Over the past several years, migrant families have sought refuge in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with faith and hope that they will find safety, security, and humanity here when their countries of origin, including Haiti and Venezuela, face political turmoil, socio-economic instability, and ongoing humanitarian crises. Local organizations, many of them grassroots, have been supporting new arrivals in our region for decades, but few had the capacity and resources that would be required to meet an unprecedented demand.  

Longstanding drivers of inequity, including federal policies on immigration and work authorizations, inadequate production of affordable housing over the last decade, and the end of COVID-era food and housing security programs, have resulted in an unprecedented demand for emergency shelter in Massachusetts. The Healey-Driscoll administration has logged more than 11,000 migrants from October 2022 through September 2023, the federal fiscal year and United Way Massachusetts Bay has stepped in to coordinate partnerships and bridge resources for the families of new arrivals through our leadership of the Massachusetts Migrant Families Relief Fund (MMFRF).  
 
The MMFRF was created in August of 2023 in partnership with the Boston Foundation to address the growing humanitarian crisis faced by families seeking asylum in Massachusetts while supporting trusted community-based organizations working to provide essentials and more to the new arrivals. Since its launch, the fund has distributed $1,345,000 million to 32 organizations who are directly providing support services.

In addition to helping with essential needs like food, diapers, and clothing, funded partners are offering English classes, helping families secure work permits, health care, housing, youth programming. They offer immigration support, help getting to school and medical appointments, integrating into a new community, and they offer social support at shelter sites where families would otherwise experience isolation. 

When we launched this fund with The Boston Foundation, our goals were simple – to channel the resources of philanthropy that were flexible and responsive. We raised and distributed money quickly, building the capacity of organizations closest to the need, so they could lead the response.  

The organizations receiving the first round of funding focused on communities including Attleboro, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Marlborough, Medford, Lynn, Lowell, Somerville, Waltham, Quincy, and Worcester, as well as state-wide organizations. We then enlisted the first round of grantees as leaders to help us select the next round of organizations to be funded. This community-driven process allowed us to avoid a lengthy, competitive application process and get the money to the areas of greatest need faster.  

Community based organizations have demonstrated exemplary leadership in piecing together the resources they need to serve families. Refugee resettlement organizations, housing service providers, Haitian churches and Haitian-, Caribbean, Central and South American led community groups, Welcome Centers, and many, many others are all working to connect these asylum seekers to resources. 

“They don’t have a place to go, [so] they come here,” says Lentia Reason, Executive Director, Brazilian Workers Center in Allston. “They know us.” The BWC has been seeing about 18 families every day, many of which come from an overnight shelter the state opened out of the Registry of Deeds building in East Cambridge.  

 Through UW’s Migrant Families Relief Fund, we have learned about 200 distinct organizations responding in their local communities -- from city health departments, to birthing centers and pediatrics offices, to food pantries and social service nonprofits. In a recent survey of grantees, Everett Haitian Community Center (EHCC) says they’ve served 2,500 to 3,000 immigrants and new arrivals and this number continues to rise daily.  

“This investment not only empowers individuals within the community but also contributes to the growth and vitality of the city as a whole,” says Rev. Myrlande DesRosiers. DesRosiers says the MMFRF grant enabled them to bolster their workforce by extending the hours of dedicated staff members and paid volunteers specializing in culturally tailored outreach and provide emergency housing application assistance, emotional wellness support, and facilitating connections to vital healthcare services.  

“For an immigrant in a foreign country, access to basic goods like food, diapers, clothing, or a ride to a medical appointment, can be of great concern. Through this fund, service providers like Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI) are able to provide newcomers with vital support that many of us take for granted,” says Dr. Geralde V. Gabeau, MPH, Executive Director of Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI-USA). “We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to the MA Migrant Families Relief Fund.” 

Judy Wolberg of The Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) tells us the MMFRF grant gave them the ability to broaden our scope and be less restrictive in our approach to meeting concrete needs. BIJAN is a community network of faith communities, individuals and other activist groups working to reduce the escalating harm of the U.S. immigration system in the current political context.  “When we were asked to house 50 families over the coldest weekend of the winter, we were able to contribute in a substantial way,” says Wolberg. 

The Healy-Driscoll Administration is tapping all available resources to support families in need of shelter, but no one entity can do this critical work alone. Partners across government, nonprofit, corporate and philanthropic sectors have joined together to address this still-growing humanitarian crisis in a way that makes me proud to be a member of our Commonwealth.  

Corporate donors to the MMFRF have been key in securing space and funds to help new arrivals in our state. Partners including the Barr Foundation, the Klarman Family Foundation, Eastern Bank Foundation, Amazon, the Boston Foundation, The Baupost Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, Cornerstone Charitable Foundation, John Hancock Financial Services, and more all support our community non-profits in meeting the needs of hundreds of families. 

“The response from across Massachusetts to meet the needs of the thousands of families seeking safe haven and housing in our state is an inspiring and important element of our overall response to what is a tremendous ongoing need,” said M. Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation, MMFRF co-founder. “This important partnership highlights the caring humanity of individuals, businesses, nonprofits and civic leaders here and can provide a blueprint for a continuing response.” 

To date, 32 grants have been awarded to local community organizations.  We celebrate their commitment to ensuring that new arrivals have access to the same essential needs and supports we would want for our own families.   

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About United Way of Massachusetts Bay 

United Way of Massachusetts Bay exists to build more equitable communities, together. With over 85 years of local impact in eastern Massachusetts, we work with and for our communities to build economic prosperity and enable everyone–across races and ethnicities–to share in the knowledge, wealth and resources available. We believe that the key to unlocking opportunity is uniting people, and we bring together individuals, community leaders, corporate partners, legislators and organizations to build a powerful engine of change. Visit www.unitedwaymassbay.org for more information. 

Media Contact:  Brigid Boyd, Chief of Public Affairs, UWMB, bboyd@supportunitedway.org, 339.236.1161