By Laura Hayes — [email protected]
The former Best Western on Elm Street will cease operations by August 31 after two-and-a-half years as an emergency shelter for homeless families.
State Rep. Simon Cataldo (D-Concord) told The Concord Bridge on Wednesday that he had received word from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) that the shelter will shutter as part of the state’s efforts to phase out the use of hotels as shelters by year-end.
In November, Gov. Maura Healey said that the state would phase out the use of hotels as part of the Emergency Assistance family shelter system, calling it the “most expensive shelter model” in a statement and saying it does not “provide an ideal environment for long-term shelter to help families get back on their feet.”
At the time, the administration said the hotel and motel shelters would be phased out throughout fiscal years 2025 and 2026 and that the state would shift to a “most cost-effective and supportive portfolio.”
The Concord hotel was converted into an emergency shelter in March 2023 following a surge in people seeking help under Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law. It is operated by the non-profit Making Opportunity Count, with Jamsan Hotel Management serving as landlord.
The current contract for the Concord shelter was set to expire June 30.
At the end of October, the shelter housed 104 families; just 56 families live there now, according to an EOHLC spokesperson.
As previously reported by The Bridge, the state paused new Elm Street placements in November amid problems that included a cockroach infestation and reports of septic backups, mold, mildew, and leaky or damaged plumbing.
The state later lifted the pause, though three rooms were still unavailable as of mid-January.
What’s next
Executive Director Kevin Reed told The Bridge via email that MOC was committed to ensuring that the families had access to needed resources and support.
“We appreciate the collaboration and dedication of all our partners that are working to address housing instability in Concord and surrounding communities,” he said on Wednesday.
EOHLC and MOC will work to get families into stable housing before June 30. The state will offer families that have not exited the shelter system the chance to transfer to another family facility if they have not reached the time limit on shelter stays, a spokesman said.
“The journey for these families is not over, and it is critical that the state takes responsible measures to manage this transition in a humane and practical way,” Cataldo said, praising “the way Concord and Carlisle have met the moment in helping these families.”
School officials have been tracking the fate of the shelter and the students who live there, both for educational and transportation services.
Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, homeless children have a right to continue attending the school they were previously enrolled in or to enroll in the district where they are living.
An EOHLC spokesperson said case managers will work with the families to make sure they understand their educational rights and enrollment options prior to closure.
In a Wednesday night email, schools Superintendent Laurie Hunter said district officials are “hopeful that all families have housing by the end of August.”
Hunter said that if that timeline remains on track, there would not be any students who were housed in the shelter in Concord schools for the 2025-2026 school year unless they found housing in town.
Dakota Antelman contributed reporting.
8:25 p.m.: This breaking story has been updated.
