In a first-of-its-kind program in the United States, the state of Massachusetts has planned to spend $10.5 million on contracts with resettlement agencies to move illegal immigrant families.
Eight agencies are working on the matter and will move 400 family units out of state-run shelters by the end of the year.
Those agencies include Ascentria Community Services, Inc., Catholic Charitable Bureau of the Archdiocese of Boston, Inc., Jewish Family Service of Metrowest Massachusetts, Inc., Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, Inc., Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success, Inc., Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center, Inc., The Catholic Charities Agency of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, MA, Inc., and The International Institute of New England, Inc
The program attempts to relieve the stress placed on overcrowded migrant shelters.
CEO of the International Institute of New England Jeff Thielman told The Boston Herald that migrants will be moved to apartments and given a year’s work of case management to “make sure they have work and that they’re self-sufficient.”
“We’re not getting the same amount of money the Afghans got, or even the Ukrainians got,” he told the outlet.
“What the state is saying is, ‘okay, well, the federal government is not doing what it did for Ukrainians and Afghans and we’re going to do the best we can with the resources we have so we’re going to let the resettlement agencies use their model and apply it to this new population.'”
In a March 7 press release announcing the resettlement plan, Governor Maura Healey (D) said, “Resettlement agencies have long played a critical role in helping families in Massachusetts get connected with housing, jobs and other critical resources. We’re grateful to the Legislature for providing this funding to expand their efforts so that we can meet the needs of families in our Emergency Assistance shelter system. Our communities and our economy will be stronger because of this partnership.”
American Faith reported in November that Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system reached capacity.
According to WCVB, 3,806 families stayed in hotels, 3,650 in traditional shelters, and 61 in temporary emergency shelters.
“Today, the family shelter system has reached 7,500 families, and we are at the point where we do not have enough shelter units, service providers, or funding to continue to safely expand,” Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice said at the time.
“Families will continue to be placed into shelter until the end of the day, and beginning tomorrow, families will be placed into shelter as units become available. If there are no available shelter units, families determined eligible for emergency assistance will be placed on a waitlist. Our administration continues to provide arriving families with resources, basic necessities and support, and we are working with community partners to connect them with safe, overnight options.”
