The latest figures were disclosed shortly after the governor signed a state budget allocating $325 million for the shelter system, which also depends on $175 million in pandemic-related funds.
Spending is not expected to decrease post-2025; projections indicate that over $1 billion will likely be required annually through fiscal years 2026 and 2027 if current illegal immigration levels persist.
The revised estimates, updated in mid-July, assume the shelter system will maintain its 7,500-family cap, keep open four overflow shelters, and continue the support levels of fiscal year 2024.
A spokesman for the budget office underscored the physical and financial unsustainability of the current emergency assistance shelter system.
New policies have been implemented, including a five-day limit at temporary respite centers and a nine-month maximum stay in emergency assistance shelters.
The Biden-Harris government's inability to control the flow of illegal immigration across the U.S. southern border is straining state and local budgets across the country.
Massachusetts anticipates higher spending on the emergency shelter system for illegal immigrants and local families in the upcoming fiscal year, according to revised estimates from Governor Maura Healey's administration.
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