麻州長Healey下令所有酒店庇護所今夏關閉

（Boston Orange 摘譯）麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey）今（19）日宣佈，關閉所有旅館式庇護所的計畫比原定時程提前六個月，預計今夏關閉剩餘的32家旅館。

奚莉州長早前預定在2025年底前關閉所有的旅館式庇護。

一份新報告顯示，截至4月30日，僅剩下32家旅館式庇護所，和2023年夏季的100家高峰期相比，減少了68%。這是奚莉州長實施一系列改革，以降低麻州個案數量和緊急援助家庭庇護系統的成本，包括：六個月長的安置要求，為居民提供勞動力培訓和就業安排，增加個案管理以協助家庭找到穩定住房

住在庇護所中的家庭總數最近已降至5,000戶以下，這是自2023年7月以來第一次那麼低，今夏估計還會降至4,000戶以下，比原定時程提前了六個月。

奚莉州長表示，旅館不是養家育兒的地方，且成本效益最低，麻州政府因此實施改革做法，以降低個案數量和庇護系統開銷。

副州長Kim Driscoll也指出，要確保家庭為成功做好準備，同時為麻州一年節省數以億計金錢，關閉旅館庇護至關重要。

住房與宜居社區長Ed Augustus感謝前線團隊、庇護所提供者及其員工在應對此次危機中所做的貢獻。

該報告詳列麻州轉向酒店及汽車旅館來安置流浪家庭的歷史。在2014年中，曾有1,500個家庭被安置在全州各地的旅館中。前一屆政府在2022年時因住房危機，聯邦移民政策失誤以及缺乏控制庇護系統擴張的保障措施，導致尋求庇護的家庭數量急劇增加，也再次大幅度動用旅館。

由於案個數量下降，座落在前麻州懲教中心的Norfolk快速庇護所，以及位於瑞維爾品質客棧（Revere Quality Inn）的Revere CSR站，今夏將關閉。此外，羅爾客棧會議中心（Lowell Inn and Conference Center）將於七月從Bridge Track庇護所轉變為Rapid Track庇護所和CSR站點。

麻州政府2023年上任時承接了兩大挑戰：尋求緊急庇護的家庭數量空前激增，以及一個裝備不足，無法因應這種數量激增的有缺陷庇護系統。麻州長奚莉為因應這一挑戰，啟動了一系列改革，以降低個案數量、減少納稅人開支並提高安全性。

Healey州長在2023年時宣佈麻州進入緊急狀態，把庇護系統接受流浪家庭的上限設為7,500。她還和州議會合作改革《庇護權法案》，其中包括要求提供麻州居民身份證明，以及在有限的豁免之外，所有家庭成員必須擁有合法移民身份。奚莉州長還規定所有成年人進入庇護系統前必須做麻州犯罪記錄資訊檢查（CORI）。

由於奚莉州長的這些行動，麻州的案件量和相關開支均已下降。庇護所中的家庭數量自2023年7月以來首次降至5,000戶以下。自2025年初以來，離開庇護所的家庭數量（約2,500戶）是進入庇護所的家庭數量（約1,100戶）的兩倍。目前，約有85-90%尋求庇護的家庭是長期居住在麻州的家庭。

Governor Healey: All Hotel Shelters to Close This Summer 

Plan to close hotel shelters is six months ahead of schedule, caseload projected to drop below 4,000 families this summer 

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey is today announcing that her administration’s plan to close all hotel shelters is six months ahead of schedule, with the remaining 32 hotels expected to close this summer. Governor Healey had previously directed all hotel shelters to be closed by the end of 2025. 

A new report shows that, as of April 30, only 32 hotel shelters remain, down from a peak of 100 in the summer of 2023, a 68 percent decrease. These decreases are a result of a number of reforms Governor Healey made to reduce caseloads and the cost of the state’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system, including a six-month length of stay requirement, workforce training and job placement for residents, and increased case management to help families find stable housing. The total number of families in shelter recently dropped below 5,000 for the first time since July 2023 and is expected to drop below 4,000 families this summer – six months ahead of schedule. 

“When we took office, homeless families were being placed in hotel shelters across the state,” said Governor Healey. “A hotel is no place to raise a family, and they are the least cost effective. That’s why we implemented reforms to lower caseloads and the cost of the shelter system. We also promised to close all hotel shelters by the end of the year. I’m pleased that we are ahead of schedule, with more families getting jobs and moving to stable housing.” 

“Closing hotel shelters is essential to making sure that families are set up for success and to save our state hundreds of millions of dollars a year,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “We’re grateful to our team and partners for working so hard to help families leave shelter for stable housing, which is better for families and better for taxpayers.” 

“We want to express our deep appreciation for the extraordinary work of the frontline teams, who are vital partners in supporting families throughout this crisis,” said Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus. “Shelter providers and their staff played a critical role in rapidly scaling up services to meet an unprecedented surge in need. Their dedication and agility ensured that thousands of families across the state had access to safe shelter and support at a time when it was most needed. We are also grateful to the communities and partners who have come together to support families throughout this emergency.”  
 

The report details the state’s history with turning to hotels and motels to shelter homeless families. In 2014, 1,500 families were being sheltered in hotels across the state. The previous administration turned to hotels again in 2022 as the number of families seeking shelter began to dramatically increase due to the housing crisis, failed federal immigration policy, and a lack of safeguards to control the expansion of the shelter system. 

Due to declining caseload, the Norfolk Rapid Shelter located at the former Bay State Correctional Center and the Revere CSR site at the Revere Quality Inn will close this summer. Additionally, the Lowell Inn and Conference Center will transition from a Bridge Track shelter site to a Rapid Track shelter and CSR site in July. 

The Healey-Driscoll Administration inherited two dual challenges when it arrived in office in 2023: an unprecedented surge of families seeking emergency shelter and a flawed shelter system that was ill-equipped to handle such a surge. To meet this unprecedented challenge, Governor Healey initiated a number of reforms to lower the caseload, reduce taxpayer costs and improve safety. 

Governor Healey declared a state of emergency and imposed a cap on the system at 7,500 families in 2023. She also worked with the Legislature to reform the Right to Shelter law. That includes requiring proof of Massachusetts residency as well as the requirement that all family members have lawful immigration status, with limited exemptions. Governor Healey imposed mandatory CORI checks for all adults before entry into the system. 

As a result of Governor Healey’s actions, caseloads and costs have decreased. The number of families in shelter dropped below 5,000 for the first time since July 2023. Since the start of 2025, double the number of families have exited shelter (approximately 2,500) than have entered shelter (approximately 1,100). Approximately 85-90 percent of families seeking shelter are now longtime Massachusetts families.