A plan to turn a former Boston-area veteran’s home into a shelter for hundreds of immigrants has been slammed as “disgusting” by local residents, with a Massachusetts service instead dedicated to a national hero. It is argued that it should be done.
Democratic Gov. Maura Healey announced last week that the historic Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, which was vacant and slated for demolition, would be converted into a site for 100 immigrant families and pregnant women. The Boston Herald reported.
But the proposal comes as veterans continue to face homelessness in the state, with 545 veterans expected to become homeless on any given night in 2023, according to U.S. Housing and Urban Development data. He says he has experienced it.
“I can’t believe this happened to the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home for Veterans.” [be] “It was used for an overflow of immigrants,” said George Belmonte, a Massachusetts resident. I commented on Facebook.
“Why don’t we start by taking care of homeless veterans?” he asked.
“I’m all for helping people, but what about taking care of the homeless people who are already here?”
Dennis Levy also questioned, “Why are immigrants being held in facilities for free when veterans who have fought for their country are paying to live there?”
“Horrifying!!!” she wrote.
Single veterans who lived in the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home were required to pay $30 a day and had a $300 exemption from their personal income for nursing home care at the facility. According to the website.
Meanwhile, people who didn’t need nursing home or memory care paid more than $10 a day using a $300 personal exemption.
But that building closed in December when the state opened a larger facility. Fox News reported.
Massachusetts officials currently insist that new immigrant housing will not affect services for veterans.
“Massachusetts has proven that we can care for our state’s homeless veterans and their families,” Veterans Services Secretary Dr. John Santiago said in a statement, according to the Herald.
State officials say they need to convert the currently empty building into a shelter to house all the migrants who have entered the state in recent months.
“We’ve been saying for months that our system is at capacity and we don’t have the space, providers or funding to continue expanding,” said Scott Rice, director of emergency assistance.
Chelsea City manager Fidel Martes added that Chelsea are in a “crisis”.
“This is going to be very difficult but I am very hopeful that Chelsea will get through it and that we will do our best. We will come together because we are at a time when we need it,” he said. . he told Chelsea Records.
Rice said the migrants will begin moving into their new homes this month, but will have to prove they are using government assistance by applying for work permits, learning English and finding permanent housing. It is said that there is.
Records show people must reapply every month to maintain space at the shelter, and the shelter is expected to take six months to a year to operate.
In Massachusetts, 240 families are currently living in such shelters, and an additional 7,500 immigrants are trapped in emergency shelters, according to Fox.
