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Families staying at an overnight shelter inside the state’s transportation building downtown now have a place to shower and store belongings during the day.
As lawmakers work to come to an agreement about funding overflow shelter sites, the YMCA of Greater Boston is stepping in to help some of the families waiting for placement in the state’s emergency shelter system.
The system, which has been overburdened for months, now has more families than can safely be placed in shelters across Massachusetts, officials have said. In response, a space in the state transportation building in Boston was recently converted to an overflow shelter site that can accommodate 25 waitlisted families. But that space is only open at night, prompting a collaboration between the state and the YMCA.
Daytime services are now being offered at the Wang YMCA of Chinatown on Oak Street West, officials told reporters earlier this week. There is no formal contract between the YMCA and the state, The Boston Globe reported, but the site is welcoming families daily to shower, store their luggage, and eat lunch.
“We’re just doing it,” YMCA of Greater Boston president David Shapiro told reporters, per the Globe. “It’s the right thing to do for newcomers coming here.”
The emergency shelter system has been pushed to the brink by an ongoing housing crisis and an influx of migrants this year. Gov. Maura Healey issued an emergency declaration and has been pressuring the federal government to help with funding and expedited work authorizations. The state implemented a 7,500-family cap on the system earlier in the fall, with families being put on a waitlist and prioritized for shelter placements based on a number of factors.
As of Thursday, there were 7,546 families in the shelter system, according to state data. A total of 24 families enrolled in it over a 24-hour period.
Finding those waitlisted families a place to stay has become a top priority for officials and advocates. Through a partnership with the United of Way of Massachusetts Bay, $5 million in state funding is being used to support local organizations as they create overflow shelter sites. Catholic Charities Boston became the first organization to use that money to set up a site, which can accommodate 81 people.
A spending bill that includes funding for temporary shelter sites has been tied up in negotiations among Massachusetts lawmakers for weeks. House and Senate Democratic leaders said Thursday that they had reached an agreement on the bill in informal sessions. Republicans delayed further action on Thursday, and talks were still ongoing as of midday Friday.
Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice, tapped by Healey as the state’s emergency assistance director, has been overseeing the state’s response to the crisis. He said this week that more overflow shelter sites are being set up, including “bigger, more permanent places” that can provide shelter through the winter, according to the Globe.
In addition to the transportation building at 10 Park Plaza, other state government buildings could be used.
“We’re looking at all options. My goal right now is, if somebody is not placed into our shelter system then they need some place to have a roof overhead and be warm.” Rice told the Globe.
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