Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Migrant Shelters And City Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Peabody committee says state has provided limited information on migrant shelters; Holiday Inn slated to close Dec. 31, 2025
Summary
The municipal safety committee reported limited state communication about hotel-based migrant shelters, noted increased public-safety calls and building wear at the Holiday Inn site, and said the city will press for better coordination as the state plans to end use of the Holiday Inn on Dec. 31, 2025.
Peabody Councilor Manning Martin, chair of the Municipal Safety Committee, told the City Council on April 24 that city departments have received “little communication from the state” about the placement, operations and exit plans for migrant shelters housed in local hotels.
That lack of information, Manning Martin said, left department heads unable to report whether families relocated from other shelters or when state plans would begin and end. “The state has not been really forthcoming and sharing information with the city officials,” he said.
The committee heard reports from city department heads who reviewed calls and inspections tied to three hotel sites used as shelters: the Holiday Inn (1 Newbury Street), Extended Stay America (200 Jubilee Drive) and SpringHill Suites (43 Newbury Street). Fire Chief Jay Dowling said the city has seen more emergency calls at those locations than in past years. According to Dowling, call volumes ranged from “2 and a half times” at some sites to “5 times” at the Holiday Inn, compared with pre‑COVID levels cited for 2019.
A city health department representative told the committee the Holiday Inn had some ordinance violations that were addressed and no fines were issued. The health official reported there were about 253 people at the Holiday Inn as of the week of the committee meeting and that the facility is scheduled to stop being used as a state shelter on Dec. 31, 2025.
The building commissioner told the committee the city had little contact with the state building commissioner. When a hotel’s status changed to a state‑run shelter, state jurisdiction took precedence and local building officials said they lacked full purview. The building commissioner said the state would control the occupancy‑permit process for those hotels now designated as shelters.
Mayor Bettencourt and committee members praised the Peabody school department staff for absorbing increased enrollment and said hotel buildings, designed for short stays, have experienced unusual wear and will need repairs if they return to typical hotel use. Manning Martin said the committee will follow up with department heads and the mayor and will keep residents informed as the city seeks clearer communications from state agencies.
No motions or votes were taken on policy changes at the committee report; Manning Martin described the item as a report of progress and said he will seek updates as the state provides them.
