Shelter system maintains capacity while families flow in and out

In the days since the state’s emergency assistance shelter system hit a ceiling on the number of families it would take in, about 90 families have been added to a waiting list for shelter, said Kelly Turley, associate director of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, at a candlelight vigil on the State House steps Monday night. 

Meanwhile, as of the most recently available data 40 families who were previously in the system have been exited out of shelter, according to State House News Service tracking of state data. 

Gov. Maura Healey has imposed a capacity limit for the EA system of 7,500 families. The cap was hit on Nov. 9, when data showing 7,517 families were enrolled triggered a new Healey administration regulation to allow the shelter system to begin to turn people away. 

By the next day, Nov. 10, state data reported there were 7,545 families in the system. That was the day certain families began to be added to a waitlist for eventual housing, and were directed to seek help from community groups. 

In the time since, reports show that families, many of whom are immigrants and refugees, have been sleeping in churches, in Logan Airport, and in one instance — when they were directed to South Station at night — a nonprofit put up the money for hotel rooms. And now the state says it’s setting up an overflow site at its transportation building. 

And while close to 100 families are hoping for a way into the shelters, others are leaving out the other side. 

For four days, the EA system didn’t enroll any new families while it moved 22 out of the system. By Nov. 14, shelters housed 7,523 families — down nearly two dozen from a few days before. 

Healey has said her administration is focused on helping families get out of the EA system through programs like HomeBASE and helping to expedite work authorizations. 

Housing Secretary Ed Augustus also filed an emergency declaration that gives the state the authority to cut off how long a family can stay in shelter with 30 days’ notice, though it hasn’t yet been 30 days since he filed that directive, meaning families are not exiting the system through that route yet. 

As of Nov. 15, the system began enrolling families again. That day it brought on four new families, for a total of 7,521. 

In total, 15 new families have been added since Nov. 10. And as of the most recent public data, the number currently enrolled is floating right above Healey’s cap. — Sam Drysdale

Keller@Large

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Retired Norwell pediatrician arraigned on assault, rape charges

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Rooms in MBTA headquarters converted to overnight shelter as shelter crisis continues

Officials announced Monday that conference rooms in the MBTA’s headquarters will temporarily house eligible families overnight who haven’t found space in the packed shelter system, reports State House News’ Chris Lisinski. Up to 25 families can reportedly fit, and the space has cots and limited amenities during evening and overnight hours. Gov. Healey’s team projects the site will operate for about two weeks until another safety net shelter program comes online. — State House News Service | WBUR

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An investigation by the Cape Cod Times, Worcester Telegram & Gazette and USA TODAY questions how a study on racial profiling in traffic stops was “procured, influenced and framed by staff at the state’s public safety agency.” Researchers found no support for patterns of racial disparity in traffic stops in the “independent” study, though reporters with USA TODAY have found hundreds of emails suggesting the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security “tightly controlled” the researchers’ work, along with a flawed methodology and data collection. — Cape Cod Times

Wu backs universal basic income, wants to move past limited pilots 

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Canton votes to review police amid Karen Read case controversy 

A massive crowd of voters at a Canton special town meeting voted Monday to fund an outside investigation into the town’s police department, which is caught up in the controversy swirling around the Karen Read murder case. Read’s defense team is advancing a theory that police are framing her for the murder of her boyfriend and that police are covering up the true story. — Boston Globe

New state police unit to improve hate crime response

The Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team (HART) is a new State Police unit working with law enforcement agencies and community partners to address hate-based incidents tied to race, ethnicity and religion, among other biases. HART is staffed by four-to-five sworn State Police members, a “diverse and multilingual group of troopers who have demonstrated exceptional investigative experience and skill,” according to Interim Col. John Mawn Jr. — State House News Service | WBUR

Mass. October home sales fall to 12-year low

This October, Mass. saw the fewest number of single-family home sales for any October since 2011, a result of below normal inventory, record prices and increasing interest rates. Mass has an incredibly low vacancy rate, something Gov. Maura Healey and Housing Secretary Ed Augustus hope their five-year $4.12 billion housing bond bill can help ease. The bill has yet to move since it was sent to the Housing Committee on Oct. 18. — State House News Service

Push to reinstate masking in hospitals through holiday season

At a virtual press conference on Monday, the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity pushed health systems to revisit masking policies following the CDC’s published outlook for the season, in which it predicted a surge of Covid-19, RSV and flu cases. — Boston Business Journal

Three Bay State synagogues targeted with bomb threats 

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Still flowing: Springfield will send another $2 million in ARPA funds to residents 

Citing continued demand from households still feeling the financial impacts of the pandemic, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno says he’s moved another $2 million worth of federal American Rescue Plan cash into a direct-payment account, boosting the total being sent to residents in payments of $1,400 to $12 million. — MassLive

UMass medical school cuts jobs as state takes over recovery program 

UMass Chan Medical School has informed regulators that as many as 70 jobs will be eliminated as the state’s public medical school in Worcester transfers oversight of substance recovery programs for young people back to the state. — Worcester Business Journal

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