FALL RIVERS, MA - The governor of Massachusetts has announced that there will be more accountability by enforcing criminal background checks of people living in emergency shelter facilities. The decision by Governor Maura Healey comes in the wake of two high profile incidents involving shelter residents.
According to WJAR, the governor emphasized her commitment to strengthening intake background checks, to include cross-checks against the state's Criminal Offender Record Information database. She said, "I have no tolerance for criminal activity that puts either residents in those sites or the public at large at risk." The governor had claimed that these types of background checks were happening as issued in an executive order in spring of 2024.
She said, "I was recently informed that, by my team, that did not happen at all sites and that's absolutely unacceptable." With winter in full swing and temperatures dropping, additional emergency shelter facilities are filling up quickly. Tom Mello, with Spindle City Church said, "Last year 102 different people came through our program in 15 weeks. This week we just finished four weeks and we're already at 62 people, so that number is significantly higher than we've seen in the past."
Paul Coogan, Mayor of Fall River said, "When they sign in, they're checked in. We make sure, we're pretty restrictive on who gets in when it's related to violence, sex, or they're in really rough shape, we'll send them to the hospital, but they won't come here and disrupt things." Robert Hughes, director of House of Hope echoed their sentiments, saying, "I can't criticize our politicians and our government for doing what they're doing, but at the same time the approach to homeless services has been a nightmare."
NBC Boston reported that shelter rules in the state of Massachusetts require the reporting of all crimes with background checks for sex offenders and warrants already implemented. However, criminal background checks were reportedly only being done at overflow shelters. Healey said that she is initiating an outside review on safety protocols for the shelter system.
She said, "I have asked former Boston Police Department Commissioner Ed Davis to lead an independent outside review reporting directly to me to take a full look at our shelter system and to determine what if any additional steps need to be taken in terms of safety security protocols to protect our communities."
The governor also wants to work with the Legislature to amend the right-to-shelter law to "align with its original intent," saying that the 40-year-old law "did not imagine" waves of people arriving to the state, nor did it expect federal government inaction on immigration. Healey noted that the shelter inspections she ordered recently have been completed for hotel shelters, but she did not provide any results of those reports.
The governor said that Massachusetts taxpayers should not have to pick up the bill of a broken immigration system. She said that costs for the external review, and the plan to address security stemming from that assessment would be made public. The top House Republican blasted the Healey administration for their management of the state's emergency assistance shelter system.
Minority Leader Brad Jones said that the family shelter crisis is "widely unsustainable and unmanageable for the Healey administration" and called for the state to halt additional funding to shelters until future reforms are made. He said, "Whether it's incompetence, intransigence or negligence, changes must be made. It's time for heads to roll."
According to WJAR, the governor emphasized her commitment to strengthening intake background checks, to include cross-checks against the state's Criminal Offender Record Information database. She said, "I have no tolerance for criminal activity that puts either residents in those sites or the public at large at risk." The governor had claimed that these types of background checks were happening as issued in an executive order in spring of 2024.
She said, "I was recently informed that, by my team, that did not happen at all sites and that's absolutely unacceptable." With winter in full swing and temperatures dropping, additional emergency shelter facilities are filling up quickly. Tom Mello, with Spindle City Church said, "Last year 102 different people came through our program in 15 weeks. This week we just finished four weeks and we're already at 62 people, so that number is significantly higher than we've seen in the past."
Paul Coogan, Mayor of Fall River said, "When they sign in, they're checked in. We make sure, we're pretty restrictive on who gets in when it's related to violence, sex, or they're in really rough shape, we'll send them to the hospital, but they won't come here and disrupt things." Robert Hughes, director of House of Hope echoed their sentiments, saying, "I can't criticize our politicians and our government for doing what they're doing, but at the same time the approach to homeless services has been a nightmare."
NBC Boston reported that shelter rules in the state of Massachusetts require the reporting of all crimes with background checks for sex offenders and warrants already implemented. However, criminal background checks were reportedly only being done at overflow shelters. Healey said that she is initiating an outside review on safety protocols for the shelter system.
She said, "I have asked former Boston Police Department Commissioner Ed Davis to lead an independent outside review reporting directly to me to take a full look at our shelter system and to determine what if any additional steps need to be taken in terms of safety security protocols to protect our communities."
The governor also wants to work with the Legislature to amend the right-to-shelter law to "align with its original intent," saying that the 40-year-old law "did not imagine" waves of people arriving to the state, nor did it expect federal government inaction on immigration. Healey noted that the shelter inspections she ordered recently have been completed for hotel shelters, but she did not provide any results of those reports.
The governor said that Massachusetts taxpayers should not have to pick up the bill of a broken immigration system. She said that costs for the external review, and the plan to address security stemming from that assessment would be made public. The top House Republican blasted the Healey administration for their management of the state's emergency assistance shelter system.
Minority Leader Brad Jones said that the family shelter crisis is "widely unsustainable and unmanageable for the Healey administration" and called for the state to halt additional funding to shelters until future reforms are made. He said, "Whether it's incompetence, intransigence or negligence, changes must be made. It's time for heads to roll."
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