The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance today sharply criticized Governor Maura Healey for continuing to funnel taxpayer money into a broken and unsustainable emergency shelter system, while not taking action on the ongoing public defender crisis that’s allowing potentially violent offenders to walk free.

Newly released state data today shows that the weekly cost per family under the Healey administration is at: $3,870, slightly higher than their report two weeks ago. The Healey administration has spent over $940 million on the state’s emergency family shelter system in Fiscal Year 2025 alone, on track for a staggering $1.8 billion in spending over two years.

“Gov. Healey promised to rein in shelter spending, but the money keeps flowing. The latest report shows the weekly costs have actually gone up.  Instead of ending this program, they’re simply moving illegal migrants and inadmissible migrants from one taxpayer-funded program to another and calling it reform. The burden on taxpayers hasn’t gone away, it’s just been rebranded and redirected,” said Paul Diego Craney, Executive Director for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.

Meanwhile, as nearly 3,300 families remain in taxpayer-funded shelters, another crisis is spiraling out of control as Beacon Hill dithers. A months-long work stoppage by public defenders who represent low-income criminal defendants has led to dismissed charges and the release of defendants, including those accused of violent crimes, due to a lack of legal representation.

“While Beacon Hill writes blank checks for emergency shelters, they’re ignoring a real emergency in the courts. The same officials spending hundreds of millions to provide long-term housing for illegal aliens can’t be bothered to resolve a strike that’s undermining public safety and the rule of law across the board,” said Craney.

Despite widespread disruption in the court system, Speaker Mariano admitted in the Boston Herald that there’s “no timeline” for resolving the crisis, and Senate President Spilka declined to provide any update at all. Their indifference stands in stark contrast to the rapid funding approvals given to shelter-related programs.

“This is about priorities, and Beacon Hill’s are completely backwards. Massachusetts taxpayers are watching as their leaders throw money at politically expedient causes while ignoring their fundamental obligation to keep communities safe,” said Craney.

The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance is calling on state leaders to immediately resolve the public defender strike and end the open-ended shelter spending that continues to incentivize and enable a broken system.