Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Migrant crisis comes to a head

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Migrant crisis comes to a head

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ALMOST NO ROOM AT THE INN — The fate of future migrant and homeless families in Massachusetts now rests in the hands of a Suffolk Superior Court judge who’s likely to rule today on whether Gov. Maura Healey’s administration can cap the emergency shelter system.

Months of increasing strain on the state’s shelter program and escalating tensions over how to handle it culminated Tuesday in a chaotic day on Beacon Hill in which advocates pleaded with lawmakers for more money for the emergency assistance program and the nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights battled in court to stop the state from limiting the number of families housed under it.

In this unprecedented situation, driven by a surge in migration to the state and a shortage of housing within it, nothing is as simple or straightforward as it seems.

Adding to the tumult are emergency regulations the Healey administration filed Tuesday to back up the "right-to-shelter" state’s authority to cap the shelter program and institute a waitlist. They would also let the state, with 30-days notice, limit how long families can remain in the system that’s only meant to provide temporary refuge but has seen families stay upwards of a year.

Here’s a look at where things stand as we wait for the judge’s decision:

— The way people access emergency assistance changes today . A more centralized intake system — that includes a clinical and safety risk screening — is taking effect even though the shelter system itself hasn’t reached the 7,500-family limit the state says will trigger the waitlist. There were 7,389 families receiving emergency assistance on Tuesday.

— We’re starting to get a better idea of what happens to family 7,501. New state guidance spells out four tiers for prioritizing families, with those determined to be at “imminent risk of harm” from domestic violence, with a child under 3 months old or with someone experiencing a high-risk pregnancy among those receiving highest priority. A waitlisted family will have at least three chances to accept a shelter placement that opens up before being booted from the list.

— But we don’t know where waitlisted families are supposed to go until it’s their turn. A new resource flier for families outlines three options — return to the “last safe place” they stayed, apply for the HomeBASE program that helps families pay rent (but won’t help them find apartments), or apply for other benefits such as food stamps. But the flier, which is also being translated into Spanish and Haitian Creole, is clear: “we cannot provide shelter for you tonight.”

— We also don’t know when lawmakers will move on Healey’s request for another $250 million to prop up the shelter system that’s expected to exhaust its $325 million budget in January because its caseload exceeded projections.

State officials now say the number of families eligible for assistance could swell over 13,000 by June . Housing and homelessness-prevention advocates have been issuing dire warnings, publicly and to lawmakers and their aides, about families and young children being forced "out in the cold" if lawmakers don’t act.

“We are very confident that we will pass something with more substantial funds in the near future,” Aaron Michlewitz, the top House budget writer, told Playbook. But, he said, “we still have a lot of unanswered questions on how expansive this program becomes, and we are still waiting on things like the court case and further information about what happens when we reach the cap.”

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Go inside the courtroom with the Boston Herald , the Boston Globe and WBUR .

Housing and homelessness-prevention advocates rally outside the State House for more funding for the emergency shelter system as it careens toward capacity. | Courtesy/Allie Girouard, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

TODAY — Healey highlights her housing bond bill in Worcester at 1:30 p.m. and Amherst at 4 p.m., and participates in a discussion on public service at 6 p.m. at Amherst College. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m., attends the Harvard Enterprise Research Campus groundbreaking in Allston at 11 a.m., and kicks off Native American Heritage Month at 4:30 p.m. at City Hall. Reps. Jim McGovern and Lori Trahan address the North Central Chamber of Commerce in Fitchburg at 11 a.m. Auditor Diana DiZoglio is on a panel about government transparency at 11:45 a.m. at Boston College; the Globe’s Samantha J. Gross moderates.

Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

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Conservation Law Foundation is separating fact from fiction when it comes to the role of bioenergy in cutting climate-damaging pollution and transforming our economy to one built on clean energy. The economic, environmental, and public health of our communities and businesses demand that we invest in energy efficiency and clean energy sources while moving with caution and care on bioenergy resources.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Healey, promising more compassion, overhauls state’s guidelines for pardons, commutations,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Vowing to inject more ‘compassion’ into clemency, Governor Maura Healey said Tuesday she’ll weigh a host of factors when considering requests for pardons or commutations, including racial disparities, sexual identity, and a person’s age when they were convicted of a crime. Healey’s newly released guidelines marks a major expansion of the framework intended to help guide those seeking clemency. They also further signal the Democrat’s willingness to wield clemency earlier and more often than her predecessors.”

— “Healey Weighs In On Fed Plans Targeting Hate Speech,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): “Gov. Maura Healey praised a new federal plan to rein in antisemitism at colleges and universities, warning that hate speech is ‘happening within our own borders here in Massachusetts.'"

— “Mental health measures discussed at Statehouse; changes include special forensic unit,” by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette: “Massachusetts lawmakers heard from several legislators who want to change the state’s approach to residents suffering from mental health and substance use disorders, including measures to separate out treatment programs from the state’s carceral system and to establish an alternate facility to hold people waiting for psychiatric evaluation.”

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

FROM THE HUB

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz is endorsing Henry Santana for Boston city councilor at-large, his campaign said.

— “Wu-aligned unions funnel cash into super PAC backing Boston council candidate,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Magazine: “Four left-leaning unions closely aligned with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu are directing money to a newly formed outside super PAC that is backing Boston City Council candidate Henry Santana, a former Wu aide who is considered a top hopeful for one of the four at-large seats in the November 7 election.”

— “Nine members of BPS’s English Learners task force resign in protest of district inclusion plan,” by Deanna Pan, Boston Globe: “The majority of a Boston Public Schools task force created to advise the School Committee on how to best serve the needs of students learning English resigned Tuesday morning in protest of the ‘harmful’ and ‘compromised direction’ of the district’s new inclusion plan.”

— “Boston Police to begin enforcing Mass and Cass tent ban on Wednesday,” by Gaayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Fifty-six people living in the Mass and Cass zone have accepted alternative shelter and treatment options over the past week, but for those who refuse to leave, police will begin enforcing the city’s new anti-encampment ordinance on Wednesday. The Herald has learned that enforcement will begin at 8 a.m., a police crackdown that follows a week’s worth of city efforts to connect the area’s homeless and drug-addicted individuals with a pathway off the streets.”

DAY IN COURT

— “At court date for UMass protesters of Israel war, advocates lament silenced voices,” by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive: “Protesters arrested at University of Massachusetts Amherst following a Wednesday rally in support of Palestinians and opposed to continued war in Israel appeared in court Tuesday, along with advocates for their cause. ‘My only regret is that there’s not more we can do,’ said arrested UMass junior Hani Shaib.”

— “Protesters of Israel defense contractor’s Cambridge location arrested; 2 charged with assault of police officer,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald.

A message from Conservation Law Foundation:

FROM THE 413

— “Holyoke mayor announces $1M public safety plan in wake of Oct. 4 shooting,” by James Pentland, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Mayor Joshua A. Garcia is calling for $1 million in new spending to hire 13 additional police officers, boost police enforcement, foot and bike patrols and install a citywide surveillance camera system in response to a downtown shooting Oct. 4 in which a woman’s unborn child was killed.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Everett superintendent placed on leave during tense school committee vote,” by Emily Piper-Vallillo, WBUR: “The Everett School Committee voted 7-3 Monday night to place Superintendent Priya Tahiliani on immediate paid administrative leave pending an outside investigation into complaints made by 10 unnamed individuals against her leadership. But many students and teachers showed their support for Tahiliani at the meeting and some committee members suggested the vote was politically motivated due to tense relations between Tahiliani and school committee leadership over the past year.”

— “Agreement between Saugus School Committee, superintendent ‘hijacked,’ attorney says,” by Charlie McKenna, ItemLive: “The School Committee reneged on an agreement it had reached with Superintendent of Schools Erin McMahon, according to an attorney representing McMahon, and now appears poised to dismiss the superintendent after she has spent more than nine months on paid administrative leave. … It remains unclear what exactly the specific allegations brought against McMahon were that initiated her leave in January.”

— “White supremacists stepping up activities in Massachusetts,” by Colin Hogan, New Bedford Light.

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MEANWHILE IN MAINE

— “Lewiston gunman had been involuntarily committed to a mental hospital,” by Hanna Krueger, Sean Cotter and Daniel Kool, Boston Globe: “The Army reservist who killed 18 people and wounded at least a dozen more last week was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital in New York this summer after exhibiting erratic behavior during training, a hospital official told the Globe on Tuesday.”

— “Gunman targeted businesses that he thought were part of ‘conspiracy’ against him, search warrant says,” by Sean Cotter, Boston Globe.

— “State police waited hours to track Lewiston shooter after finding vehicle, had ‘radio silence’ with local officers,” by Kay Neufeld, Press Herald; Keith Edwards, Kennebec Journal; and Andrew Rice, Lewiston Sun Journal: “An Androscoggin County Sheriff’s deputy has harshly criticized the Maine State Police’s handling of communication with local police during the 48-hour manhunt and aftermath."

— “Norfolk community resource dogs, school resource officer head to Maine to help comfort students following mass shooting,” by David Linton, The Sun Chronicle.

A message from Conservation Law Foundation:

Conservation Law Foundation is working to fight climate change and secure a livable and healthy future for all New Englanders. We know New England needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels, and that presents a pressing question: What role will bioenergy play in the region’s energy system as we move toward 2050? The fossil fuel industry is leaning hard on selling biofuels such as renewable natural gas as viable options to meet state mandates for cutting climate-damaging emissions. On the face of it, alternative fuels sound good. But what’s beneath the surface is more of the same climate-damaging fuels. We don’t have time or resources to waste on costly and ineffective solutions. Conservation Law Foundation is sorting fact from fiction. Bioenergy’s role in New England’s clean energy future is a limited and targeted one.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

NOT-SO SPOOKY SEASON — #mapoli kept it light this Halloween: Sen. Elizabeth Warren dressed up her beloved pup Bailey as Ken from the “Barbie” movie. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said her kids were going as Pokémon. State Sen. John Velis and his family dressed up as “Toy Story” characters . And former Massachusetts governor and Utah U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney and his wife went as Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift .

SPOTTED — State Sen. John Keenan chatting with Joe Biden after the president announced his executive order on artificial intelligence Monday.

TRANSITIONS — Jessica Morris has been promoted to VP of public affairs at Benchmark Strategies.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Erin Hearn of J Strategies, Molly Horan, Hannah Smith and Siri Uotila.

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