HOLYOKE — Mayor Joshua A. Garcia says Holyoke stands ready to welcome migrants placed through a state program. However, he called on the state to “up its game in its support for the city.”
Garcia said that if migrants arrive, “We are ready for them.” The mayor issued a statement to inform residents of potential developments in the city’s involvement in the state’s Emergency Assistance program that’s associated with the “Right to Shelter” law.
In a Zoom conference last week, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll revealed that more than 70 of Massachusetts’ 351 towns and cities would become home to migrants and asylum-seekers. However, she did not divulge the potential host communities.
It is known that 71 cities and towns are already home to recent arrivals, as well as families already in the U.S. in need of shelter. A spokeswoman for Gov. Maura T. Healey told The Republican and MassLive this month that this list of communities participating in the Emergency Assistance program includes Amherst, Chicopee, Greenfield, Pittsfield, South Hadley, Springfield, Sturbridge and West Springfield.
Families are staying in 38 motels in 28 municipalities as of July 11. In Greenfield, Chicopee and West Springfield alone, 269 families were being housed in hotels as of mid-July.
In his statement last week, Garcia noted Holyoke’s compassion for people, pledging to balance the needs of migrants with the city’s own well-being. He warned that failing to do so could endanger Holyoke’s sustainability.
“Our city has a history of empathy and compassion,” Garcia said, pointing to Holyoke’s support for the homeless and disadvantaged. “We empathize with the refugees and those facing hardships.”
However, Garcia stressed the need for increased state support. He warned that if selected to house migrants and other homeless families, Holyoke needed help to manage resources. He characterized the shelter crisis as a challenge that requires a coordinated statewide strategy.
Garcia called on the Healey Administration and the Legislature to consider the burden placed on municipalities by the influx and how it may impact the delivery of essential services.
The mayor said he told Driscoll that Holyoke is prepared to tackle the challenge. “But the other half of that promise requires the Legislature and the Healey Administration to recognize the scope of the challenge and the impact it has on keeping up with quality-of-life issues and basic municipal services — particularly in Holyoke — and respond with realistic resources,” Garcia said in the statement.
