Healey administration provides update on hotel shelter program

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey has announced that the final hotel shelters in Massachusetts are closed.

The governor’s office says it inherited two challenges when it arrived in office in 2023: an unprecedented surge of families seeking emergency shelter and a flawed system that was ill-equipped to handle such a surge. A state of emergency was then declared. 

Governor Healey worked with the Legislature to reform the Right to Shelter law to implement a six-month length of stay limit, require proof of Massachusetts residency and require that all family members have lawful immigration status, with limited exemptions.

The governor’s office noted that Massachusetts has historically turned to hotels and motels to shelter homeless families when traditional shelters reach capacity.