Greenfield Days Inn emergency shelter to close Feb. 28

The Days Inn on Colrain Road in Greenfield.

The Days Inn on Colrain Road in Greenfield. STAFF FILE PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

Staff Writer

Published: 12-20-2024 4:28 PM

GREENFIELD — After more than 18 months operating as a state-funded shelter to house immigrants and refugees, the Days Inn shelter, operated by the service nonprofit ServiceNet, will close its doors on Feb. 28.

ServiceNet Shelter and Housing Director Erin Forbush said the shelter system has found housing for two of the 16 families that are currently staying at the Days Inn. She said she is hopeful the rest of the families will be transferred to ServiceNet’s other shelters, partnering facilities or apartments.

“We’re going to continue to work as we always do with families in any of our shelters. The goal for us is always to find permanent housing for any of our families, so we will continue to operate in that vein, regardless of our deadline,” Forbush said. “We’ve all known that motels and hotels are never the perfect place for a family to be, but it is better than the alternative. … The hotel came online in the state as a response to the overwhelming crisis that we were experiencing with families within the state that were in need of housing. It was always known to be temporary.”

Gov. Maura Healey has begun phasing out hotel and motel shelters in accordance with recommendations made in a report by the Special Commission on Emergency Housing Assistance Programs in November.

“The state expanded into hotel and motel rooms as a temporary solution to support the surge capacity, not as a long-term housing solution for families,” the report reads. “The commission recommends shifting away from current hotel and motel sites in the short term and limiting reliance on these sites for any future surge in demand.”

In a statement last month, Healey said the changes are intended to cut costs in the state’s Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter system and find longer-term housing solutions for those temporarily housed.

“In recent years, the state’s family shelter system has grown to be increasingly unsustainable. We’ve taken significant action to rein in its growth, and we’ve seen tangible results. The size of the system has remained stable for the past year, we no longer have families relying on emergency departments or the airport for shelter, and all shelter sites currently have a service provider instead of relying on the National Guard,” Healey said. “More needs to be done so that Massachusetts taxpayers do not continue to be on the hook for this federal problem. The changes we are making will reduce costs, phase out the use of hotels and better meet the needs of all families.”

ServiceNet’s Vice President of Community Relations Amy Timmins said that since the shelter first opened in May 2023, it has served 66 families. She added that all of the original 45 predominantly Haitian families that stayed at the shelter in the summer of 2023 have been placed in more permanent housing.

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“Those families who have been here for a while and whose children are in school and who have become established in the community, are here,” Timmins said. “It’s my understanding that the great majority of families have indeed settled in Greenfield or the Franklin County area.”

Although ServiceNet had been at odds with the city after banning Greenfield’s mayor-appointed liaison Wendy Goodman from entering the motel shelter earlier this year, Forbush thanked the community for welcoming the immigrants and refugees that the Days Inn housed.

“It’s been nice to work with people in Greenfield. There were many people that were very welcoming to our families, and many of our families have made some very solid connections, whether it be through their children in school and being welcomed into the full school system ... to the employers that gave families the opportunity to work,” Forbush said. “Some have, you know, gone to [Greenfield Community College] and gotten involved in other faith groups. It’s been a really nice experience for us as a provider, for the families and for Greenfield itself.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.