Massachusetts Rejects Shelter Bill to Prioritize Homeless Veterans Over Migrants

Published on April 30, 2024

The Massachusetts legislature has overwhelmingly rejected a pair of measures aimed at restricting newly arrived immigrants’ access to the state-run emergency shelter system and prioritizing shelter beds for homeless veterans. The measures were introduced as amendments to House Bill 4600, a $57.9 billion state spending package for fiscal year 2025 that dedicates $500 million to the state’s overcrowded shelter system. Those shelters house both long-time Massachusetts residents and recent immigrants with eligible legal status, and have consistently been at the maximum capacity of 7,500 families since last November. One amendment, introduced by House Minority Leader Bradley Jones and titled “Homeless Veterans Prioritization for Shelter Assistance,” failed on April 26 in a 27–129 roll call vote. All but two House Democrats cast disapproving votes while all 25 Republicans voted for it....

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