Massachusetts senators voted Thursday to shuttle hundreds of millions of one-time use dollars to a state-run shelter system buckling under the weight of an influx of migrants from other countries and soaring costs that show little sign of slowing down. The spending bill that passed the Senate on a 32-8 vote inches Beacon Hill closer … Read more
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican who heads up the powerful House Judiciary Committee, launched an inquiry Tuesday into a Haitian charged with allegedly raping a migrant girl at a Massachusetts shelter last week, according to a letter obtained by the Herald. Jordan and U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, a California Republican, called on the … Read more
A man charged with allegedly raping a 15-year-old migrant girl at a Rockland shelter underwent two sex offender registry checks and entered the United States through a “federal program,” according to Gov. Maura Healey’s office. Cory Alvarez, 26, pleaded not guilty in Hingham District Court to one count of aggravated rape of a child and … Read more
Legislation limiting migrant and local families’ time in shelter drew fierce debate on Beacon Hill Wednesday, with Republicans arguing it did not address the root problem of migration issues in Massachusetts and Democrats pitching it as a necessity to keep shelter services sustainable. The proposal, which cleared the House on a 121-33 vote, caps migrant … Read more
Homeless families already in emergency shelters, including migrants from other countries, may be eligible for a state-run program that provides up to $30,000 over two years to find stable housing. The program, HomeBASE, has long served homeless families with children or pregnant women living in the emergency shelter system, which provides temporary housing under state’s … Read more
Massachusetts Republicans painted a bleak picture Wednesday night of a state spending billions on shelters, tax revenues in decline, residents fleeing for other parts of the country, and a lackluster education system for students. Sen. Peter Durant, a Spencer Republican, offered the stark and dark portrait of Massachusetts in response to Gov. Maura Healey’s State … Read more
Advocates and shelter providers say bubbling just beyond the surface of the family shelter crisis this winter are concerns that unaccompanied homeless adults are not receiving enough resources as temperatures drop below freezing. Cold weather arrives as one provider told the Herald that they have seen more unaccompanied, unhoused adults seeking shelter compared to last … Read more
