Local news
Politicians in Quincy imagine that the state must address the large overload of its emergency shelter system by prohibiting migrant families from staying in these shelters.
The Quincy City Council passed a resolution Monday night by a vote of 6-3 calling on state leaders to alter Massachusetts' 1983 law. Right to protectionwhich guarantees housing to certain homeless families no matter their citizenship status.
The resolution calls on the Massachusetts State Court to limit eligibility for emergency housing to families who’re residents or lawful everlasting residents of Massachusetts and have lived within the state for no less than six months.
Healey began capping the variety of families within the overburdened system at 7,500 last yr – a then-unprecedented limit under the “right to shelter” law. In March, lawmakers approved a maximum stay of nine months, which was half the standard length of stay on the time. In July, Healey announced the state would impose a five-day stay limit on the overflow sites.
Quincy City Council Chairman Ian Cain, who recently lost the Republican nomination for Senator Elizabeth Warren's seat, introduced the resolution, calling the overloaded system “a state crisis.”
“What you saw is that there was an influx of people who had no place to go. They were sleeping in Logan,” Cain said. on the meeting on Monday. “Now at MBTA stations.”
In Quincy, a city south of Boston with 4 stops on the MBTA Red Line, migrant families struggling to seek out shelter reportedly slept outside the Wollaston station. A neighborhood church initially allowed some families to pitch tents on its property, but Quincy officials dismantled the camp last month.
“We are not treating people who come to this country seeking a better life with the utmost care, consideration and compassion, turning them into the next class of homeless in Massachusetts,” Cain said.
Councilwoman Nina Liang spoke against the resolution, but acknowledged that some Quincy families are usually not placed in shelters while non-residents are. She called Cain's resolution an answer, albeit a limited one.
“I'm grateful for the effort,” Liang said. “We share a desperate desire to do something, so I appreciate you stepping up and taking action. Shame on me for not having a solution, and that will only spur me to work even harder to find a solution.”
The resolution shall be sent to Healey and other state leaders and can “emphasize the need to address the local impacts of inadequate federal immigration policies,” the resolution says.
During the identical session, the Council rejected a resolution calling for a ceasefire within the Gaza Strip.
image credit : www.boston.com