(NewsNation) — The mayor of a small Massachusetts town is calling to reform the state’s “right-to-shelter” law that is putting a strain on the area as thousands of migrants arrive.
Under the 1983 law, Massachusetts officials are required to offer housing to any homeless family seeking shelter. Although individuals are not covered under the law, it does cover the influx of migrant families entering the state.
Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin told the New York Times that the law was “passed at a different time, and was not meant to cover what we’re seeing now.”
“We’re going above and beyond, while some communities around us are not being impacted, and we don’t have endless capacity in our schools,” he said. “The benefits that are bestowed on migrants make the state a very attractive destination, and without some changes, this challenge is not going to abate.”
Galvin says he has about 150 families staying at hotels in his community of about 40,000, which he says is unsustainable in the long run.
Massachusetts is the only state with a right-to-shelter law that guarantees families with children a place to stay if they meet certain criteria. According to the New York Times, the number of families in emergency shelters and hotels in the state has doubled in the past year.
As of last week, nearly 6,300 families are living in emergency shelters and hotels, costing the state an estimated $45 million monthly.
In early August, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency, joining New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C., as areas whose resources are also stretched thin due to the influx of migrants.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams says this is one of those political issues where he doesn’t see an end in sight and has called on the federal government to do more.
