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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.

Protesters inside the Massachusetts State House call on Gov. Maura Healey to reconsider new restrictions to the state's family shelter system. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

A timeline of the Massachusetts shelter crisis — and Healey's changes to the system

Gov. Maura Healey has instituted a series of restrictions on Massachusetts Emergency Assistance shelter system – capping the total number of people housed and how long they can stay. Here's...

Local Coverage

Aug 12, 2024

ystem hold up banners and chant on the steps of the Massachusetts State House. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR

Activists mobilize to find migrants shelter as state restrictions begin

Small-scale efforts to help migrants are happening all over the Boston Area, from churches and activists opening up spaces to Haitians lending a hand to compatriots who arrive with nothing.

Local Coverage

05:57Aug 9, 2024

Protesters outside the Executive Office at the Massachusetts State House call on Gov. Maura Healey to reconsider new restrictions to the family shelter system. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

Calls grow for Gov. Healey to end 5-day cap on overflow shelter stays

Medical providers, homelessness prevention workers and immigrant advocates rallied at the State House Thursday to call on state leaders to reverse a controversial cap on stays in overflow shelters. Dr....

Local Coverage

04:54Aug 8, 2024

A woman, whose baby is swaddled to her chest, joins a protest against new restrictions to be made to family emergency shelter. (Sam Drysdale/SHNS)

Advocates urge Gov. Healey to reverse course on shelter limits

With some families facing eviction from overflow shelter sites later this week, the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity is collecting signatures on an open letter urging the governor to reverse...

Local Coverage

Aug 7, 2024

A group of Haitian men play dominoes to pass the time. The Whittier Street Health Center operates a day center, which lately is populated by migrants who recently arrived in the state. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

State's new 5-day shelter limit alarms housing providers

“Now the question, of course, is where are people going to go?" said Lyndia Downie, head of the Pine Street Inn. "And I don't wholly know the answer to that.”

Local Coverage

04:57Jul 29, 2024

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Gov. Maura Healey speaks to the news media. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Healey places new limits on emergency family shelter program

Some people will now be limited to five days in the state's overflow shelters. The state also is changing how it prioritizes the waitlist for families experiencing homelessness.

Local Coverage

Jul 23, 2024

A “no loitering” sign at Logan Airport Terminal E, prohibiting anyone from staying overnight at the airport terminal. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

As Logan migrants are funneled to a former prison, changes at Terminal E

An area at Logan Airport used for months as a shelter of last resort for hundreds of people was transformed Tuesday into a construction staging area. State officials are no...

Health

Jul 9, 2024

Families without anywhere to stay settle down for the night at Boston's Logan Airport this past January. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

What to know about the new rule against sleeping overnight at Logan Airport

Starting Tuesday, Boston's Logan Airport will no longer allow people experiencing homelessness to sleep overnight at the airport, after Terminal E became a de facto shelter for an increasing number...

Local Coverage

Jul 9, 2024

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

Mass. ban on 'de facto' shelter at Logan Airport begins Tuesday night

Dozens of families have lined airport floors for months following an increase in immigration and Gov. Maura Healey's decision to cap the state's emergency shelter system.

Local Coverage

Jul 9, 2024

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