Massachusetts is in the throes of a regional housing crisis, youth mental health crisis, opioid crisis, a rapidly aging population, more frequent extreme weather, and an influx of immigrants seeking refuge from danger across the world. Our safety net for individual homeless is experiencing an unprecedented level of need.
The investments Massachusetts has made over the past several years have allowed providers to build a system that works:
Cities and states that haven’t made these comprehensive investments have high street counts and face social challenges we have avoided. We can’t lose sight of this work and the strength of the successful system we have built.
But we are starting to see the cracks. As our emergency shelters operate at capacity, towns across our state are reporting growing numbers of homeless.
