CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - The state will be opening a new “safety net family shelter” in Cambridge on Friday.
The shelter, located in the Middlesex County Registry of Deeds Building, aims to keep families warm and safe until an emergency assistance shelter becomes available. It will be open in the evening and overnight for families, who are initially assessed at a state intake site and confirmed to be eligible for emergency assistance.
Starting Friday, between 20 and 30 families are expected to be temporarily housed at the site, which will eventually be able to accommodate up to 70 families.
“Our team has been working to identify ways the City of Cambridge can support the families who will be staying in the new Safety Net Family Shelter,” said Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang in a statement. “We recognize the crisis occurring across Massachusetts and the nation. We are committed to welcoming the families coming to Cambridge and ensuring they are well cared for. We have been collaborating with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to assist in successfully implementing this critically needed resource and ensure any potential impacts to the immediate neighborhood are minimized.”
The state said that while many families entering the family shelter system are migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers, families fleeing domestic violence, a no-fault eviction, or whose children are exposed to a substantial health or safety risk may be eligible to apply.
Families who are facing homelessness can apply by phone at (866) 584-0653. For additional information on the Commonwealth Emergency Housing Assistance Programs, visit https://www.mass.gov/emergency-housing-assistance.
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