When the Caucus questioned why an illegal immigrant from the Dominican Republic was living in a Revere-based shelter after he was arrested on multiple firearms and drug charges, the Governor responded by ordering an inspection of all state-run emergency shelters and a full review of the intake process. On Thursday, the Boston Globe reported that the Administration’s repeated claims that all emergency shelter applicants were subject to comprehensive background checks before entry into the system were, in fact, false, as the Administration failed to conduct criminal background checks that could have weeded out dangerous individuals and prevented them from accessing taxpayer-funded state benefits.
By Friday, Governor Healey was on the defensive, following a scathing rebuke from House Minority Leader Brad Jones, who issued a statement calling the situation “completely unacceptable” and “a betrayal of the public’s trust.” At a late afternoon press availability, the Governor said that everyone in the state’s emergency shelter system will now undergo a CORI check, and that she has brought on former Boston Police Department Commissioner Ed Davis to conduct an “independent outside review” of the shelter program. She also expressed a willingness to revisit the state’s Right to Shelter Law to uphold its original intent to provide emergency housing to Massachusetts residents, something the House Republican Caucus has continuously called for and strongly supports.
Be sure to check out additional media coverage of the evolving shelter situation from the Boston Herald’s Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive’s John Micek, the Boston Globe’s Matt Stout and Samantha Gross, as well as Boston Globe columnist Adrian Walker and WCVB's David Bienick, who interviewed Representative Paul Frost (R-Auburn).
