Advocates rally on the State House steps on October 31, 2023, calling for the state to abide by its right to shelter law for migrant families and for lawmakers to approve additional money for the emergency shelter system. (Photo by Sam Doran/State House News Service)

THE STATE’S UNIQUE right to shelter law remains in place, but it is morphing into something very different.

The original 1983 law, the only one of its kind in the country, required the state to provide shelter to homeless families and pregnant women who met certain qualifications. But as migrants from other countries began flocking to Massachusetts and Congress failed to stem the flow with immigration legislation, policymakers on Beacon Hill  have begun making changes to rein in the cost of the system.

Gov. Maura Healey in mid-October changed the law unilaterally, capping at 7,500 the number of families that can be placed in emergency shelters. The cap provided some relief, but it hasn’t solved the problem, just shifted those seeking shelter on to a waitlist and in many cases into newly opened overflow shelters. Officials say 779 families are currently on the waitlist.

Now the House is proposing to attack the problem from a different direction, by moving people out of shelters more quickly. In a proposal released on Tuesday and scheduled for a vote on Wednesday, the House would limit the length of stay in the shelter system to nine months, with an extra three months for those currently employed or in a job training program as well as pregnant women and people with disabilities. Currently, the average length of stay in the shelter system is 15 months, with some families staying more than two years.

The House proposal would require the Healey administration to seek federal approval for expedited, temporary, and provisional work authorization for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. The House bill would also offer companies a $2,500 tax credit for each person in the shelter system or overflow shelters who is provided workforce training. The total amount of credits would be capped at $10 million, enough to support training for 4,000 individuals.

The goal is to move people through the shelter system more quickly to make room for others and reduce the waitlist. Healey administration officials say there is turnover in the system now, with 1,000 families cycling out of the system since September.

Like Healey’s cap, the House’s proposal doesn’t solve the fundamental problem of too many people crossing the border into the United States from foreign countries and seeking shelter in a state without enough housing. The House plan also runs the risk that those who overstay their time in the shelter system may find themselves evicted and back on the street, although the House plan does allow them to reapply for admittance to the emergency shelter system.

Sen. Peter Durant, a Republican from Spencer, applauded the House for trying to address the situation but said he was uncertain how much the time limit in shelter would accomplish. He said he found it hard to believe state officials would evict people from the shelter system.

House leaders described the changes as temporary. They were included in a supplemental budget that provides $245 million to enable the program to last through the end of June. That would bring the total amount of funding this year for the emergency shelter system to roughly $933 million, roughly three times what it was budgeted for initially.

The funding provided by the House would require the Healey administration to come back to the Legislature for more funding in the near future. Healey had asked for approval to drain a surplus funds account and use that money to defray cost overruns of the emergency shelter system this year and next year.

It’s unclear whether Healey will support the new House approach, but she has raised the possibility of imposing time limits on emergency shelter in the past. At an unrelated event on Tuesday, she sounded like she was open to the idea. “I think from the beginning we have said we need to be open to the way our system is working right now, given the incredible number of new arrivers we’re seeing into the system,” she said.

Healey has shown a willingness to explore new ideas after Congress failed to pass an immigration reform bill drafted by a bipartisan group of senators. “I’m a realist,” she said.

Bruce Mohl oversees the production of content and edits reports, along with carrying out his own reporting with a particular focus on transportation, energy, and climate issues. He previously worked...