What is the Rapid Shelter Track?
The Rapid Shelter Track is for families who have strengths and needs that allow them to find self-sufficient permanent housing more quickly with high intensity support.
If your family is on the Rapid Shelter Track and there is immediate shelter available, your family can stay at a Rapid Track EA shelter for 30 business days. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays will not count towards the 30-business day shelter time limit. A Rapid Track EA shelter is a shorter-term group shelter for families to stay while working with case managers to apply for help to find and move to stable, permanent housing quickly. You and your family will have access to meals, showers, and some basic needs at Rapid Track EA shelters.
If your family is on the Rapid Shelter Track and there is not immediate shelter, you will be placed on the EA Family Shelter Contact List, and work with your Homeless Coordinator to get placed into the Rapid Shelter Track. You will still be able to access rehousing and diversion services like HomeBASE and Re-ticketing even if a spot in the Rapid Shelter Track is not immediately available.
Who is eligible for the Rapid Shelter Track?
Families will be placed on tracks based on priority criteria. Families that do not meet the criteria below are considered Priority 4 and will be placed in the Rapid Shelter Track. The criteria listed below are for families to be placed in the Bridge Shelter Track and would place them in priority 1, 2, 3. Families in the Rapid Shelter track may be able to quickly find permanent housing with high intensity support.
Again, if your family does not meet the below criteria, your family will be considered priority 4 and placed in the Rapid Shelter Track. The criteria for priority 1, 2, 3 are as follows:
- You have certain medical needs that meet EA priority criteria as verified by EOHLC:
- 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
- Family member who receives SSDI or SSI.
- 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.
Important Note: Once your family has been assigned to a shelter track, you cannot change this track unless you are reassessed because of a significant change to family status (like a health condition). Families should report any changes as soon as possible.
What is the time limit for the Rapid Shelter Track (Length of Stay)?
How long can I stay in the Rapid Shelter Track?
In the Rapid Shelter Track of the Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter program, families can only stay for 30 business days. Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays will not count towards the 30-business day shelter time limit.
How will I know what my shelter stay limit is?
You will be provided with a notice of your planned exit date at your initial entry and any time that your exit date changes, including through administrative extensions. You are required to sign a copy of that notice for the shelter provider to keep on file.
How will my family know when we need to leave shelter?
At least 4 days prior to your exit date, staff will remind you of the pending date and discuss your plans for transition to stable housing. No later than 24 hours before you exit, staff will let you know of the process for exit, any supplies they can provide you for transition and your case management planning document.
Can my family reapply to EA Family Shelter after exiting due to the 30-day business day limit?
Returning to a Rapid Track EA shelter after exit
If you exit a Rapid Track EA shelter, you can reapply for Emergency Assistance. Whether you can immediately be placed into shelter or not is described below:
- If you fully worked with case management and did not refuse alternative housing during your Rapid Track EA shelter stay, you are able to reapply for Emergency Assistance and be placed in a Rapid Track EA shelter immediately after exit, if space is available. To meet this requirement, you must have:
- Not exited due to non-compliance with Rapid Track EA shelter rules;
- Attended all scheduled case management meetings (unless prevented by illness, school, or work requirements);
- Worked on your housing search; and
- Attended all meetings and appointments with your case worker and sent all requested information on time.
- If you did not fully work with case management and/or refused alternative housing during your Rapid Track EA shelter stay, your family can reapply for EA but will have to wait 30 business days from the day you last stayed in a Rapid Track EA shelter to be placed again.
If you were exited from a Rapid Track EA shelter due to violations of shelter rules, your family must wait 12 months from the day you last stayed in a Rapid Track EA shelter before you can be placed again.
Can my family stay longer than 30 business days?
There is a limited list of reasons why you may be able to stay longer than 30 business days. If your family has a need for a longer stay and qualify for an administrative extension, your case manager will let you know. See below for detail.
What should I do to get ready to leave shelter?
We understand that moving from shelter to housing takes a lot of work. You should work with your case manager to prepare to leave shelter and to move into stable housing.
The HomeBASE program can help you if you need help to pay housing expenses. HomeBASE can be used to pay for housing where your family lives alone, with a host, or with another family sharing a house. You can learn more by speaking to your Case Manager or Housing Search Specialist or visiting the HomeBASE webpage.
Where can I get more information?
- This webpage will be regularly updated, so please visit again for the most recent information.
- If you need help understanding the 30 business day Length of Stay policy talk to your Shelter Provider staff.
- If you need emotional or mental health support, you can call ‘Call2Talk’ at 508-532-2255. Call2Talk offers confidential and compassionate emotional and mental health support. It operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Translation is available.
What other resources are there to help my family? (job search, food, immigration, housing, etc.)
We have created a Resources for Families in the EA Program webpage. We will continue to add to this page, as more helpful resources are found.
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 a Reasonable Accommodation for a disability.
After submitting your request in the Housing Help Hub, you can view your requests in the menu for all services. An example of what the menu looks like is below:
If you did not apply for EA Family Shelter online, you can talk to your Case Manager about how you can request these services.
Can I stay in the Rapid Shelter Track for longer than 30 business days?
Families can be placed into a Rapid Shelter unit 30-business days after they exit if they leave in good standing. This means a family was not asked to leave shelter because of breaking Rapid Track EA shelter rules. If families leave not in good standing, they have to wait 12 months to be placed into a Rapid Shelter Track unit.
Can I extend my time in the Rapid Shelter Track for longer than 30 business days?
There is a limited list of reasons why you may be able to stay longer than 30 business days. If you have a need for a longer stay and qualify for an administrative extension, your case manager will let you know.
What are the criteria for extensions?
Administrative extension reasons include:
- Having imminent access to housing
- To be eligible for this extension, families pursuing a unit through HomeBASE must be fully EA eligible, have a signed lease for a unit and have submitted their required documents to their diversion provider
- To be eligible for this extension, families moving in with families and friends but who need additional time to complete that move must provide written confirmation from their family or friends of a future move-in date as well as any contingent factors (e.g., family guest must have a job, etc.)
- To be eligible for this extension, families who are reticketing and need additional time for travel must have an identified travel date and tickets purchased
- Seeking reprioritization due to changes in family’s condition (one-time extension until reprioritization complete)
- Having a temporary illness or other severe health condition that delays your family from engaging in housing search or having a death in the immediate family
Can my family appeal our extension?
Families in the Rapid Shelter Track cannot appeal their extensions.
What are the rules in the Rapid Shelter Track?
What do families in the Rapid Shelter Track have to do to look for housing? (Rapid Re-Housing)
At the Rapid Track EA shelter, you will meet with a case manager every day in order to help you to understand your options and make a detailed plan to quickly secure stable housing and/or where you will go next. Your case manager will work to connect you to resources to support your housing stability. This may include:
- Accessing HomeBASE
- Work authorization and connections to jobs
- Transportation supports
- Safety and health resources and benefits
- Re-ticketing options to another state
- Helping you make plans for your future
What decisions do I have the right to appeal in the Rapid 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. You must submit your appeal no later than 21 days from the date of the notice or you will not get a hearing.
Your hearing will be held as soon as possible. You will get notice at least 2 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.