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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.<\/p>\n
Eight agencies are working on the matter and will move 400 family units out of state-run shelters by the end of the year.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
The program attempts to relieve the stress placed on overcrowded migrant shelters.<\/p>\n
CEO of the International Institute of New England Jeff Thielman told The Boston Herald<\/a> that migrants will be moved to apartments and given a year\u2019s work of case management to \u201cmake sure they have work and that they\u2019re self-sufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not getting the same amount of money the Afghans got, or even the Ukrainians got,\u201d he told the outlet. <\/p>\n \u201cWhat the state is saying is, \u2018okay, well, the federal government is not doing what it did for Ukrainians and Afghans and we\u2019re going to do the best we can with the resources we have so we\u2019re going to let the resettlement agencies use their model and apply it to this new population.’\u201d<\/p>\n In a March 7 press release<\/a> announcing the resettlement plan, Governor Maura Healey (D) said, \u201cResettlement agencies have long played a critical role in helping families in Massachusetts get connected with housing, jobs and other critical resources. We\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n American Faith reported<\/a> in November that Massachusetts\u2019 emergency shelter system reached capacity.<\/p>\n