Homeless Massachusetts mom waiting for emergency housing for months while migrants get preference

Massachusetts is currently housing over 20,000 migrants in emergency shelters throughout the state, providing housing, meals, health insurance, transportation, legal services, cash benefits and even laundry services with a price tag exceeding $1 billion for this year alone.

In the city of Taunton, the Clarion Hotel is closed to the public and has been exclusively housing 140 migrant families since the fall of 2023. Over the past 9 months, I have reported on the hotel, detailing the number of police calls to the building, transportation costs as well as legal issues facing the property. You can read my comprehensive three-part series on the Taunton hotel here.

But a recent Facebook post by an anonymous poster caught my eye. The single mother of four shared that she was looking for help with housing her and her youngest three children, ages 10, 14 and 16. Her oldest daughter, who is 19, joined the military last year. The woman said she has been paying approximately $800 a week for a hotel and it was just not financially feasible for her to continue to afford the cost. She was running out of options.

I connected with the poster, a Fall River woman by the name of Amanda, and learned that she was on a wait list for emergency housing. After my work reporting on the Clarion Hotel, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was truly harder for a Massachusetts resident with children to secure emergency housing than it was for a migrant. Turns out, it was.

Below is my interview with Amanda.

1.  Have you always lived in Massachusetts? What has your housing situation been like before you became homeless?

I’ve lived in Fall River for approximately 25 years. I always had my own place and was able to maintain without any assistance.

2. What circumstances led you to become homeless? 

I have several issues with my physical health, and have had several surgeries, all of which translate to periods of time I wasn’t able to work.  This caused me to fall behind on rent. My landlord had been wanting me to move so she could move into the unit and have family move into her unit downstairs. She chose to jump on the opportunity to file for eviction even though I told her there was help available to pay through Raft. I had just gotten my section 8 certificate after waiting 13 years for it. Despite what many think, my portion of the rent was close to $1000. While it is adjusted to your income, if you get sick or similar, it takes time for them to adjust it. Falling behind on my rent due to being sick violated my agreement with Section 8 and they terminated my voucher.  While being able to save up for move-in costs, I knew I would be unable to afford monthly rent and other expenses without any assistance.

3. How long have you been homeless?

We have been without our own place since July of 2022. For the first 14 months we were living in a family members house. In April we finally found assistance that would enable me to afford an apartment, and have been searching for one since. We have been at the hotel paying out of pocket since July 2.

4. Where do you keep all of your belongings? Do you have things in storage or are all of your things with you and your children?

I put all of our things we didn’t use daily into a storage unit. A few months back I got a call the automatic monthly payment had stopped going through 2 months prior and total was due immediately or it would be auctioned. I wasn’t able to pay it due to paying for the hotel, so I lost all we had. Baby pictures, memories, important documents, my whole entire life. We have clothes and shoes with us.

5. What agency did you apply to for emergency shelter? Was it in person or over the phone?

I tried applying over the phone for almost 2 months. Each day I was told a caseworker would reach out, but nobody ever did. Then I was told you could go to DTA in New Bedford to apply in person which I did. The screening process included a DCF screening to ensure kids were being taken care of and what the current set up was, a DPH screening regarding any illnesses, special medications or medical equipment, etc.  We were approved at the end of April. This put you in a waiting list for a shelter opening, and the referral to homebase which provides move-in costs for an apartment, as well as monthly rent assistance for the remaining grant balance of $35k.

6. What can you tell me about the wait list and did they give you an idea about where and when you would be placed?

We were placed on the list at the end of April.  I have not received any contact or updates unless I reach out. The most recent update is we are at the top of the list, but still can’t be told how long that might be. The placement could be anywhere in the state of MA, though they do request and try to keep you locally if you prefer. It isn’t promised though.

7. Where have you and your family been staying?  What is the room like? What is the cost?

We stay between two hotels. Hotels have a length of stay maximum of about 3 weeks, and then you have to check out for 2 days before checking in again. This is a headache, especially without a car, since check out time is usually between 10am and noon, and check in time starts between 3 and 4pm. The room we have is large, has 2 queen beds, a bathroom, a fridge and microwave, and a desk area.  We pay extra for a room with a fridge and microwave, and while that is vital, we so miss being able to cook real food and have a homecooked meal.  The room at the other hotel we go to is a similar set up, but 2 double beds vs queen. The cost has recently decreased a bit as travel is slowing. The cost ranges from $815/week and some weeks has been over $1000. I try to make the reservations ahead of time to secure the lowest rates when the option to hold without paying isn’t available.  I use Expedia and Priceline to book as these have had the lowest costs. They do not offer weekly rates. Until recently, I had family help with the balance of the room cost over what my pay covered, and transportation.  That help has run out and I can no longer afford to stay here on my own, which is why I began reaching out to the community for help.

8. Are your children enrolled in school? What has being homeless been like for them and their education?

My children are enrolled in school. During this time, my oldest graduated and went into the army. My kids have been able to maintain their schools due to transportation being provided through a homeless outreach program the school department has. The first year there was a problem getting transportation arranged and they missed the first 3 weeks of school. Since then we haven’t had issues. The transport dept has been excellent at quickly adjusting things if we have to switch hotels.

9. Are you working? 

 Yes, I work full time. Mostly overnight. Due to my physical health, it is very hard to be on my feet that long, but the time it takes to be approved for disability is too long to be without income, so I keep working. I used to work between 2 and 3 jobs, but my body won’t allow me to do that any longer.

10. What kind of benefits do you and your children currently get from the state? Food? Health insurance? Cash?

We get SNAP and health insurance benefits. We recently had to recertify for SNAP, and they say the hotel receipts are not sufficient to show shelter costs, so the monthly amount went down more than half, which is a huge burden, especially since frozen and prepared quick meals are more expensive since we can’t cook here. The amount we were receiving already didn’t cover a full month, and now that’s more money I won’t have to put towards the hotel costs.

11. I noticed that you began to reach out on Facebook pages looking for help. That must be difficult to do. How does that make you feel?

It is very difficult to do. It’s embarrassing. There was one day where check out time was getting close and I didn’t have the money to pay for the night, which means checking out. I went to a nearby intersection and made a sign asking for help. That was the most degrading experience. I cried the whole time, not one person stopped or barely looked my way. As hard as it is, it’s not as hard as it would be having to sit outside with my kids and our stuff with nowhere to go.  For them I will do whatever I can to make things okay for them. The thought of them having to be taken and put in foster care makes it much easier to deal with how it makes me feel. I try not to put my face or name out so my children’s friends or classmates don’t see, and give them a reason to tease them. There is this myth out there that people choose to live like this to get free benefits, and I wish they could understand this isn’t how anybody wants to live.

12. You are aware of the hotel in Taunton that has been housing migrants there for the past year. Can you tell me how you feel about the financial support and housing that is being provided there and does it bother you that you and the kids can not get a hotel room as easily?

The situation is the reason why it is so hard to get help and we have been waiting so long. It is frustrating to know that despite being a resident of the state, working and paying taxes for 24 years doesn’t matter now that we need help. I hate to think of people with nowhere to go, but WE have nowhere to go. I do believe residents/citizens and especially veterans should be given priority over others with resources available. It blows my mind we are in a hotel and paying out of pocket, and despite being approved for help, they can’t assist with paying here or even reimbursing any of the costs.

13. What do you think needs to be done to help families like yours that are struggling? What would be the best way for the state to help you get back on your feet?

Not making it so hard for people to find and get help. I have had to neglect other financial obligations to avoid us being on the streets and put us further into debt.  There should be a database of some sort with landlords or agencies that work with the assistance available, or a case worker who is able to bridge the gap with finding an apartment that works with the assistance.

14. If you had to set a goal for yourself for this week, this month and this year, what would those be?

The main goal is getting us back into our own place so my children have their own bed to sleep in every night, and can have a sense of security, creating a stable homebase for us all.

15. If you could send a message to elected officials about families that are struggling, what would you say?

Make decisions for the residents like you would if it was your own family. Take the time to go through the process yourself so you can understand where the gaps are.

If you are interested in helping Amanda and her children with hotel costs, a GoFundMe has been created. Click here.