By Fran Roznowski, Chelsea Uniting Against the War
On July 29, members of Chelsea Uniting Against the War and local residents joined more that 150 protesters in front of the State House to demand that Governor Healy rescind her latest policy which harms migrant families. As of August 1, families currently living at the following: Chelsea’s Soldier’s Home, a former minimum prison in Norfolk, the former Middlesex Probate and Family Court in Cambridge and a Massachusetts National Guard armory in Lexington will only be able to stay for five days.
Migrant families will be required to wait for 6 months or more for another shelter placement. Rally speakers including legislators, staff from non-profit organizations that provide services for the homeless and a family physician warned that after 5 days described the likely outcome.
Children and their families will end up sleeping in bus or train stations, in hospital emergency rooms or in the street. It was mentioned repeatedly that Massachusetts has a reputation as a welcoming state throughout the nation. Since 1983 the Commonwealth is the only state to protect families with children and pregnant people experiencing homelessness with A Right to Shelter Law. Healey’s new policy does not reflect this fundamental value of the Commonwealth. Several speakers that Massachusetts does not have an immigrant crisis nor a homeless crisis, it does have an immediate housing crisis. Specific solutions were presented at the event.
Representative Samantha Montaño from Jamaica Plain suggested that bond money be used to create affordable housing and include rent control on the ballot in 2 years. After the rally I spoke to Gladys Vega, executive director of La Colaborativa, which runs the local emergency overflow shelter at the Soldiers Home. She noted with anger, “We would have never signed the contract (with the state) if we knew that the families would be moving from the La Casita to the street.”
Families will be moving out on August 6. Make your voice heard to support families experiencing homelessness and protect their right to shelter. Contact Governor Maura Healy at 617-725-4005. For more information about Chelsea Uniting Against the / Chelsea Uniendose en Contra de la Guerra contact Joel 617-688-1197 (español) or Fran – 617- 821-4504 (English and Spanish) FaceBook https://www.facebook.com/chelseauniting.againstthewar.