Sheltered, migrant families in Yarmouth moved off-Cape. Here's what to know.
Six migrant families staying at Harborside Suites in South Yarmouth were moved to Kingston and Boston on Tuesday as a relocation process of 39 families staying at the hotel began, according to Town Administrator Robert Whritenour.
The remaining 25 families were to be transferred off-Cape on both Wednesday and Thursday, said Whritenour in an email to the Times. Transportation is provided by the state.
As planned, all families will vacate Harborside Suites by Thursday afternoon, he said.
A spokesman for the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities said the families will be transferred out of the Yarmouth hotel shelter site to existing off-Cape emergency assistance shelter provider agencies with 24-hour staffing, support services, and rehousing case management.
The Yarmouth hotel shelter site was staffed by the Massachusetts National Guard and did not have a contracted service provider.
The moves are part of an ongoing effort to consolidate sheltering to reduce overhead costs and the number of sites, streamline resource allocation, and improve service delivery for shelter residents, said the spokesman.
In Bourne, about two dozen families moved
In December, about two dozen families were packed onto a bus, along with their belongings, and transferred off-Cape after staying at the Eastern Inn in Bourne for roughly three months. Families sheltered at the Eastern Inn were comprised of migrant families and long-term Massachusetts residents. That was the same mix of families currently being housed throughout the state, a spokesman for the state agency said at the time.
In January, families sheltered at Joint Base Cape Cod were also moved, according to a state spokesman. In August, the base shelter was at capacity with 62 families. In August, the state had tapped 120 shelter units on Cape Cod to house migrants and displaced people as demand for the Massachusetts emergency assistance system grew.
As of Wednesday, a number of traditional, non-hotel emergency assistance family shelter units remained on Cape Cod, the state spokesman said. A majority of those existed prior to the expansion in the use of hotels for shelter, he said. There will no longer be any hotels on the Cape providing emergency assistance shelter once the transfers out of Yarmouth are complete by the end of April, the spokesman said.
Continued schooling a priority
Families in the Yarmouth hotel were informed of the move weeks in advance and the hotel will no longer serve as an emergency assistance shelter after the transfers.
The state will work with affected school districts and families to make sure school-age children continue their education.
State officials said thousands of migrants in emergency assistance now have obtained their work authorizations and that hundreds have jobs throughout Massachusetts while the Healey-Driscoll administration continues efforts to connect more with employers.
Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on X @zanerazz.
Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Migrant families moved from Harborside Suites shelter in Yarmouth
