Fort Point shelter plan shows state's developing strategy for migrants
BOSTON - The new Fort Point emergency shelter opened its doors for its first guests on Thursday night for about 20 Haitian migrants, including men, women, and several young toddlers.
After many residents were frustrated by a lack of information about the shelter, WBZ has learned about the plans for the up to 100 people who are expected to sleep there.
The building is owned by the Unitarian Universalist Association. "Unitarian Universalists believe we have the moral obligation to support vulnerable families, including migrant families," a spokesperson said in a statement. "Every child deserves a safe place to sleep, and we are pleased to do our part to help them. We hope other commercial landowners across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will consider doing the same."
The top two floors of the building on Farnsworth Street are for sleeping overnight, set up with cots. The shelter is paid for by government funds but run by United Way in partnership with other nonprofits.
At 8 a.m. each weekday, migrants are bussed by employees of BRICC to local YMCAs - on Huntington Ave and in Chinatown - for services including showers, meals, and daycare. "We have this ecosystem at the Y that's going on every day," explained YMCA of Greater Boston CEO David Shapiro. "We are serving members, we are serving families, we have after school and childcare, so seamlessly bringing these folks that are coming in services into the community, but [we are] also giving them their own experience, because of very unique needs."
After 2 p.m., the group of migrants are then bussed to a local church in Roxbury for more services before being escorted back to the Farnsworth shelter for the night. During the day, the lower floors of the shelter operate commercial office space.
The small starting group of Haitian migrants had their orientation at the YMCA on Huntington Avenue on Friday. "This time we had a chance to plan," Shapiro explained. He told WBZ about how grateful the families were for the services, how the parents were emotional seeing their kids play with toys and interact with new people after traveling from Haiti through Central America to the U.S.
Indicative of the journey they've been on was their language skills. "We were all ready for Creole, that's what we've had [for most of the people who've] come from Haiti," Shapiro explained. "Well, it turns out a lot of the families and the kids were speaking Spanish because they've been coming through [up to] 13 countries, mostly Spanish speaking."
Shapiro understands that the influx of migrants to Massachusetts has become a political storm, calling attention to resources available for local people who are struggling. "At the end of the day, these folks are here," he said. "Massachusetts just became a border state...The idea of new people coming into a community can be hard for people."
Still, Shapiro says with the right planning, the YMCA can utilize its available resources in partnership with other organizations to help newcomers assimilate into Massachusetts. "We have experienced this as like a whole of government effort, to try to solve for both the emergency, but also to try to find patient solutions for bigger problems," he said. "So, I mean we really have felt good about how the Commonwealth is trying to handle this."
