Town by town Massachusetts emergency shelters, by the numbers

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Currently there are 7,462 families in shelters, hotels, or motels across Massachusetts.

The shelter crisis continues in the Commonwealth as the only right-to-shelter state in the country and that law only applies to families. Much has been made about the influx of migrant families and the cap put on the shelter system limiting access to emergency shelters. However, adults without children are not protected under the right to shelter.

Although the current cap of families allowed in shelters is 7,500, emergency housing rates have been at record highs due to the influx of migrants arriving in Massachusetts. The length of stay will be limited to nine months, starting in June. But it will allow two 90-day extensions for those who are eligible, including pregnant people, people diagnosed with a disability or medical condition, and those at risk of harm from domestic violence.

To date, $564 million has been spent on assistance in the 2024 Fiscal Year.

Number of families in Massachusetts emergency shelters:

As of May 2nd, 7,462 families are in the emergency housing assistance program, 3,758 of that number entered Massachusetts as migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers. In western Massachusetts, around 700 families are being housed in emergency shelters.

1. Acton: 28
2. Amherst: 5
3. Andover: 17
4. Arlington: 11
5. Ashland: 2
6. Attleboro: 14
7. Auburn: 83
8. Ayer: 45
9. Barnstable: 32
10. Bedford: 16
11. Beverly: 27
12. Boston: 1,303
13. Bourne: 47
14. Braintree: 15
15. Bridgewater: 4
16. Brockton: 162
17. Brookline: 32
18. Burlington: 34
19. Cambridge: 32
20. Chelmsford: 3
21. Chelsea: 31
22. Chicopee: 121
23. Concord: 89
24. Danvers: 173
25. Dedham: 154
26. Devens: 12
27. Everett: 98
28. Fall River: 91
29. Falmouth: 10
30. Fitchburg: 10
31. Foxborough: 89
32. Framingham: 182
33. Franklin: 92
34. Gardner: 52
35. Gloucester: 7
36. Great Barrington: 14
37. Greenfield: 57
38. Hanson: 1
39. Haverhill: 73
40. Holyoke: 174
41. Hudson: 50
42. Kingston: 95
43. Lawrence: 61
44. Leicester: 35
45. Lexington: 30
46. Lowell: 335
47. Ludlow: 1
48. Lynn: 303
49. Malden: 62
50. Marlborough: 151
51. Marshfield: 21
52. Medford: 38
53. Medway: 12
54. Melrose: 1
55. Methuen: 74
56. Middleborough: 54
57. Milford: 77
58. Milton: 2
59. New Bedford: 26
60. North Attleboro: 1
61. Northampton: 14
62. Northborough: 21
63. Norton: 22
64. Norwell: 14
65. Norwood: 75
66. Peabody: 234
67. Pittsfield: 30
68. Plainville: 57
69. Plymouth: 37
70. Raynham: 76
71. Revere: 26
72. Rockland: 59
73. Salem: 134
74. Saugus: 75
75. Sharon: 72
76. Shrewsbury: 82
77. South Hadley: 8
78. Southbridge: 1
79. Springfield: 277
80. Stoneham: 1
81. Stoughton: 243
82. Sturbridge: 21

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