Gov. Healey to allow homeless inside South Station when extreme cold arrives

BOSTON — With the extreme cold headed our way, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is reversing a policy that banned homeless people from sleeping in South Station overnight.

Every night, the station doors are locked from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. and for more than five years, homeless people have not been allowed to stay inside overnight.

But after reading a Globe article about the situation, Healey said she wanted to learn more during her “Ask the Governor” segment on Boston Public Radio.

Healey said if the region faces extreme weather, she is going to let people stay overnight in the state-owned transit hub. She said it’s a matter of basic humanity.

In an effort to determine how many homeless are living on Boston streets, Mayor Michell Wu and a group of volunteers conducted the city’s 43rd annual homelessness census earlier this week.

Back in June, Wu said the population had dropped by nearly 2.5%. This year’s count will be released in a few months.

The details of how and when homeless people will be allowed to stay inside South Station are still being worked out. But with extremely cold weather headed our way, that would be one reason to allow them in, according to Healey.

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