Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has already spent more than half a billion dollars this fiscal year on taxpayer-funded shelters housing migrants and local families, according to public data, though state officials contend the number of new arrivals in the system is decreasing.
Immigration
Security scrub of Massachusetts emergency shelters finds flaws
Safety policies for state-run shelters are inconsistent, security presence at sites vary “significantly,” and a lack of coordination between state officials, providers, and police hinders the ability to share information about residents’ backgrounds, a report released Friday said.
Mass. Senate debate on taxpayer-funded shelters reveals spilt among Democrats
Senate lawmakers passed a $425 million spending bill Wednesday that shuttles money to cash-starved emergency shelters after an hours-long debate that showed cracks among Democrats over universal background checks and an independent review of state spending.
Massachusetts reports spending nearly $500M so far in FY25 on state-run shelters
Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has spent nearly $500 million on the state-run shelter system in fiscal year 2025, according to state data released more than a week after budget writers said they ran out of cash to pay for the emergency assistance program.
Pam Bondi freezes DOJ funding for sanctuary cities, as Michelle Wu gets date to testify in front of Congress
Pam Bondi freezes DOJ funding for sanctuary cities, as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gets date to testify in front of Congress
House Democrats want to temporarily block non-Massachusetts residents from taxpayer-funded shelters
Top House budget writers released a $425 million spending bill to fund state-run shelters that seeks to temporarily cap the emergency assistance program at 4,000 families starting later this year and allow the state to block from the system anyone who is not a Massachusetts resident.
