Homeless families to be moved from Marlborough to Framingham. Why it's being done
Homeless families that were living in Marlborough are being moved to Framingham, as the state seeks to consolidate resources in handling the large number of people in need of emergency shelter services.
In an email sent March 19 by state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, Marlborough officials were told that 29 families currently living at the Extended Stay America-Boston-Marlborough hotel will be moved to the Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Framingham.
Affected families have already been informed of the move, which will take place April 4.
According to Tyler Newhall, director of municipal relations for the EOHLC, the move is being done to improve efficiency in being able to provide care to families in need. The South Middlesex Opportunity Council is the official care provider for both the Extended Stay and Residence Inn, and by combining the operation into one location, Newhall said it should be easier to provide care to the populations who are in need of it.
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"The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), which currently provides services at the Extended Stay, already serves as shelter provider for roughly 50 families at the Residence Inn, and we hope that the relationships they've built with Marlborough families will facilitate a smooth transition," Newhall wrote in an email to Marlborough officials.
State says move will help care providers consolidate resources
Newhall also stated in the email that by consolidating resources to one location, the hope is that it will also allow SMOC to increase its capacity for supporting families.
"We are also hopeful that the consolidation of SMOC staff and resources into a single site will alleviate strain on the provider and result in more efficient service delivery and increased case management capacity," Newhall wrote.
The decision by the state came prior to separate bills that passed the state House and Senate that would put a limit on the duration a family can stay in emergency shelter at nine months. The two legislative branches are in negotiations for a compromise bill, which would then need to be signed by Gov. Maura Healey.
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Children now attending Marlborough Public Schools who will be moved to Framingham will be given the option of remaining in MPS or being transferred to Framingham Public Schools. The state pays for homeless students to attend local schools at a per-pupil rate, and would presumably cover the costs for students added to Framingham Public Schools.
Marlborough will continue to have a large population of homeless families living in emergency shelters. Roughly 500 individuals are currently living at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Marlborough, which is managed by Lexington-based Eliot Community Human Services.
Ryan Egan, chief of staff for Marlborough Mayor J. Christian Dumais, told the Daily News that there is no indication the state is seeking to re-fill the population that is being moved out of the Extended Stay in Marlborough.
"There is nothing that indicates that," Egan said. "It seems like they are trying to, because it is a SMOC site, they are trying to consolidate."
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Homeless families being moved from Marlborough to Framingham
