Human Rights
Right to Shelter States 2025
No
50
Yes
1
State | Right To Shelter States↓ | Additional Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Massachusetts | Established 1983. Applies to only to homeless families and pregnant women. Additional restrictions may apply. | |
 | Alabama | ||
 | Alaska | ||
 | Arizona | ||
 | Arkansas | ||
 | California | Although California lacks a true right-to-housing policy, the state does grant runaway children the right to be admitted to emergency shelters without parental consent | |
 | Colorado | ||
 | Connecticut | ||
 | Delaware | ||
 | District of Columbia | ||
 | Florida | ||
 | Georgia | ||
 | Hawaii | ||
 | Idaho | ||
 | Illinois | ||
 | Indiana | ||
 | Iowa | ||
 | Kansas | ||
 | Kentucky | ||
 | Louisiana | ||
 | Maine | ||
 | Maryland | ||
 | Michigan | ||
 | Minnesota | ||
 | Mississippi | ||
 | Missouri | ||
 | Montana | ||
 | Nebraska | ||
 | Nevada | ||
 | New Hampshire | ||
 | New Jersey | ||
 | New Mexico | ||
 | New York | New York City recognizes a right to emergency shelter, established in the 1981 consent decree for Callahan v. Carey. However, this policy applies only to NYC rather than the state as a whole. | |
 | North Carolina | ||
 | North Dakota | ||
 | Ohio | ||
 | Oklahoma | ||
 | Oregon | ||
 | Pennsylvania | ||
 | Rhode Island | ||
 | South Carolina | ||
 | South Dakota | ||
 | Tennessee | ||
 | Texas | ||
 | Utah | ||
 | Vermont | ||
 | Virginia | ||
 | Washington | ||
 | West Virginia | ||
 | Wisconsin | ||
 | Wyoming |
- As of May 2024, Massachusetts was the only right-to-shelter/right-to-housing state in the country and its law only applied to families.
- New York City also has a right-to-shelter law, but it does not extend to the rest of the state.
- In both New York and Massachusetts, increasing participation in right-to-shelter programs in 2023 and 2024 have necessitated ongoing adjustments, such as the implementation of limits on the number of days individuals may remain in the program.
Sources
- Right to housing - Wiki
- A Right to Shelter in New York - New York Times
- In New York and Massachusetts, Right to Shelter Is Under Attack - Nonprofit Quarterly
- NYC �right to shelter' ends at 30 days for some migrants in deal with advocates - NBC New York
- Homeless shelters in Massachusetts raise concerns as lawmakers consider historic limit to family stays - NBC News
- Should we repeal the state�s right-to-shelter guarantee? - Commonwealth Beacon
- Naming Housing as a Human Right Is a First Step to Solving the Housing Crisis - Housing Matters
- Is housing a human right? California voters could decide
- 7 things to know about Mass. �right-to-shelter� as budget vote looms - Mass Live
