Greenfield city councilors sign letter opposing shelter policy changes

SARA BROWN

SARA BROWN

LORA WONDOLOWSKI

LORA WONDOLOWSKI

KATHERINE GOLUB

KATHERINE GOLUB

JOHN GARRETT

JOHN GARRETT

RACHEL GORDON

RACHEL GORDON

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

Staff Writer

Published: 12-31-2024 4:51 PM

Modified: 12-31-2024 5:49 PM


GREENFIELD — Six Greenfield city councilors have signed a letter opposing changes to the state’s Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter policies, joining 39 other municipalities from across the state and more than 100 local officials in their call for Gov. Maura Healey to reconsider.

Greenfield City Councilors Rachel Gordon, Lora Wondolowski, John Garrett, Katherine Golub, William “Wid” Perry and Sara Brown all signed the letter, drafted by Salem Councilor At-Large Kyle Davis and Worcester City Councilors EtelHaxhiaj and Thu Nguyen.

The letter, sent on Dec. 13, condemns new EA shelter policies.

“We ask you to rescind the policy that bars families who stay in overflow shelters from accessing shelter, preserve the integrity of the right-to-shelter system, and fund robust ways to support families experiencing homelessness,” the letter to the governor reads.

The new policy involves a two-track system for assigning families to shelters based on their needs.

Under an approach described as a “Rapid Shelter Track,” families will be allowed to stay in overflow shelters for 30 days, up from the existing five-day limit. Families will receive support at the overflow shelters to find stable housing, plus help with work authorizations, job placements and English classes.

Families who are considered more high-risk will fall under the “Bridge Shelter Track,” including women who have late-term pregnancies and individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Families are eligible to stay in this track for up to six months.

Additionally, those who signed the letter said they “appreciated” a proposed funding increase for the HomeBASE program, which provides significant financial assistance to help families find housing, but that families will still struggle to secure housing within six months. The letter argues that the solution isn’t kicking people out of housing, nor is the scapegoating of migrants.

Gordon was made aware of this letter in November when Davis reached out to her about signing on. Gordon explained it felt like a “no-brainer” to sign it.

“We all know that the crisis we’re having right now with a lack of housing affects every single community in the commonwealth,” Gordon said.

Gordon noted that Greenfield is no exception. Days after the letter was sent, ServiceNet announced the Feb. 28 closure of the state-funded shelter housing immigrants and refugees at the Days Inn in Greenfield. This closure comes after Healey said she seeks to phase out hotel and motel shelters to cut costs in the EA family shelter system, which currently costs the state $1 billion a year.

Gordon feels the answer to the shelter issue is not to kick people out of shelters and that the letter can let the state know that local officials want to see a change.

Wondolowski echoed Gordon’s sentiment, adding that being from western Massachusetts and signing on can show the support it has across the state. Additionally, she said the letter signals to the governor that western Massachusetts wants to be included in the discussions about housing and shelter so that resources can be made available to this part of the state, too.

“It can put some weight to the issues before the governor,” Wondolowski added.

The city councilors cited moral concerns over the updated state shelter policy, along with logistical ramifications of removing people from shelter, among their reasons for signing the letter.

Regarding the issue of right to shelter, Wondolowski said she recognizes that the law has been expensive for Massachusetts, but that stable housing needs to be made available. Additionally, she expressed concern over the time limits of the shelter stays, noting that Greenfield is one such community that is impacted by less affordable housing.

“Forcing people to get out of temporary shelter and into stable and permanent housing is a great goal, but there’s not a lot of options right now for people,” Wondolowski said. “We don’t have a lot of affordable options in our community, and when the timer starts ticking down, that puts a lot of stress on families.”

Perry noted his reason for signing the letter comes from a desire to have the issue of homelessness be discussed while also recognizing the humanity of the people impacted by these policies.

Garrett, Brown and Perry feel similarly to Wondolowski about the need for stable housing, with Garrett — who recently proposed a housing ordinance package intended to increase housing density and encourage housing production in the city. — noting that six months is not enough time for families to find housing in this climate.

“Extending the time limit would be good, and the fact that people aren’t automatically guaranteed shelter is inhumane,” Brown said.

“I’m concerned with the narrative that shelter policies should be designed first and foremost to save the state money,” Davis, the Salem councilor at-large who helped draft the letter, wrote in an email. “Immigrants and families at the forefront of the housing crisis will not have an ally in the White House, but Massachusetts could step up to the plate.”

The Greenfield councilors also spoke about their concern over migrant scapegoating and anticipated changes to immigration policies under President-elect Donald Trump.

As reported by State House News Service, the makeup of the emergency shelters’ new arrivals are in the United States legally, and about 65% of enrolled families are long-term Massachusetts residents. Additionally, the incoming Trump administration has touted plans for mass deportations that Healey says she will not allow State Police to be involved in.

“I hope that when she sees this letter,” Gordon said of Healey, “she thinks to herself, ‘OK, well, the local officials are sending me a strong message here and I need to do something different.’”

​​​​​Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231. Information from State House News Service was used in this report.