husband Lucson and daughter Sarah at the Immigrant Family Services Institute, in Mattapan, as they try to figure out where to spend the night. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Families struggle as Mass. shelter waitlist grows

One week after the state created a shelter waitlist, the number of homeless families with nowhere to go is growing. The increasingly desperate task of providing for these families has...

Local Coverage

Nov 17, 2023

Families left Logan Airport after they were informed they couldn't sleep there. Advocates said there's confusion about where people can go since shelter officials began putting families on waitlist. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

In late-night scramble, families waitlisted for state shelter told to leave Logan airport

On Wednesday night, advocates said 31 people — including 17 children — were told they could not sleep at Logan Airport. They are among those left in the lurch since...

Local Coverage

Nov 16, 2023

A hotel west of Boston that's been converted into a family shelter. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

Mass. family shelter system reaches cap. Waitlist for homeless families to begin Friday

Three weeks ago, Gov. Maura Healey announced that once the system hits 7,500 households there would be no more room. Today, the state crossed that threshold. Homeless advocates worry the...

Health

04:17Nov 9, 2023

Lieutenant General Leon Scott Rice tells reporters Tuesday that Massachusetts is activating more National Guard members to assist with the family shelter system's needs. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

As family shelter system nears capacity, Mass. deploys more National Guard members

The Healey administration said it expects to start implementing a waitlist in the state-funded family shelter system on Wednesday or Thursday. It is taking steps to create short-term overnight accommodations...

Health

Nov 7, 2023

John Adams Courthouse. (Joe Difazio/WBUR)

Judge rejects effort to halt waitlist for families seeking emergency shelter

A Superior Court judge on Wednesday denied advocates' request to temporarily stop the state from implementing a waitlist in its family shelter program.

Local Coverage

Nov 1, 2023

John Adams Courthouse. (Joe Difazio for WBUR)

State officials take emergency steps to limit the Mass. family shelter system

Officials said the emergency regulations would allow them to place families on a waitlist instead of offering immediate shelter. They would also allow limits on how long families can stay...

Local Coverage

Oct 31, 2023

Believing her family was not eligible for the shelter system, Neghumi, her husband and their three children rented half a room and shared one mattress that had lots most of its stuffing. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

How closing shelter doors could push families into illegal and unsafe housing

Massachusetts officials say the family shelter system is almost full. Within days, they expect to start putting families on a waitlist. Homeless advocates warn that could lead families to stay...

Local Coverage

04:41Oct 31, 2023

In mid-October, Gov. Maura Healey announced the state could no longer guarantee shelter and would start placing families on a waitlist when the system reached 7,500 households. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

Legal aid group sues Mass. to prevent a waitlist for family shelter

Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a class action lawsuit claiming the Healey administration failed to give lawmakers sufficient warning about major changes to the family shelter system. The suit claims...

Local Coverage

Oct 28, 2023

Thousands of families are staying in motels and hotels because the state-run family shelter system has grown rapidly over the last year. (Gabrielle Emanuel/WBUR)

Nearing capacity in shelter system, Mass. prepares to start waitlisting families

Aid groups are getting more details on a new waitlist for the state-run family shelter system — and they are sounding alarm bells.

Local Coverage

04:20Oct 27, 2023