Most Massachusetts hotel shelters set to close Monday, remaining shelters shutter end of July

BOSTON, Mass. (WLNE) — Nearly all hotels used by the state of Massachusetts to house homeless families will close Monday, with the remaining shelters set to close by the end of July.

According to Tara Smith, Press Secretary for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, 24 of the 28 hotel shelters will close Monday, June 30.

The remaining four hotel shelters will close by July 31.

According to Smith, providers and on-site case managers have been working with affected families to assist them in acquiring secure housing before the final closing date.

The plan to close these shelters was announced on May 19 by Governor Maura Healey, citing a 68 percent decrease in hotel shelters since the summer of 2023.

At that time, the number of hotel shelters being utilized peaked at 100 with 7,500 families housed.

The number of housed families has since dropped to 4,000.

In May, Healey attributed these decreases to a six-month length of stay requirement, workforce training and job placement for affected residents and increased case management to assist families in finding stable housing.