Key Takeaways:
- Massive Spending Spike – Massachusetts’ HomeBASE rental assistance program exploded from $9.5 million in 2022 to $97 million in 2025, with eligible families receiving up to $30,000 over two years.
- Critics Call It “Shelters by Another Name” – State GOP leaders and former shelter officials argue the program is just shifting costs, not solving the migrant housing crisis.
- Accountability in Question – Whistleblowers warn the program is bloated, mismanaged, and fails to deliver long-term stability, leaving taxpayers footing the bill with little transparency.
Massachusetts is closing its migrant hotel shelters—but don’t be fooled. Governor Maura Healey’s “solution” is looking less like fiscal responsibility and more like a taxpayer-funded shell game.
Instead of housing migrants in hotels, the Healey administration has supercharged the state’s HomeBASE program—a long-running rental assistance fund—ballooning its budget from $9.5 million in 2022 to a staggering $97 million in 2025. Under the program, eligible families can receive $30,000 in housing aid over two years, with some able to snag an extra $15,000 in a third year. Critics say it’s “shelters by another name”—just with a bigger price tag.
Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale isn’t buying the governor’s talking points. “Taxpayers are giving migrant families nearly limitless free rental assistance. Meanwhile, federal action means these families won’t be receiving work permits anytime soon,” she told Fox News Digital. “The migrant shelter crisis is not over, and cost-shifting is not leadership.”
The Healey administration insists the program is restricted to families with legal status and Massachusetts residency—requirements they say she was the first governor to implement. But for many residents already stretched thin, the optics are brutal: skyrocketing costs, minimal oversight, and no long-term solution in sight.
Former migrant shelter director Jon Fetherston, who’s seen the system from the inside, says the program is failing both taxpayers and the migrants it’s supposed to help. “Instead of creating stability, HomeBASE has become a revolving door of short-term rental assistance,” he said. Migrants often burn through their $30,000 on upfront housing costs, only to face eviction months later.
In theory, expanding HomeBASE was supposed to save money and help families become self-sufficient. In practice, Fetherston says, “HomeBASE is now a bloated, mismanaged program… a broken promise.”
The bottom line? Massachusetts may have shut the hotel doors, but it’s still writing massive checks—just through a different program. And unless accountability and measurable results follow, taxpayers could be left holding the bag for yet another “emergency” that never really ends.