Democratic town furious over plan to turn prison into taxpayer funded migrant shelter
Residents in a New England town are reeling that they have not been consulted on plans to convert a former state prison into a tax-payer-funded migrant shelter. CREDIT: WFXT
A recreational center serving as a temporary migrant shelter in Roxbury, Massachusetts, is slated to transition back to public use next month in time for summer, according to the governor's office.
The Malnea A. Cass Recreational Complex, a state-owned facility with sports courts and a pool for community members, has been closed to the public for several months while it has been used as an overflow location to house homeless families, including migrants. The facility had Army cots set up to house more than 300 migrants.
The shelter will shut down on May 31 and officials will prepare to open the complex back up to the public a few weeks later.
DEMOCRATIC TOWN FURIOUS OVER MIGRANT SHELTER OPENING IN NEIGHBORHOOD
A temporary migrant shelter in Roxbury, Massachusetts, is scheduled to transition back to public use next month in time for the pool to open for summer. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Democrat Gov. Maura Healey's office told Fox News Digital that operations for the Cass Center are transferring back to the Department of Conservation and Recreation in time for the pool to open on June 22.
All families have been moved out of the Cass Center, either to more stable housing options outside the shelter system or to a different state safety-net site, the spokesperson said.
The state's safety net sites are designed for families who are considered eligible for Emergency Assistance shelter but are on the waiting list for shelter, the spokesperson said. Emergency Assistance is for homeless families with children or pregnant women.
Roughly half of the families in Emergency Assistance are newly arrived immigrants while the other half are long-time Massachusetts families, the spokesperson added.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey pauses to look at the Army cots set up on the gym floor as state and local officials toured the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex during its time as a temporary migrant shelter. (Getty Images)
Before the complex reopens for public use, it will receive upgraded flooring and equipment, new tree plantings and repairs to the roof, including the installation of new solar panels.
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