Boston OKs office building for sleeping

BOSTON — Massachusetts announced plans Monday to let homeless families stay overnight in the state transportation building in Boston as officials scramble to find shelter for newly arriving families after hitting a state-imposed limit of 7,500 families in the state’s emergency homeless shelter system. The space located in the office building is large enough to provide overnight shelter for up to 25 families with cots and limited amenities and will only be used in the evening and overnight hours, officials said. As of Friday, there were 92 families on the state’s waiting list for emergency shelter. The site is temporary and is expected to operate for about two weeks until an additional safety net shelter program is operational, officials said. In Massachusetts, homeless families have sought shelter in churches, hospital waiting rooms and even airport lounges after the state’s emergency shelter system hit its limit last week, forcing some homeless people to be put on a waiting list as colder weather begins to grip the state. Local advocates trying to assist homeless families have expressed frustration as they struggle to find safe places for them to stay overnight. The spike in demand is being driven in part by migrant families entering the state. About half of the current shelter caseload are new arrivals to Massachusetts, according to Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.