The "changes are appropriate and needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the state shelter system," Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday.

Less than a week after condemning security concerns surrounding a lack of background checks performed at shelters, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is proposing changes to the state's right-to-shelter law.

Governor Maura Healey said the right-to-shelter laws' “original intent” was not to cover the “waves and waves of people,” including migrant families, who have come into the state in recent years.

Maura Healey on Wednesday asked lawmakers to limit emergency shelter to Massachusetts residents, among other major changes to the state's right-to-shelter law. Why it matters: The emergency shelter system has come under scrutiny in recent years for expanding to house thousands of migrants fleeing their native countries,

Gov. Maura Healey proposed a series of major changes to state-run emergency shelters Wednesday that attempt to cordon off the maxed-out system from individuals who are not Massachusetts residents, including by implementing a three-month residency requirement.