Massachusetts debates how long homeless people can stay in shelters

BOSTON (AP) — A proposal that would limit how long homeless people can stay in emergency state shelters was approved by Massachusetts House lawmakers Wednesday as the system strains under an influx of migrants.

Under the bill, which passed on 121-33 vote and now heads to the Senate, the state would limit the maximum stay to nine months with an additional three months for those who are employed or enrolled in a job training program.

Pregnant women and people with disabilities, among other conditions, would be eligible for 12 consecutive months regardless of their employment status.

The bill states that its goal is to help families successfully exit the program and enter the workforce, while at the same time opening space for families who have been waitlisted as a result of the emergency regulations issued by Gov. Maura Healey last year.

Those regulations set a cap of 7,500 families participating in the emergency shelter program. As of Wednesday, about 700 families were waiting to be enrolled in the program — a number that is expected to continue to grow. The bill would set aside an additional $245 million through the end of the fiscal year to help provide the additional shelter help.

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