Massachusetts will soon require migrants staying in the state's at-capacity shelter system to begin showing they're trying to get work or housing, according to an announcement from the Healey administration Monday.
The state also announced Monday that it will be opening a new so-called safety-net site at a vacant building at the Chelsea Soldiers' Home that's been slated for demolition.
The moves come as Massachusetts continues to contend with an influx of migrants — lawmakers on Beacon hill are working to add hundreds of millions of dollars to the state's budget to help address the issue.
Under the new requirements, effective May 1, migrants staying at safety-net sites will need to show they're working on getting authorized or trained to work in the country, apply for jobs, take English classes or search for housing every month in order to stay at the housing sites. The policy doesn't apply to United Way of Massachusetts Bay-run sites.
"We have said for months now that our system is at capacity, and we do not have the space, providers or funding to continue expanding," Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice said in a statement. "This new certification policy is a responsible step to address the capacity constraints at our safety-net sites. Families will need to demonstrate that they’ve taken action to get on a path toward independence and out of shelter."
The state currently spends about $75 million each month — or about $10,000 per family — on the 7,500 migrant and local families that are living in emergency shelters across the state.
Housing the roughly 100 migrant families due to move into the new Chelsea Soldiers' Home site in April will not affect services for veterans, Secretary of Veterans Services Dr. Jon Santiago noted in a statement. The building has fallen out of use after a brand-new facility, the Massachusetts Veterans Home of Chelsea, was opened last year.
