As need for emergency shelters in Mass. spikes, so do costs

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For the past decade or so, Massachusetts taxpayers have spent between $100 million and $200 million a year on family shelters. This year, lawmakers allocated more than $325 million, an all-time high. And the Healey Administration says more is needed. Here's a look at where the money is going, and how it fits into the state's budget.

The number of households in Massachusetts’ family shelter system has risen dramatically this year. And so has the price tag.

With a supplemental budget proposal, Healey is requesting an additional $250 million to expand the number of shelter units and help school districts absorb new students, among other expenditures. However, he said, the state is not currently funding family shelters at the expense of other programs or out of a rainy day fund, or even looking at raising taxes.

First, there’s a growing number of families entering the system. The number of families in state-funded shelters has more than doubled this year to over 6,700 families, which constitutes about 22,000 parents and children. Some experts expect the average length of stay to increase if immigrants continue waiting months — or longer — to get work permits from the federal government.Unfortunately, the answer to this question seems to be, no. The cost per family has been growing as the system expands.

 

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As need for emergency shelters in Mass. spikes, so do costsFor the past decade or so, Massachusetts taxpayers have spent between $100 million and $200 million a year on family shelters. This year, lawmakers allocated more than $325 million, an all-time high. And the Healey Administration says more is needed. Here's a look at where the money is going, and how it fits into the state's budget.
Source: WBUR - 🏆 274. / 63 Read more »