The Healey administration plans to hold a private briefing Thursday afternoon for House lawmakers to cover the state’s emergency assistance shelter system, which officials have used to house displaced families and newly arrived migrants.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll plans to lead the closed-door talks in a members-only lounge inside the State House from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., according to an emailed invite from Healey’s deputy chief of staff to representatives.
The briefing is “for house members only” and a virtual option is available for representatives who cannot join in person, according to the invite obtained and verified by the Herald.
“As with our first briefing, we will focus on recent updates and topics that affect EA across the state and districts. For any district-specific or hotel-specific issues, we would be happy to schedule separate, off-line conversations,” wrote Alicia Rebello-Pradas, Healey’s deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs.
In an email to House members, House Speaker Ronald Mariano’s Deputy Chief of Staff Whitney Ferguson said the meeting was scheduled “in response to requests from House leadership.”
“We encourage you to email questions and discussion topics to our office ahead of time so we can ensure there is plenty of time for a productive briefing. The speaker’s office is also happy to help connect members with the correct administration contact for highly technical questions that may take additional time outside of the briefing,” Ferguson wrote in an email obtained by the Herald.
The meeting is only for House lawmakers and is closed to both the press and the public, according to Mariano’s office.
A spokesperson for Gov. Maura Healey said the administration is also holding briefings for Congressional offices, state senators, and municipal officials through the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
“Our administration frequently engages with local, state and federal officials about our emergency shelter system and we are grateful for their partnership as we confront this emergency,” spokesperson Karissa Hand said in a statement.
An influx of migrants and suffocating housing costs in Massachusetts has emerged as a major issue for the Healey administration, prompting a state of emergency declaration last month and the activation of up to 250 National Guard members last week to assist hotels housing families that do not have a contracted service provider.
There were 6,228 displaced families, including migrants, in state emergency shelters as of Tuesday, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
State representatives are likely starting to see those hotels and motels popup in their districts along with more new arrivals. Healey said last month that more than 80 municipalities had hotels and motels housing people on a temporary, emergency basis.
Healey is not the only Democrat in the United States dealing with the issue nor the only one calling on the Biden administration for help.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has blasted the White House for what she has said is a lack of action on immigration reform. That comes as New York City and its mayor, Eric Adams, are dealing with thousands of migrant arrivals that have led to temporary encampments in the city.
The Healey administration has turned to a string of hotels and motels across the state to temporarily house newly arrived migrants and displaced families. Healey has said the state is spending roughly $45 million a month on services, including shelters, for displaced families.
Massachusetts is the only state in the nation to have what’s known as a right-to-shelter law, which requires officials to provide immediate housing to homeless individuals. New York City has a similar law in place.
