BOSTON — Migrants just getting to Massachusetts are often finding themselves stranded on the streets of Boston.
Many newly arrived migrants are being denied shelter just days before the state’s new five-day state limit on overflow shelters takes effect.
Boston Medical Center has been telling migrants that they can’t sleep in the emergency department since last year.
Families continue to show up at the hospital on a regular basis and have recently been seen sleeping outside on benches.
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A statement provided by a BMC spokesperson said that all families who arrive homeless are assessed.
Migrants are frequently sent on their way in ride shares to state welcome centers and offices of migrant aid groups.
According to advocates, the welcome centers and offices are routinely closed when migrants arrive after hours.
The predicament has resulted in migrant families sleeping outside at several locations including the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston.
“It seems like a situation of they have nowhere to go,” said Alec Orzell, who works at the Mindful Mutt next door. “It’s unsympathetic. I hope federal changes are made.”
A Boston Medical Center spokesperson emphasized that the hospital does not have the capacity or resources to provide shelter to unhoused families.
“If they do not require medical care, we will continue to arrange transportation to State resources, and after hours, to friends, family, and community resources where they may find shelter until State offices reopen,” said a statement from the hospital.
BMC’s statement points out that the hospital has consistently advocated for resources that would be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The new state budget just signed by Governor Healey on Monday includes $326 million for the state’s ongoing shelter response.
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