Roxbury migrant shelter near capacity, state considers additional sites
BOSTON - It took one week for the state's newest "safety-net" site to reach its capacity, according to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday. The Cass Recreational Complex in Roxbury was flipped from a community center to a shelter for the state's Emergency Housing Assistance Program. It places migrants and other unhoused families in Massachusetts in shelters while putting individuals through the state's work authorization program.
Governor Maura Healey's office said by the end of the fiscal year, the state will have spent nearly $1 billion on the migrant crisis. The governor expressed frustration on Wednesday toward lawmakers in Washington D.C. who failed to pass an immigration reform bill that would have provided the first major reform in a generation.
"I am incredibly disappointed and frustrated," said Healey. "(Lawmakers) had a deal last night that would've fixed the border, fixed immigration, it would've ended the migrant crisis and the inflow into this country. It would've given $118 billion to states like Massachusetts, that have been bearing the costs for so long."
Meantime, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she visited the Cass Recreation Complex Tuesday evening and spoke with families there. She said she found some who have been authorized to work and started jobs but can't afford the rent and are still in the shelter. "One of the families I spoke to last night had been in Boston for three months already just bouncing around different locations, trying to find a way to find stability," Wu said.
A spokesperson for Governor Healey told WBZ-TV they continue to evaluate additional safety-net sites. It's unclear where additional shelters could be located or when the state would need to open them, given the housing program is already at capacity.