Boston plan to house migrants at former veterans’ shelter is slammed as ‘disgusting’

A plan to turn a former Boston-area veterans’ home into a shelter for hundreds of migrants has been slammed as “disgusting” by local residents, who say Massachusetts’ services should instead go to the nation’s heroes.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey announced last week she would convert the historic Chelsea Soldiers’ Home — which was vacant and scheduled for demolition — into a site for 100 migrant families and pregnant women, the Boston Herald reports.

But the proposal comes as veterans continue to face homelessness in the state, with 545 vets experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023, according to US Housing and Urban Development data.

“I can’t believe the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home which is for the Vets is going to [be] used for the immigrants overflow,” George Belmonte, a Massachusetts resident, commented on Facebook.

“How about taking care of the homeless vets first?” he asked.

“I am all for helping people but how about taking care of those already here and homeless.”

Denise Levy also questioned why migrants would be housed at the facility for free while the veterans “who fought for our country are paying to live there.”

“Disgusting!!!” she wrote.

Single veterans who lived at the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home were required to pay $30 each day with a $300 personal exemption from personal income for nursing home care at the facility, according to its website.

Those who did not need nursing home or memory care, meanwhile, forked over $10 a day with the $300 personal exemption.

But the building was shut down when the state opened a larger facility in December, Fox News reports.

Massachusetts officials now insist the new migrant housing will not affect services for veterans.

“Massachusetts has proven that we can take care of veterans and families experiencing homelessness in our state,” Secretary of Veterans Services Dr. Jon Santiago said in a statement, according to the Herald.

State officials say they need to convert the now-vacant building into a shelter to accommodate all the migrants who have entered the state in recent months.

“We have said for months now that our system is at capacity, and we do not have the space, providers or funding to continue expanding,” said emergency assistance director Scott Rice.

Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez added that the state is in a “crisis.”

“While this is going to be very challenging, I am very hopeful that Chelsea is going to come through and do what we do best, which is in a time of need, we come together,” he told the Chelsea Record.

Migrants are expected to start moving into the new housing unit this month, but would be required to prove they are working off government assistance by applying for work authorizations, learning English and searching for permanent housing, Rice said.

They would then have to reapply every month to maintain their space at the shelter, which is expected to be operational for six months to a year, according to the Record.

There are currently 240 families living at such shelters in Massachusetts, while another 7,500 migrants are holed up in emergency shelters, according to Fox.