
Despite Governor’s Pledge, Homeless Families Still Exsist In Mass.
By now, Massachusetts wasn't supposed to have any homeless families.
In 2008, Gov. Deval Patrick set a goal of virtually eliminating family homelessness in five years. The program's aim was to better detect when families were on the verge of falling into homelessness _ and then moving in swiftly with aid.
Five years later, record numbers of homeless families are straining the state's shelter system. About 2,000 families find temporary housing in hotels and motels across the state and approximately an equal number stay in family shelters.
Patrick and others point to various reasons for the surge in homelessness, from the yearslong downturn in the economy to a pullback in federal aid.
But even Patrick concedes that simply extending the state's existing anti-homelessness strategies isn't going to work long-term. (Associated Press)
More From WBSM-AM/AM 1420

![Juneteenth Is an Official State Holiday in Massachusetts [PHIL-OSOPHY]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2021/06/GettyImages-1250934781.jpeg?w=980&q=75)
![Soda Tax Proposal Resurfaces on Beacon Hill [OPINION]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2021/02/GettyImages-143013804.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Well, SouthCoast, There Goes Our Casino [OPINION]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2020/11/GettyImages-1250612761.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Will Massachusetts Senator Warren Become VP for Biden? [OPINION]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2020/08/GettyImages-1204730416.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Time for Warren to Start Earning Her Senate Pay [OPINION]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2020/02/GettyImages-1205636652.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Patrick as the 2020 Democrats [OPINION]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2020/02/Bloomberg-and-Patrick.png?w=980&q=75)
![Pandering Patrick Backs Reparations [OPINION]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2020/01/GettyImages-1194933212.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Counting the Homeless in New Bedford [TOWNSQUARE SUNDAY]](http://townsquare.media/site/518/files/2020/01/GettyImages-465613695.jpg?w=980&q=75)