LOWELL — Sometime this month, another 26 migrant families are transferring to Lowell, including 20 school-aged children.
According to a communication obtained by The Sun, state Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities Director of Municipal Relations Tyler Newhall wrote in an email on June 7 that, between June 17 and 30, families from the town of Arlington and the city of Chelsea will “be consolidated into the Lowell ICC site.”
Migrants are people who are legally admitted to the United States. The majority of the migrant families are fleeing unrest and violence in Haiti and Venezuela, and most families speak French, Spanish or Portuguese, as well as Haitian Creole.
It is expected that 11 families, including eight school-aged children from Arlington, and 13 families, including 12 school-aged children from Chelsea, will be relocated to Lowell.
During her director’s report to the Board of Health at its Wednesday meeting, Director of Health and Human Services Lisa Golden said the families are coming “once the children finish their school year.”
The last day of school for Arlington Public Schools is June 18; for Chelsea, it is June 17. Lowell Public Schools release students on June 18.
Previously, Golden had noted for the board that families were moving into and out of the ICC, a process known in the language of shelter services as vacancy swing.
“Some people have already found housing and moved out,” she said in May.
The majority of the transferring families have kept their children enrolled in their former community schools through the remainder of the school year, but in September, it is expected that Lowell Public Schools will absorb the school-aged children into the district. The state has been reimbursing districts $104 per migrant pupil per day.
Golden also updated the board on ongoing efforts to immunize children below 17 years of age.
“Last month, we did an immunization clinic with Cataldo [Ambulance Service],” she said. “We ended up doing 62 children.”
The first group of families arrived at the ICC in January. The Healey-Driscoll administration reached a $4 million deal to lease UMass Lowell’s vacant ICC as an emergency shelter for eligible families with children and pregnant individuals facing housing instability, including some new arrivals to the state, for at least a year starting Dec. 1. The lease also has an option to renew for a second year.
Efforts to support the displaced families has engaged community groups.
In March, the International Institute of New England, which has offices in Lowell, raised $1.7 million during its 42nd Golden Door Award Gala held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston.Almost 500 guests, including state Rep. Vanna Howard, heard speakers tell their stories of forced migration due to violence and unrest in their home countries.
IINE creates opportunities for refugees and immigrants to succeed through resettlement, education, career advancement and pathways to citizenship. The money raised will strengthen the IINE’s ability to support refugees and immigrants who come to the region seeking safety and a new start, said President and CEO Jeff Thielman.
“With the support and additional resources, we’re able to continue to welcome incoming immigrant families and provide them with critical resettlement services, which empower individuals and families to not only survive but to thrive in their new communities,” Thielman said.
State-funded shelter spending has climbed from $250 million in September, to $655 million this month for costs to reimburse municipalities, to upgrade facilities and payments to providers. The state selected Commonwealth Care Alliance as the service provider for the ICC, with Lowell-based Community Teamwork Inc. supporting its work in the community.
This May, U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security requesting at least $500 million for a new Destination Reception Fund to support new arrivals. The DRF would support ongoing services and essential programs that offer basic needs, helping new arrivals attain self-sufficiency and transition out of emergency shelters.
The senators also urged appropriators to allocate $20 million to the Department of Homeland Security for an Office of Reception Coordination that would share timely information about released populations with receiving states and localities to better plan local responses.
“By helping new arrivals achieve stability in the United States, Congress would support not only migrant families themselves but also the local economies across the country that benefit from their contributions,” the senators said in a statement. “The DRF could unlock new opportunities and additional benefits for newcomers to help stimulate economic activity in their communities.”
