Massachusetts Homeless Population Rises More Than 50% as Families Seek Holiday Help

Massachusetts saw its homeless count spike over 50% in 2024, the Boston Globe reports. Letters poured into Globe Santa from parents wrestling with shelter life, lost jobs, and mounting expenses while trying to care for their kids this holiday season.

A Merrimack Valley mom and her three kids bunked in a shelter before snagging an apartment. Her car died when fixes got too pricey. Now she treks on foot to pantries, gathering groceries for her 8-, 6-, and 3-year-old children.

"I'm exhausted, but I do it for my kids," she wrote to Globe Santa.

South of Boston, a dad described how he, his wife, and two sons have bounced between couches since summer. His wife's job vanished. He's disabled. Whatever aid they scrape together gets handed to friends or relatives in exchange for a few nights' sleep before the cycle repeats.

"It's hard to explain why we keep moving around, why we never have any money," he said. "We are basically, almost, at our wit's ends."

A young mom bunking in a shelter with her 4-year-old son struggles to land work. "One day we truly aspire to be the people who help, instead of needing help," she wrote. "My son is so smart and well-behaved. He deserves anything he can get from Santa."

Another mom shares a shelter with her 7-month-old daughter. She wants her baby to celebrate Christmas "as other children do." Gifts? Out of reach on her budget. "I firmly believe that it takes a village," she wrote.

The surge stems from newly arrived refugees and migrant families plus residents hitting longstanding obstacles. Housing costs tower among the nation's steepest. Rents keep climbing, yet construction can't keep pace with what's needed.

One mom clocks 16 hours weekly but keeps getting skipped for full-time slots. She juggles car insurance, credit card debt, medical bills, and phone charges. Food stamps run dry before month's end, leaving her three kids hungry. The family crashed with relatives since rent became impossible.

Another mom escaped a shelter into an apartment a year back and gets support through HomeBASE, the state program assisting families exiting shelters. She landed a job and scored a car from relatives. Her 4-year-old son needs heart surgery and has cardiology visits, which yank her away from work.

"Any help to make his Christmas special would mean a lot to us," she wrote.

Globe Santa, a program of the Boston Globe Foundation, has provided gifts to children in need for 70 years.