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While she is shutting down her sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, critics are accusing Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey of simply shifting the costs over to a program that makes migrants eligible to receive at least $30,000 in housing assistance over two years.
The Boston Herald reported in June that the Healey administration had increased spending in Massachusetts’ HomeBASE program to $97 million in 2025, up from $9.5 million in 2022, according to state data.
The outlet reported that eligible families in the Massachusetts-run shelter system were being provided with $30,000 in rental assistance over two years. According to the Herald, the total caseload for HomeBASE increased under Healey from 1,473 in January 2023 to 7,767 in April 2025, more than a 400 percent increase. The outlet also said that some eligible families could qualify for an additional $15,000 in a third year of assistance but that state officials planned to pause third year assistance in July.
After that report, Massachusetts GOP Chair Amy Carnevale commented that the HomeBASE program amounted to being “shelters by another name.”
“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 went on, adding, “The migrant shelter crisis is not over, and cost-shifting is not leadership.”
However, a spokesperson for Healey pushed back against the criticism, telling Fox News Digital that the governor is the first to require families receiving HomeBASE funds prove their legal status as well as Massachusetts residency.
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As Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey closes down the sanctuary state’s migrant shelters, she is facing criticism for simultaneously shifting costs to dramatically increase spending on a program that detractors say makes immigrants eligible to receive $30,000 in housing assistance. (Photo by Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe via Getty Images and Joseph Prezzioso/AFP via Getty Images)
The spokesperson said that claims that illegal aliens are benefitting from the program “are completely false.”
“Every family must have legal status and prove Massachusetts residency to be in the HomeBASE program. Governor Healey is the first Governor to require that. In fact, HomeBASE has been operated for over a…
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