Emergency shelters across the state have always required some element of security. But the rapid expansion of the state shelter system over the last year, which now houses migrant families in nearly 100 communities around the state, and heightened public scrutiny of new arrivals fleeing violence, political unrest, and economic turmoil in their home countries, has created a more urgent need.
Families living in the emergency shelter system — which hit a state-set cap of 7,500 families late last year — have fled turbulent conditions in countries such as Haiti and Venezuela in search of reliable employment and safety for their families. But here, they have also faced mistrust and hate, from residents in Dedham railing against “handouts” to immigrants to neo-Nazis marching in protest outside a shelter in Quincy and in Kingston.
The backlash echoes anti-immigrant sentiments that have reverberated in national media, in public comments from conservative lawmakers, and in rhetoric from Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, during which he characterized migrants crossing the southern border as “poisoning the blood” of America.
Security at migrant shelters is “a priority,” according to Emergency Assistance Director Scott Rice.
“Having a security presence at our overflow sites has been a best practice to prevent disruption of services and maintain privacy,” Rice said in a statement.
At the Cass, there was an incident in February where a man taking cell phone footage of the shelter got close to the front door and tried to enter when families were let inside. Dunn and Womack went outside to speak to the man, who they said isn’t hostile but makes a regular appearance at the shelter.
“Everybody’s eyes are on 24-7,” Dunn told a reporter after the encounter. “You couldn’t have it any other way.”
Shelters that have contracts as part of the state’s emergency assistance system must agree to follow a “scope of services,” which include shelter safety and security considerations, officials said. But security needs vary by site, and it’s ultimately up to the provider on how much is needed. A group home-style shelter with 11 families, for example, will have different needs than a former hotel housing more than 60.
At the Cass, officials have taken an intentional approach, hiring community leaders such as Womack, Dunn, and others from the Nubian Square Foundation to provide security services.
For years, Womack and Dunn have focused on hiring people getting out of prison, and have helped provide security services elsewhere in the community, including public housing complexes.
Securing the shelter with Roxbury locals instead of, say, the Massachusetts National Guard, provides a sense of dignity to those living inside, Womack said. Plus, it sets an example of acceptance for the greater community.
“We change the climate of any environment we’re in,” he said. “People feel safe.”
Lately, rising anti-immigrant sentiment in local communities has sharpened a focus on security concerns. Protesters gathered outside the Cass when Governor Maura Healey first toured the shelter, carrying signs that said “Boston’s Full” and “Why Roxbury? Try Wellesley.” In the fall, a local neo-Nazi group staged a protest outside of Healey’s Arlington home, chanting anti-immigrant slogans. They returned last month.
“They just come for the drama,” Dunn, president of the Nubian Square Foundation, said at the Cass during a recent visit.
United Way of Massachusetts Bay, which uses state grant money to fund overflow shelter sites in the Boston area, said it has also taken advice from other providers about the safety of shelter tenants and put security in place at its sites.
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