BOSTON — Newly arriving migrant families have been sleeping at Boston’s Logan International Airport after the state’s shelter system reached its capacity and lawmakers failed to approve $250 million in emergency funding.
Boston 25 News spotted about a dozen French, Spanish, and Creole-speaking families with young children sleeping on or near benches in a baggage claim section of the airport, just days after the number of homeless families seeking emergency shelter hit the 7,500-family threshold.
One family that traveled from Haiti to Texas before landing at Logan told Boston 25′s Ray Villeda that state officials in Texas paid for their airfare to Logan. Others arrived from Chile and Mexico on flights out of San Antonio.
0 of 5
“We are at the point where we do not have enough shelter units, service providers, or funding to continue to safely expand,” Massachusetts Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice said last week.
Gov. Maura Healey made the decision to cap shelter placements at 7,500, previously saying that the state is incapable of accommodating families past that mark.
Now, those in need will instead be placed on a waitlist that’s prioritized based on safety and clinical risk.
Boston 25 also observed state troopers escorting some families to awaiting taxis destined for one of the state’s “welcome centers.”
Massachusetts lawmakers ended formal sessions for the year early Thursday morning with no agreement on a spending bill to steer money toward the emergency shelter crisis.
Lawmakers then embarked on the holiday break with uncertainty clouding the state’s response to the shelter emergency.
Healey’s administration is working with groups to find temporary housing.
From Haiti to Texas, to Boston.
— Ray Villeda (@RayVilleda) November 17, 2023
One migrant family tells me the “patria” paid for their ticket from Texas to Boston.
Patria means homeland in Spanish.
I asked if she meant officials in Texas, she said yes. They’re here looking for shelter. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/Uotcr9C6W8
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2023 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
