State Places 16 Homeless Families In Shrewsbury Hotel

SHREWSBURY, MA — Sixteen families have moved into a Shrewsbury hotel as part of the state's emergency shelter system, which has been stretched to its limits in recent months due to rising homelessness and migrants moving to the state.

According to town officials, the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DCHD) placed 12 families in a Shrewsbury hotel on May 19, with plans to only keep them there until May 29. But on Wednesday, the state informed the town the number of families had grown to 16, and that they will be in town until further notice.

Shrewsbury now joins a growing number of local communities — including Marlborough and Westborough — where the state is using hotel rooms to house families with traditional shelter beds at-capacity. The state is also planning to open shelter space for families at the former Westborough state hospital campus off Lyman Street.

A 1983 Massachusetts law guarantees families and pregnant women the right to shelter. The state has about 3,600 shelter beds across the state, and was also using approximately 800 hotel and motel rooms as overflow as of the beginning of May.

Shrewsbury is accepting donations for the new families. Any resident who wants to help assist the new arrivals can donate here or at www.shrewsburyma.gov/Donations. Residents can also mail donations with "Migrant/Homeless Shelter" in the memo line to Town Hall, 100 Maple Ave., 01545. The town may collect physical goods in the future, but has not set up a system for that yet.