Senate on board with shelter system spending cut
BOSTON (SHNS) – Top legislative Democrats appear to be in early agreement on cutting funding for the emergency shelter system that has been under enormous pressure for most of the last two years.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday rolled out a fiscal year 2026 budget bill that calls for $275 million for emergency assistance shelters, the same amount in the budget draft the House approved last week.
Healey administration officials expect the state will spend more than $1 billion on the system through the end of fiscal 2025. A series of eligibility reforms and service caps have decreased the caseload in recent months, and lawmakers now appear confident enough to try to trim spending dramatically.
Senate budget chief Michael Rodrigues told reporters the $275 million proposal 'makes sense at this time' as demand drops and as the balance of families in the system shifts toward more long-term Bay Staters and fewer newly arriving migrants.
Asked if $275 million will be enough to meet demand for all of fiscal 2026, Rodrigues replied, 'We think so.'
'We never plan on supps,' he said, referring to midyear spending bills known as supplemental budgets. 'We budget what we think is going to provide us enough resources for the fiscal year. But supps happen, other stuff happens.'
Lawmakers and Gov. Maura Healey underfunded the emergency assistance shelter system in the annual budget in each of the past two years, requiring the administration to seek additional funding partway through the year to keep services running.
In February, Healey signed a bill pumping another $425 million into the system while enacting a series of reforms, including shorter stay limits, a cap on families the state will serve in 2026 and tighter security measures.
Shelter caseload has been dropping. In mid-April, the administration announced the number of families in the system fell below 5,000 for the first time since July 2023, a 33% decrease from its peak.
Healey proposed $325 million for emergency family shelters in her annual budget, which she filed in January. Rodrigues said Tuesday that 'a lot's changed since January.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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