What is the Bridge Shelter Track?
The Bridge Shelter Track is for families that have higher risks and more complex needs that take longer to resolve to find permanent housing.
If your family is on the Bridge Shelter Track and there is not immediate shelter, your family will be placed in a shelter unit where you can stay for up to nine months. Please note that legislation (law) is being proposed to change the length of stay to 6 months.
If your family is on the Bridge Shelter Track and there shelter available, you will be placed on the EA Family Shelter Contact List and work with your Homeless Coordinator to get placed into the Bridge Shelter Track. You will be placed on the EA Family Shelter Contact List based on your priority number.
In the Bridge Shelter Track, families will receive support to work on finding stable, permanent housing quickly. Families will be connected to help with getting work authorization, finding job placements and classes, and using stabilization services like HomeBASE.
Who is eligible for the Bridge Shelter Track?
Starting December 10, 2024, your family will be placed on tracks based on priority criteria. The criteria listed below are for families to be placed in the Bridge Shelter Track and would place them in priority 1, 2, 3.
- You have certain medical needs that meet EA priority criteria:
- Family member aged 0-9 months
- Family member with high-risk pregnancy
- Family member in 3rd trimester of pregnancy
- Family member with immunocompromised condition
- Family member with medical device
- Family member with three or more chronic conditions
- Family member with medications requiring refrigeration
- Family with primary caregiver aged 70 years or more
- Family member who has an intellectual or developmental disability
- You are at risk of domestic violence,
- You received a DCF Health and Safety Assessment that identified a risk of harm,
- You are homeless because of fire, flood, or other disasters,
- You are homeless from a “no-fault eviction”,
- You have at least one family member who is a veteran, or
- You are leaving a DCF Young Parent Living Program due to age limits
- Families who have similar needs and/or risks will be ranked on the EA Contact List based on when they were found eligible if there is not capacity in the Bridge Shelter Track.
To learn more, read EA Guidance on Contact List and Prioritization Procedures.
What is the time limit for the Bridge Shelter Track (Length of Stay)?
There is a nine month time limit for the Bridge Shelter Track. Extensions are available depending on your family’s situation.
Additional Resources
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Open PDF file, 239.37 KB, EA Guidance on Nine Month Length of Stay (English, PDF 239.37 KB)
Are there extensions available for the Bridge Shelter Track time limit?
Extensions are available depending on your family’s situation.
What are the rules in the Bridge Shelter Track?
Follow Shelter Program Rules
Shelter Program Rules are a set of rules you and your family must follow to remain in shelter. They are in place to make sure that shelters are safe and work for everyone. You will sign these rules when you enter shelter. Shelter rules include:
- Arriving by curfew
- Spending every night at the shelter unless permission is granted
- Providing appropriate care for children in the household
- No pets (except for service animals or other animals under the Americans with Disabilities Act)
- No alcohol or illegal drug
What do families in the Bridge Shelter Track have to do to look for housing?
How can I request the changes or services I need while staying in shelter?
While you are in EA Family Shelter, you may need to request services like:
- a transfer to another shelter location,
- an inspection of your shelter unit,
- a Reasonable Accommodation for a disability, etc.
If you applied online for EA Family Shelter, you can ask for these services here.
In the Housing Help Hub, you can view your requests for services here.
If you did not apply for EA Family Shelter online, you can also talk to your Case Manager about how you can request these services.
What decisions do I have the right to appeal in the Bridge Shelter Track?
Your Appeal Rights
You have the right to a hearing with a Hearing Officer to challenge an action or decision about your case.
Your hearing will be held as soon as possible. You will get notice at least two days in advance of the date, time, and place for the hearing.
Your Right To Get Help for the Hearing
You have the right to bring an attorney or anyone else as your representative to the hearing. To try to get free legal help for your hearing, contact legal services or other community agencies. Your local DHS office or EA Family Shelter provider can give you information about community agencies in your area.
You or your representative have the right to see your case file before the hearing, to bring witnesses and present evidence at the hearing, and to question (cross-examine) witnesses against you. The Hearing Officer must make a decision based on all the evidence presented.
If you do not speak, understand, read, or write English well and want an interpreter, please write this on your hearing request or call the Hearings Division at (617)-573-1528 or 1-877-418-3308 (TTY (617)-573-1140 for the Deaf or hard-of-hearing), as soon as possible before the hearing.
To File an Appeal:
- Log into the MA Emergency Housing Portal | Mass.gov,
- Begin the process by clicking the "Resume" option, and
- Click the "Appeal" button next to the applicable application.
For more information on your appeal rights, your right to get help for the hearing, and other information, please visit this website: What to Expect at Your Hearing related to Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter
Reasonable Accommodation
You have the right to request assistance as a reasonable accommodation on the basis of disability. Your Homeless Coordinator will work with you to see if a reasonable accommodation can be provided. Although you can ask for a reasonable accommodation at any time, it is best to do it as soon as possible. To request a reasonable accommodation, you can complete the Request for Reasonable Accommodation Form. You can also talk to us and give us the information. Our office can help you make a request in a different way, if needed. You can contact anyone at your shelter for help. This includes your shelter ADA coordinator. You can also contact EOHLC’s Central ADA coordinators for help, by emailing EOHLCeaada@mass.gov.