Tensions flare in Norfolk as Massachusetts plans to turn old prison into migrant shelter
NORFOLK - Massachusetts is planning to turn an old, vacant prison into a temporary emergency shelter for migrant families. But people in Norfolk who live near it say they still have a lot of unanswered questions.
There was a heated community forum at a middle school Tuesday night about the shelter coming to the old Bay State Correctional Center. The state has not set an exact date yet for when the shelter will open.
Representatives from different state agencies and town leaders took questions from residents at the meeting, but many left without answers.
450 to move in to old prison
The state has said about 450 women and children are set to move in to the shelter by mid-June.
"Our shelter system should be a step along the path to stable housing," said Adit Basheer, an Assistant Secretary in the state's Executive Office for Administration and Finance.
Basheer, and the three other representatives, were grilled for hours from residents who are worried about the potential impact to schools, medical services, and the overall safety of those in the shelter and people living nearby.
"We've got 11,000 people that are residents of our town and 450 people or so are coming into it. That ratio is way skewed compared to the rest of the state," one resident told the panel.
Tense community meeting
But the meeting grew contentious through the night, particularly when it came to questions over how the migrants and unhoused families were vetted.
At one point, town leaders threatened to end the meeting if decorum wasn't met. Other residents apologized to the panel for the "disrespect" they had received from those in the audience.
The representatives said the state would spend up to $800,000 to repair the old prison. They also suggested up to 115 school-aged children would be moving in. Town leaders said that could cause an immense strain on their school system.
The state is planning to hold a separate meeting focused on education in a "couple of weeks," but no date has been set.