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Out in the Cold: Homeless Children in Crisis in Massachusetts
Out in the Cold: Homeless Children in Crisis in Massachusetts

Out in the Cold: Homeless Children in Crisis in Massachusetts

by Ruth Bourquin and Liza Hirsch

In September 2012, Massachusetts imposed new restrictions on eligibility to emergency shelter for homeless families with children. On April 9, 2013 MLRI released a report, Out in the Cold: Homeless Children in Crisis in Massachusetts. This report highlights the adverse impacts of these new regulations—including, e.g., forcing homeless children to stay in places not meant for human habitation, shifting cost burdens to the Commonwealth’s health care system, and forcing vulnerable families to resort to unsafe and destabilizing irregular housing practices—and makes recommendations to fix the most urgent problems.