December 16, 2024
The Honorable Michael J. Rodrigues
Chair, Senate Committee on Ways and Means
State House, Room 212
Boston, MA 02133
The Honorable Aaron Michlewitz
Chair, House Committee on Ways and Means
State House, Room 243
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chairs Rodrigues and Michlewitz:
Pursuant to Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2023 and Chapter 88 of the Acts of 2024, we are
transmitting to you this bi-weekly report on the Emergency Housing Assistance Program.
Sincerely,
Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz, Secretary Edward Augustus,
Executive Office for Administration Executive Office for Housing and
and Finance Livable Communities
1
MEMORANDUM
TO: House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means
FR: Executive Office for Administration and Finance, Executive Office of Housing and
Livable Communities
DT: December 16, 2024
RE: Bi-weekly EA report
Background/Narrative
The table below includes key datapoints outlined in Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2023 and Chapter
88 of the Acts of 2024. The data is updated as of December 12, 2024. The Administration
continues to pursue key activities related to these datapoints below.
Caseload
Value as of
Datapoint Notes
12/12/24
Total families in EA
Estimate based on family head of household
who entered as 3,265 citizenship status and primary language
migrants, refugees, or
spoken.
asylum seekers
Total families currently
Families are supported across traditional EA
in shelters, hotels or See Appendix A
shelters and hotels/motels.
motels, by municipality
Number of families
Not all families that apply for shelter are
applying for shelter in 792
eligible.
the previous 14 days
This currently includes three state-funded
Number of families in
Temporary Respite Centers (Chelsea,
Temporary Respite
Lexington, and Norfolk) and two clinical and
Centers (TRCs) and
235 safety risk assessment sites (Revere and
Clinical and Safety
Quincy). Families at these two types of sites
Risk Assessment
are placed in site based on site availability
(CSRA) sites
and a family’s health and safety needs.
Number of exits from
EA in the previous 14 190 Exits from November 28 – December 11
days (families)
Average length of stay Based on families active in EA
353 days
in the EA program shelters/hotels on 12/12/2024.
Data includes newly enrolled students in K-
Number of new student 12 districts from hotel EA sites and TRCs
enrollments associated from the previous 2 weeks. There may be a
67
with the EA program in lag in data reporting to the Department of
the last 14 days Elementary and Secondary Education from
school districts.
Number of families
6,878
certified pursuant to
2
 G.L. Chapter 23B
Section 30 paragraph G
Number of families not
certified pursuant to
0
G.L. Chapter 23B
Section 30 paragraph G
EA Contact List
Value as of
Datapoint Notes
12/12/24
Number of families on 431
the EA contact list
Number of families on
the contact list who Placements from November 28 – December
139
have been placed in the 11
last 14 days
- Shelter diversion services, including HomeBASE
- Family Welcome Center services, including but not limited
to:
o Basic needs provisions, including but not limited to
diapers, wipes, hygiene products, baby formula, and
meals
o Employment authorization legal assistance
o Public benefits enrollment
o Vaccinations and health screenings
Services provided to
families on the EA o Reticketing
contact list o Referrals to other services such as ESOL courses,
legal assistance, mental health services, health care
services
- Clinical and Safety Risk Assessment site services for
eligible families on the bridge shelter contact list, including
but not limited to:
o Clinical supports and connections to care
o Case management services
Work Authorizations
• Work Authorization Clinics: In partnership with the Department of Homeland Security
and multiple Massachusetts state agencies, the Administration successfully ran two
weeks of work authorization clinics for migrants staying in emergency family shelter
(November 13-17 and November 27-30). In total, the work authorization clinics
supported 2,910 individuals, completed 1,951 biometrics with USCIS, vaccinated 1,031
adults and children, and facilitated 734 visits to MassHire stations.
Value as of
Datapoint Notes
12/12/24
3
 Adults who entered as migrants, refugees, or
asylum seekers in EA shelter system who
have self-reported that they have confirmed
work authorization, including those who filed
for work authorization at the work
Total number of authorization clinic in November. This
individuals in EA who excludes (1) US citizens, green card holders,
entered as migrants, and other categories of individuals who have
4,451
refugees, or asylum not recently migrated but are eligible to
seekers who have work work; and (2) those who entered as migrants,
authorizations refugees, or asylum seekers who have
applied for work authorization but who have
not reported confirmation of approved work
authorization. This number has dropped from
prior reports due to individuals with work
authorizations exiting the system.
In addition to the approved work
authorization efforts, the Administration is
working with local legal services providers to
file additional work authorization
applications for migrants staying in
Total number of
emergency shelter.
individuals in EA who
entered as migrants,
5,156 This number includes those captured above
refugees, or asylum
who have confirmed receipt of a work
seekers who have filed
permit, as well as those who have filed and
for work authorizations
are waiting for their application to be
processed. This number has dropped from
prior reports due to individuals who filed for
work authorizations having exited the
system.
Fiscal
Value as of
Datapoint Notes
12/12/24
Spending to date includes shelter &
Total amount expended associated services, National Guard
on the emergency activation, Clinical and Safety Risk
$856.8 M
housing assistance Assessment Sites, Temporary Emergency
program in FY24 Shelters, Family Welcome Centers,
municipal payments, and TRC spending.
Spending to date includes shelter &
Total amount expended
associated services, National Guard
on the emergency
$331.8 M activation, Clinical and Safety Risk
housing assistance
Assessment Sites, Temporary Emergency
program in FY25
Shelters, TRC spending, and exit programs.
Total amount expended FY23 and FY24 school district per-pupil
on supplemental school See Appendix B emergency aid payments detailed in
district costs, by district Appendix B.
4
 • $43.0 M spent on FY24 school district
per-pupil emergency aid payments
Total amount expended
detailed in Appendix B.
on municipal supports, $45.0 M
by municipality • $2.0 M spent on FY24 Q1, Q2, Q3, and
Q4 municipal room occupancy tax
reimbursements.
• $298.3 M spent to pay shelter providers
• $43.0 M for emergency per-pupil student
aid
• $31.3 M spent to pay service providers at
Clinical and Safety Risk Assessment and
Temporary Respite Centers
• $9.7 M spent for National Guard payroll.
• $3.8 M spent for life safety
improvements at Temporary Respite
Centers
• $3.0 M for additional educational
supports for homeless student
FY24 total amount transportation and multi-lingual faculty
spent for any other
purpose from 1599-
$393.2 M • $2.0 M for municipal reimbursements
0514 and 1599-1213 • $743 K for community health, including
vaccine record reviews
• $524 K spent for Immigrant Family
Services Institute
• $359 K spent for Regional Response
Team Leads
• $260 K for Neighborhood Villages Pilot
Program
• $88 K spent for nursing staff supporting
Temporary Respite Centers
Note: Figure is inclusive of municipal
payments reported above.
Projected FY24
$0 FY24 finished without a deficiency.
deficiency
Estimate includes shelter & associated
services, staffing, Clinical and Safety Risk
Projected FY25 costs Assessment Sites, Family Welcome Centers,
through the end of $1.094 B Temporary Respite Centers, school district
FY25 reimbursements, immigration and refugee
health, community, and workforce supports,
municipal support, and exits.
Based on historical costs and current
Current funded
projections, sufficient funding exists to
capacity of the EA 7,500
support a capacity of 7,500 through late
program
January 2025.
5
Expenditures from TEF • $3.0 M for shelter services
consistent with Section
• $364 K for National Guard payroll
25 of Chapter 88 of the
Acts of 2024 in the $3.5 M • $65 K for Neighborhood Villages
previous 14 days, Program
delineated by purpose • $23 K for life safety improvements at
(line 1599-0514) Temporary Respite Centers
Total expenditures
from TEF consistent • $5.9 M for National Guard payroll
with Section 25 of • $3.0 M for shelter services
Chapter 88 of the Acts
$9.7 M • $567 K for life safety improvements at
of 2024 since July 1, Temporary Respite Centers
2024, delineated by • $254 K for Neighborhood Villages
purpose (line 1599- Program
0514)
• $258.4 M for shelter services
• $35.9 M for HomeBASE
• $19.7 M for Temporary Respite Centers
and Clinical Safety Risk Assessment
sites
FY25 total amount • $5.0 M for United Way Shelter Safety
spent from other $322.1 M Net Program
appropriations • $1.0 M for public and mental health
services
• $816 K for immigrant services
• $855 K for life safety improvements at
Temporary Respite Centers
• $367 K for technical infrastructure
A&F and other executive branch agencies continue to aggressively
pursue federal support for the EA program. So far, the following
have been secured:
• Approval of revised 1115 waiver, which may bring
additional reimbursements on HHS-related EA program
costs directly to the General Fund
• $1.8 M portion of joint City of Boston-Commonwealth of
Efforts by A&F to Massachusetts award within FEMA Shelter and Services
maximize federal Program (SSP-A) in 2023
support and
• $7 M award for additional FEMA SSP-A grant via the first
reimbursement for
2024 funding round
funds spent on EA
o $6 M of award will be used for FY24 TRC/CSR
costs
o $1 M is allocated to the City of Boston
• $20.3 M award for FEMA SSP-A and SSP-C grant
o $19 M of award will be used for FY25 TRC/CSR
costs