Who Qualifies as Homeless for EA Shelter?

Not all homeless families qualify to get into EA shelter. You must prove that your family does not have any other place to stay. Having another place to stay is called having "feasible alternative housing." Feasible alternative housing is any living situation that is "currently available," including temporary housing with your relatives, friends, or a charitable organization.⁷

But even if your family has "currently available" housing, you can still get shelter if you can show that your current living situation is not "feasible" for any one of the following reasons:⁸

Your current housing is a threat to health and safety because of overcrowding or violations of the state Sanitary Code;

You have suffered a fire or other natural disaster and have provided verification of the disaster from the fire department, police, or Red Cross;

You must leave your current housing because of abuse;

You need to relocate because of a severe medical condition;

You have been evicted by a court and received an execution; for a reason that is not disqualifying (See When Can a Financially Eligible Homeless Family Be Denied Shelter?).⁹

Once your family has been allowed to enter shelter, there is no time limit as to how long you can stay, as long as you remain eligible.

Endnotes

⁷ . 106 C.M.R. §309.040(A)(2).

⁸ . 106 C.M.R. §309.040(A)(5).

⁹ . 106 C.M.R. §309.040(A)(5)(b). However, the reason for certain evictions will disqualify homeless families from access to EA shelter. See 106 C.M.R. §§309.040(B)(3)-(6).

Produced by Ruth Bourquin and Faye B. Rachlin
Last updated March 2010

Who Qualifies as Homeless for EA Shelter?

Endnotes

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