Releases independent report from former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis; Security recommendations will be implemented

Boston - Governor Maura Healey today signed a supplemental budget that includes her proposals to reduce the taxpayer cost of the state’s Emergency Assistance family shelter system and additional changes to make it safer for shelter residents and communities. 

She also released the results of a security assessment she requested from former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, president and CEO of The Edward Davis Company (EDC), with recommendations to enhance safety at shelter sites. The administration will be retaining EDC to assist with the implementation of the report’s recommendations, many of which are already underway. One of the report’s key recommendations is to limit the policy of presumptive eligibility when placing families, and the supplemental budget will enable the administration to do so with its signing today. 

The supplemental budget proposals build on the administration’s work to help families find stable housing and reduce the size of the shelter system in recent months. 

Last month, the system saw nearly 700 families exit to stable housing, the highest number seen in over a decade. As a result of this work, the system currently serves approximately 5,800 families, which represents a 22 percent reduction from peak levels seen in 2023 and 2024. More than 75 percent of families now seeking shelter are long-time Massachusetts families. The administration has already reduced the number of hotel shelters by half as they work toward their goal of closing all hotel shelters by the end of the year.

“This supplemental budget includes critical improvements that I proposed to reduce the taxpayer costs of the family shelter system and make it safer for residents and our communities. We all know that urgent action is needed to lower the cost of the system and make sure it is a viable, safe and temporary option for Massachusetts families who have fallen on hard times,” said Governor Healey. “We’re grateful for the hard work of the Legislature for passing this important bill and to Ed Davis and his team for their review of the security of our system - and we're ready to get to work on implementation.”

At $425 million, the Fiscal Year 2025 supplemental budget provides the necessary funding to support Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter-related services through the remainder of this fiscal year.

The bill also includes important policy changes proposed by Governor Healey in January to ensure a more affordable, safe and sustainable EA program going forward. The administration will begin implementing many of these changes, including:

• Continuing to require disclosure of criminal history and CORI checks on all adult (18+) applicants.
• Ensuring review of identity, residency, lawful status, and familial relationship for all household members prior to placement.

The administration will release regulations and enact the additional policy provisions from the supplemental budget, including an updated 6-month length of stay and changes to the presumptive eligibility process. The administration also already has plans underway to reduce caseload to 4,000, including by closing all hotel shelters by the end of 2025.

The EDC report also makes several recommendations for enhancing safety and security at shelter sites, improving shelter staff training and support; enhancing intake and placement procedures; strengthening onsite shelter security measures; reviewing and enhancing EOHLC policies; improving data collection and tracking; and establishing consistent shelter security standards. 

Many of these recommendations have already been addressed by action Governor Healey has taken administratively or through the supplemental budget. For example, Governor Healey directed that all residents 18+ applying for or currently living in EA shelter receive a CORI check, in addition to the sex offender registry checks and warrant checks already being performed on all applicants and residents systemwide. At the time, CORI checks had not been required by law, but Governor Healey ordered them to be conducted as an added layer of public safety and security. All adult EA residents have now been CORI checked or will be terminated from the program if they do not consent.