Rising migrant numbers, including in Greenfield, prompt state of emergency

BY MARY BYRNE

THE GREENFIELD RECORDER

TUESDAY, AUGUST 8TH, 2023

GREENFIELD — With a rapidly rising number of immigrants and refugees arriving in Massachusetts, some of whom have found shelter in Greenfield, Gov. Maura Healey has declared a state of emergency concerning the state’s emergency shelter system.

Close to 5,600 families are currently housed in the emergency shelter system, Healey said during a press conference at the State House on Tuesday morning. This number is 80% higher than one year ago.

“These numbers are being driven by a surge of new arrivals in our country who’ve been through some of the hardest journeys imaginable,” Healey said. “They are the face of the international migrant crisis. They’re here because where they came from is too dangerous to stay there. Massachusetts has and will always be a beacon of hope, compassion, humanity and opportunity.”

Since June, 48 immigrant and refugee families totaling 150 people have arrived in Greenfield, many of whom are Haitian immigrants coming from the Boston area, according to Mayor Roxann Wedegartner. Since their arrival, ServiceNet has been tapped as the on-site provider through a contract signed with the state. Wedegartner previously said she was notified by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities that, due to a “critical shortage of affordable housing in the state,” families with children would be provided emergency shelter in Greenfield.

“It is what it is,” the mayor said Tuesday. “It’s running as smoothly as it possibly can.”

ServiceNet runs family shelters in Greenfield and Pittsfield, which are providing space for some migrant families, according to Amy Timmins, ServiceNet’s vice president of community relations.

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities contracted with ServiceNet for case management in early June when it found space for numerous migrant families at the Days Inn on Colrain Road Greenfield. ServiceNet handles meal deliveries, interpreters and other services for the families, Timmins said. The Days Inn is one of 40 hotels and motels being used as emergency shelters in Massachusetts.

“The focus is to get people established with permanent housing,” Timmins said, while acknowledging that housing is hard to come by.

The state is continuing to look at possible temporary shelter sites — last month it considered and rejected the former Harley-Davidson dealership in Southampton — and ServiceNet is prepared to step up if asked.

“We’d need to look for more staff,” Timmins said.

Community members, other organizations and municipal officials have shown a willingness to help.

“We’ve not lacked for donations from the community,” Timmins said.

As of June, several families had children enrolled in Greenfield’s public schools, amounting to 15 students in kindergarten through 11th grade.

“I think it’s a good thing Greenfield is able to absorb some of these families,” Wedegartner said. “To the extent that that has been a drain on our services, I don’t believe that has been a huge strain on us.”

Healey, during Tuesday’s press conference, also highlighted Greenfield as a community that has established a welcoming atmosphere for the sheltered families.

“In the city of Greenfield, there was such an outpouring of support for migrant families staying at a local hotel that officials had to put a pause on donations,” Healey said. “The Mesa Verde restaurant opened on a Sunday, and shelter residents prepared and cooked a large community meal with recipes from their home country as a way to show appreciation to local supporters.”

Healey thanked Wedegartner, state Sen. Jo Comerford, and state Reps. Natalie Blais and Susannah Whipps for “their leadership in setting such a welcoming tone.”

Still, Wedegartner echoed a sentiment shared by Healey in her address. Though she wants to welcome these people, the current situation is not sustainable.

“The crisis we’re in, apart from the fact we have an ongoing housing crisis, has something to do with the lack of a good federal policy on immigration,” Wedegartner said.

She also doesn’t feel as though there are enough details on how the communities hosting the immigrant families can be better supported.

“She’s working with the delegation to seek some relief,” Wedegartner said, referring to Healey. “I want them to follow through as much as they possibly can to get the help from the federal government that they need. Until I hear the details about how we’re going to get that, I can’t really comment on how it might affect Greenfield.”

Wedegartner commented that she was still working with the state on possibilities for reimbursement related to certain costs it incurs, particularly ambulance services. She said she is also looking into if and how the city will be reimbursed for lost room tax revenue, from the families being housed at the Days Inn.

Massachusetts is the only state in the country with a “right-to-shelter” law, which guarantees homeless families access to emergency shelter. In her announcement Tuesday morning, the governor delivered an “urgent and formal appeal” to the federal government to “remove barriers and expedite federal work authorizations,” as well as to help fund new shelters.

“We hope that federal government involvement,” Wedegartner said, “the recently created Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund and other new measures can provide additional aid to shelters across the state.”

Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at [email protected] or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne. Information from State House News Service was used in this report.

Read the original article from The Recorder here.