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City staff report 42 families at registry respite center; 29 have leases pending home‑base processing
Summary
City housing liaison reported state-run temporary respite centers remain in operation; the registry of deeds site currently hosts 42 families and staff said 29 families at the site have leases and are awaiting home‑base processing.
Moore Penzak, who leads the office of the housing liaison, gave the council an update on temporary respite centers the state operates (formerly called safety‑net shelters), including the facility at the registry of deeds in Cambridge. Penzak said there were 330 families across the state in these centers at a recent point-in-time and that placements are resuming after a policy change; specifically at the registry site there were 42 families at the time of the briefing and 29 of those families have leases and were awaiting home‑base processing to move into permanent housing.
Penzak explained that the state contracts the provider who operates the center and HomeStart provides housing search services; the city has been coordinating with the state, the provider and the school department to monitor student populations and support placements. She said some families have chosen to move to other states to join relatives or accept job offers and that the state's home‑base funds ($45,000 over three years per household, as described) are being used to match families to market‑rate units in many cases.
