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Providers and legal advocates press lawmakers to restore presumptive shelter eligibility and extend stay limits

Joint Committee on Children and Families and Persons with Disabilities · November 18, 2025
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Summary

Witnesses told the committee that recent changes to Emergency Assistance (EA) have limited access to shelter, leaving families sleeping in cars or parks; H216 would reinstate presumptive eligibility, prohibit stay limits shorter than nine months, and require the Executive Office to use existing state records rather than deny families who lack documentation at intake.

Representatives of homelessness providers, legal-service organizations, and municipal coalitions urged the committee to advance House Bill 216 to repair what they described as a constricted emergency-shelter system.

Kelly Turley of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and lawyers from Greater Boston Legal Services described operational consequences after recent policy changes: presumptive eligibility was curtailed, shelter-duration caps were shortened to six months in many cases, and document requirements routinely delayed placements. "We are witnessing the daily fallout for children and parents experiencing homelessness," Turley said.

Speakers recommended multiple statutory fixes: reinstate presumptive eligibility for families who appear imminently at risk of homelessness, forbid stay-limits shorter than nine months, require agencies to use data already held by state systems to verify eligibility, and create an independent ombuds unit to support families navigating appeals. Advocates said 30‑day rapid shelters and the current prioritization scheme leave many families out, sometimes sleeping in cars or under bridges while required paperwork is processed.

Nonprofit providers and municipal coalitions warned of rising winter risks and urged the committee to report the bill favorably and to coordinate changes during the supplemental and FY27 budget processes.

Closing: The committee heard the testimony and requested additional materials; no vote occurred in the hearing.