More than 130 homeless migrants are now housed in Framingham. What's next?

FRAMINGHAM — Frustration with the state continues to mount at City Hall, as Framingham officials find themselves increasingly strained from having to arrange for the care of a continuous wave of homeless migrant families that are being placed into the city.

With little notice from the state, migrant families began arriving in Framingham on July 28. The first wave, which included 39 people — mostly ethnic Haitians who were seeking asylum in America as a result of instability in their home country — were initially moved into the Red Roof Inn on Cochituate Road (Route 30).

Migrants were dropped off at the hotel — which sits right off the Mass Pike — by the state, with the city having to scramble to arrange for services and donations to get them situated. The state did assign a care coordinator, Framingham nonprofit Jewish Family Services of Metrowest, to handle such tasks as getting families enrolled in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, teaching them how to access public transportation, assisting with employment certification and other services.

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But in the past week alone, 132 additional individuals have been moved into the city, staying in two different hotels. And with the state not assigning an additional care coordinator, and JFS unable to take on more families, city officials have had to hastily organize an emergency team to welcome these newer migrants.

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"The state has told the city that they have run out of providers," said Susan Petroni, the city's public information officer. "The number one thing that we are pushing is that we want an organization like SMOC (the Framingham-based South Middlesex Opportunity Council), who are the care providers for families in Marlborough, or Jewish Family Services, who are the care providers for families in the first hotel, to take care of the families in Framingham. We are looking at the state to give us a provider."

In response, Gov. Maura Healey, while attending an event Thursday at MassBay Community College in Wellesley, said the state is in search of additional providers, and is looking for different groups to step up and help migrants as they come into Massachusetts.

"We continue to be in close conversation and communication with officials in Framingham and in communities around the state," she said. "We are now housing migrants in more than 80 communities around the state, and one of the reasons we issued an emergency declaration last week was to get the word out because we need help. We need more people coming forward from the private sector, from philanthropy, from our faith community, to help provide those services.

"We are doing all we can as an administration."

Migrant families have been arriving in Framingham after going through one of the state's immigration welcoming centers. State officials ensure migrants meet the requirements set by Massachusetts to be granted emergency housing, then those deemed eligible are moved into temporary shelter. But with so many migrants entering the state, it has run out of temporary housing and so families are instead moved into hotel rooms.

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Healey says migrant placement is 'fast-moving process'

Framingham officials are notified only after families are moved into the city. Healey said the state is trying its best to communicate with communities that are getting migrants, but that more families are arriving every day and the process to house them moves rapidly.

"We are doing our best to make sure there is clear communication between the state and cities and towns," she said. "It's a very fast-moving process, it isn't the way we would have designed this, but it is the situation we have because, frankly, Congress' failure to pass needed immigration reform. We understand the frustrations and concerns, and we also appreciate how willing local officials and communities have been to engage with us on this issue."

Last Sunday, the city announced it was partnering with the Framingham Interfaith Community Association, a network of more than a dozen local religious organizations, to help organize donations for the more recently arriving families.

"The mayor called a task force meeting where we have invited all service providers in the city, including the members of the Framingham Interfaith Community Association (FICA)," Petroni said. "We are using the FICA to collect donations and they are going to distribute those donations to those who need them most."

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The city announced Wednesday that it has partnered with the Foundation for MetroWest to reactivate the Framingham Emergency Relief Fund, a COVID-era project that provides emergency funding and reimbursement to nonprofits that are assisting those in need.

"We are extremely grateful to the Foundation for MetroWest for reactivating this fund so we can help the families that have been placed in hotels by the commonwealth," Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky said in a statement released Tuesday night. "I convened a task force meeting last week of all the social service organizations in the city and in MetroWest to work together to help these asylum-seeking families. There are many hands trying to deal with this humanitarian crisis but these organizations could use financial resources and this fund with provide grants to these nonprofits.”

The state did provide some medical assistance on Tuesday, as nurses arrived in Framingham to evaluate the health of some migrants.

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"Tuesday was the first day we were able to have Mass. Department of Public Health nurses out to visits with each of the families at the third hotel," said Petroni. "We are waiting for them to continue their evaluations at hotel number three, and then they will look at the second hotel. They are addressing any health needs — I can say we have multiple women who are pregnant at the third hotel."

Sisitsky said Framingham is not directly expending any public funds to address migrant needs, but the city is asking for time from city employees, as well as arranging for volunteers and donations.

"We are not expending any dollars from the city, only time from city employees," the mayor said in his statement. "Everything else has been volunteers, donations or other organizations that we have reached out to for assistance."

Petroni said the state has told the city to expect more people to be moved into Framingham, although the city does not know if it will be at one of the three hotels currently housing migrants, or an additional hotel.

The Red Roof Inn is the only Framingham hotel that has been publicly identified as one housing migrants.

To donate to the Community Foundation for MetroWest, visit communityfoundationmw.org.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: With growing Haitian migrant population, Framingham looks for help