4. The population of people needing shelter in Massachusetts is growing. Do you support the Right to Shelter Law as written? If not, in what ways would you propose to amend it? If this is to be publicly supported housing, how would you propose funding it within a balanced state budget?

Rick Lipof

I support the Right to Shelter Law ensuring families with children have safe places to live.  It reduces the health risks associated with homelessness and provides a safety net families stabilize and potentially return to self-sufficiency. Amendments would focus on revisiting and refining criteria to ensure that those who are most in need receive priority.  I would amend to streamline the process to reduce bureaucracy and ensure quicker shelter.  I would support and add services such as job training, mental health counseling and substance abuse treatment, all underlying issues of homelessness.  I would focus on transitioning from emergency shelter to permanent housing.  I would reallocate funds from less critical areas, create public –private partnerships in developing housing, issue state bonds and maximize the use of federal grants and programs. Also, providing tax incentives to developers to build what is needed.  Phasing these changes in gradually would be wise budgeting.   

Bill Humphrey

I support the Right to Shelter Law as it was written, and I do not support recent modifications. Until federal intervention arrives, we need to plan for the longer-term and expand emergency housing facilities (which also need to be properly inspected regularly). The day-by-day approach has not only surpassed a breaking point, but it is perhaps the most expensive way of providing shelter for unavoidably long stays. We can find less expensive and better ways to guarantee shelter than we have been (and we’re starting to move in that direction), and I believe we have the resources in this state to provide shelter, if we have the political will. I am not prepared to compromise the international rights of refugees and asylum seekers, nor the state rights of our local unhoused population, for the sake of convenience or because it makes it more complicated to fund our priorities.

Amy Sangiolo

I support the Right to Shelter Law. However, the law currently applies to families with children and pregnant people, but not individuals. The law is working as intended, but it is limited in the scope of people it can help due to a lack of funding. As more come into the system due to the immigration crisis and rising rents, evictions, and foreclosures, we need to put pressure on the federal government to provide more funding to sustain the program and lift the current cap. The State recently applied to FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program for $34.5 million to help with the budget shortfall. I support using this grant to expand the scope of the Right to Shelter Law.

Alex Jablon

No. I think we should expand eligibility and we can fund that in a few ways. On the revenue side, we can implement transfer fees that can be allocated to affordable housing and shelter initiatives and increase taxes on short term rentals like Airbnb’s, which are eating up our housing supply. We can also look at our existing housing programs and reallocate resources from less effective ones to ones that have proven successful. All of this is great, but my focus is on preventative measures and programs to help those who need shelter to find long term housing. This includes eviction protection programs, increasing affordable housing supply and providing services to help homeless individuals gain stable employment and permanent housing.

Additional Information for Voters

In 1983, Massachusetts enacted a “right-to-shelter law,” which guarantees homeless families with children and those who are pregnant access to temporary housing and other emergency services.  Massachusetts is the only state with such a law. This story in the Commonwealth Beacon describes the controversy around the law that has arisen as the increase in migrants has strained the state’s emergency housing system.  Also, this WBUR story, this MASSLIVE story, and this WGBH story provide helpful information.