Cape Cod motels are part of an emergency shelter system for migrants, others. Here's why.

The state has tapped 120 shelter units on Cape Cod to house migrants and displaced people as demand for the Massachusetts emergency assistance system grows.

The number reflects scattered apartments, congregate shelters, and rooms in motels and hotels. Joint Base Cape Cod is also at capacity, sheltering 62 families. Earlier this month, Gov. Maura Healey's administration declared a state of emergency, citing an influx of migrants seeking shelter and services as the state already faces an affordable housing crunch.

At the time, she said that included nearly 5,600 families or more than 20,000 people in state shelters, including children and pregnant women. Healey called on the federal government to speed up work authorizations and shore up financial help.

Why Massachusetts faces an emergency shelter crisis

The crisis is two-fold: More migrants are fleeing their home countries and seeking shelter in Massachusetts. As a right-to-shelter state, Massachusetts legally must provide eligible families with shelter through the emergency assistance program.

But local people priced out of the housing market amid soaring rents also need and are being served, according to a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

Why are motels on Cape Cod being used as emergency shelters?

The Massachusetts emergency shelter system has been in place since the 1980s. But over the past year, the demand for family shelters has stretched supply.

"We are now sheltering families more than ever before," said the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities spokesperson.

As congregate and scattered sites fill, the state has turned to motels and hotels as a last resort across the state to meet capacity demands.

Where on the Cape are migrants and displaced people staying?

On Cape Cod, migrants and displaced people are being housed in Bourne, Eastham, Hyannis and North Falmouth. However, people staying in Eastham are due to be transferred to another site off-Cape.

In Yarmouth, state officials eyed placing up to 100 migrant and displaced families at the Yarmouth Resort, a motel with condominium ownership on Route 28 in West Yarmouth. But the plan was placed on hold when it surfaced that the building did not possess a certificate of occupancy, according to state Rep. Chris Flanagan, D-Dennis.

How do you qualify for the emergency shelter program?

In order to qualify for the Massachusetts emergency shelter system, people must meet several requirements. Those within a certain income level, with children, or who are pregnant may be eligible.

For those without U.S. citizenship, some documentation is required. Noncitizens qualify if they were "lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing under color of law in the U.S.," according to the state's eligibility guidelines.

How much does it cost run the emergency shelter program, and who pays for it?

The state has said it is spending $45 million per month to house and provide for migrants and newly displaced people through its emergency shelter program.

The bulk of that money is coming from the state, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Healey's administration has urged the federal government to provide additional help.

On Aug. 18, Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded $1.9 million for shelter and transportation in Massachusetts for newly arrived migrant families.

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @zanerazz.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: What to know about emergency housing for migrants, others on Cape Cod