Homeless Families in Cambridge Temporary Shelter Report Worsening Conditions

Valencia had been staying at the Temporary Respite Center in East Cambridge with her husband and their toddler son for several months when, one morning, her son woke up in his cot with red bumps all over his head.

“He woke up in the morning with his skin stinging — even on his head,” Valencia said during an interview in Spanish.

In July, Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 implemented a new regulation across the four existing state-run temporary respite centers, including the center located in the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds building in Cambridge, that caps families’ stays at five days.

The change added another layer of uncertainty for some of the state’s most vulnerable residents, who already report poor living conditions in shelters and difficulty accessing state-provided employment and housing support services.

In interviews with The Crimson, nine residents and shelter workers said the new five-day stay limit was going unenforced but fostered a sense of instability as residents struggled to make concrete plans for the future. Meanwhile, many residents reported inadequate shelter conditions and said they struggled to sleep in the state-run facilities.

Yves, who had lived at TRC Cambridge for several months, said in an interview that he had been treated “like a dog, like an animal.”

“We are human beings,” he added. “You can’t create a condition like that.”

Yves, like many other shelter residents interviewed by The Crimson, agreed to speak on the condition that he would only be identified by his first name.

The state-run Emergency Assistance system, which organizes shelters for eligible families under the state’s “right to shelter” law, has been buckling under the pressure of its growing waitlist, overcrowding in shelters, and a $224 million deficit this fiscal year.

When the five-day limit went into effect on Aug. 1, most families at the Cambridge TRC had already been there for months. Rather than evicting hundreds at once, these families were given rolling exit notices throughout August.

However, many families who have been longer-term residents at the site reported they had not yet received an exit notice, leaving them anxiously wondering when theirs would come.

As families continue receiving exit notices, rumors of mass evictions at the end of September are sparking distress across the shelter.

A state official confirmed that while many families have received exit notices for September, others have exit dates extending beyond October.

The state official wrote in his email that 309 families in across the state’s TRCs have been provided with exit notices since Aug. 1, but only 109 have been able to access alternative accommodations.

The remaining 200 families are actively residing in TRCs, with exit dates looming indefinitely.

Families can qualify for one-time five day extensions for various reasons, including medical needs or participation in case management services. Those with “imminent access to housing” — such as signed leases or confirmed arrangements with friends and family — may qualify for an extension of up to 30 business days, according to TRC Administrative Extension policies.

During their time at the TRC, the state provides diversion services aimed at helping families find permanent housing and employment. According to a state official, more than 350 shelter-eligible families — including some in the four state-wide TRCs — have utilized HomeBase, a program that temporarily subsidizes rent for eligible families.

The state also offers an optional reticketing service that provides transportation for families — including shelter-eligible families not staying in TRCs — with arranged housing in other states.

Since Aug. 1, 39 families statewide have used the reticketing program, according to a state official.

Despite these services, many families in the Cambridge TRC described the difficulty of finding stable housing and employment in the city, making it even harder to plan their next steps after receiving an exit notice.

For many shelter residents, though, the immediate challenge is coping with the day-to-day conditions at the Cambridge TRC.

Located in the Registry of Deeds building, part of which remains an active state facility, the Cambridge TRC is currently housing more than 100 people — and stretching its capacity.

The TRC provides families with cots in an open congregate setting. Several residents, however, described the cots as rickety, small, and uncomfortable, leading to sleepless nights.

Claudy, who recently arrived in the U.S. from Brazil, said in an interview that his experience at the Cambridge TRC has been “bad.”

“There’s nowhere to sleep,” he said.

Correction: September 17, 2024

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Cambridge Registry of Deeds is a municipal facility. In fact, it is a state facility.

—Staff writer Julian J. Giordano contributed reporting.

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart or on Threads @laurel.shugart.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.