The top state housing official in Massachusetts will host a meeting Monday to discuss emergency shelters for the homeless in Springfield.
The meeting with Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Sec Jay Ash follows complaints from Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno that homeless families are being sheltered in de facto rooming houses, at state expense, concentrated in a few neighborhoods. The practice started last fall as the administration of former Gov Deval Patrick tried to reduce the number of homeless families living in motels.
State Senator James Welch of Springfield worked with local and state officials to set up the meeting.
" I get the sense that Gov. Baker and his administration want to look at this in a new way, in a fresh way," Welch said.
Springfield officials say they’ve discovered 86 apartments with multiple homeless families.
