An Update on Our Shelter and Stabilization Project

As you may have heard, on August 1st, Governor Maura Healey announced that her administration had completed closing all hotel-based emergency shelters. She has also lifted the emergency declaration she issued in 2023 to stabilize the overwhelmed shelter system.

Today, we are writing to inform you that our shelter and stabilization project has ended due to these closures and other factors beyond our control.

Health Equity International began this project during a crisis in the State’s shelter system. The State—unique in its “right to shelter” law for families*—faced a staggering 636% increase in shelter applications from 2021 to 2024 due in part to an influx of families fleeing devastating, life-threatening conflicts in Haiti and other countries. Guided by our mission to serve the most vulnerable and our connection to Haiti, we felt called to respond.

In May 2024, after nearly a year of preparation, we took control of two hotel-based emergency shelters in the Greater Boston area originally managed by the National Guard. We had 48 families in our initial group, most of them Haitian. Our team worked closely with each family to develop stabilization plans. We enrolled children in schools, helped adults find jobs, hosted legal and employment clinics, distributed essential supplies, supported families in securing safe, permanent housing, and more.

But the policy landscape quickly shifted. In response to rising costs and political pressure, the State introduced new restrictions such as a cap on the system’s capacity, a six-month limit for families to stay in shelter, new eligibility requirements, and an accelerated timeline to phase out hotel shelters by December 2025.

However, in May, we learned the State was closing all hotel sites six months ahead of schedule. Combined with the recent, devastating loss of our USAID funding, we could no longer shoulder the financial burden of continuing the project alone. As a result, we were forced to end our shelter project on June 30, 2025.

By its closure, our project helped 19 families transition out of emergency shelter and into their own apartments. These families are now working with the State’s remaining service providers for ongoing case management and stabilization support. The families who were still in our shelters have been transferred to other sites.

We know there are many excellent service providers and State employees who are deeply dedicated to this work and will continue to provide the best possible care for vulnerable families.

However, we are concerned that the rapid closure of hotel-based shelters and ongoing high demand for services may lead to vulnerable families slipping through the cracks.

Less than one month ago, Massachusetts Housing Secretary Ed Augustus extended the emergency declaration and stated that the shelter system was still under great stress and was unable to meet current and projected demand for services. The Boston Globe also recently reported that many families who have transitioned out of shelter are struggling to stabilize due to a difficult housing market, moving expenses, difficulties obtaining work permits, and other complex factors. Finally, the U.S. Government’s attacks on immigrants have made these already-vulnerable families fear for their very safety.

We urge the State and its partners to continue doing everything in their power to uphold their commitments to unhoused families. These families have already faced unimaginable hardship and have done everything that has been asked of them. They want to work, want their kids to succeed in school, and want to contribute to and be a part of their new communities. What more could we ask of anyone?

It was an honor to accompany so many families over the past year, and we are grateful for the trust they put in us. Our shelter team did remarkable work in a difficult context, and we are immensely proud of what we accomplished together. 

Although this project has ended, we are still deeply committed to this work. And we remain ready to serve.