Press Room

The Massachusetts House of Representatives today approved a $2.8 billion supplemental budget to close the books for Fiscal Year 2023, including $250 million to support the Commonwealth’s response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis and influx of families seeking emergency assistance. As of today, there were 7,488 families enrolled in the emergency assistance program, according to the Healey-Driscoll Administration.

“As the Commonwealth’s shelter system continues to face unprecedented challenges, the funding provided in this supplemental budget, along with the mandated establishment of an overflow emergency site, will help to manage this crisis and ensure that Massachusetts does everything that it can to provide shelter for vulnerable families. We continue to call on Congress to approve funds for the local management of this crisis, which is a direct result of legislative inaction on immigration reform, and we continue to urge the Biden-Harris Administration to expedite the work authorization process so that migrants can begin working and successfully exit the emergency assistance program,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I want to thank Chairman Michlewitz and Leader Peisch for their work on this legislation, as well as all my colleagues in the House for recognizing the critical importance of the provisions that are included in this supplemental budget.”

“As the Commonwealth works through this crisis, the $250 million in additional funding for our emergency family shelter system will help support our communities and school districts have the resources they need. The inclusion of $50 million for a state funded overflow site will ensure that no family has to sleep out in the open as we approach the winter months,” said Representative Aaron Michlewitz, Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means (D-Boston). “I want to thank the Speaker, Leader Peisch, and all my colleagues in the House for their support on this issue.”

The $250 million includes $50 million that is contingent upon the Administration identifying a state-funded overflow emergency shelter site for families who have been waitlisted as a result of the emergency regulations issued by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on October 31, 2023, which set a cap of 7,500 families participating in the program. The bill requires the Administration to set up an overflow site or sites within 30 days after enactment, otherwise, the emergency regulations setting the cap would have to be revoked.

The $250 million for emergency assistance also includes:

·       $75 million for supplemental school district costs associated with additional mandatory student enrollments

·       $10 million for resettlement agencies to connect families with housing and other services

·       $6 million for additional municipal support

·       $5 million for migrant and refugee workforce programs

·       $65 million for the costs associated with sheltering eligible families

·       $18 million for temporary emergency shelter sites

·       $12 million for wraparound services provided to families

·       $6 million for supplemental staffing needs at emergency assistance shelters

·       $3 million for the various family triage centers in the Commonwealth

In addition to the funds allocated for the crisis, the bill includes monthly reporting requirements to ensure that the Legislature and the public has access to the information on which the Administration is basing its decisions. Reports should include the total number of new families who are migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers; the number of families in hotels or motels, by municipality; the number of individuals with work authorizations; and the total amount expended on the emergency assistance program. The Administration will also be required to notify the Legislature of any changes to the period of emergency assistance benefits, including limiting or adjusting the duration of benefits not less than 60 days prior to any change.

Having passed the House of Representatives 133-25, the bill now goes to the Senate for the consideration. The full text can be found here.