United Way, which has partnered with the state to identify shelter space for migrant families, is officially “evaluating” a church group’s proposal for such a use in a Fort Point office building in Boston’s bustling Seaport neighborhood.
Despite the pushback vocalized by several South Boston elected officials since last Thursday’s news that the state was considering using part of 24 Farnsworth St. for a migrant overflow shelter, a spokesperson for United Way of Massachusetts Bay confirmed in a Monday email that the evaluation process was underway.
“We’re still evaluating proposals for this site in partnership with the city and state, and we will share more information as soon as it’s available,” Brigid Boyd, a United Way spokesperson, said in a statement.
The building’s owner, Unitarian Universalist Association, which according to City Councilor-at-Large Erin Murphy had offered roughly 10,000 square feet of empty office space, sent the Herald a similar emailed statement on Monday.
“We can also confirm that we have offered a portion of our space that is currently vacant for temporary use as a shelter for families in need, and that the evaluation process is underway,” Suzanne Morse, UUA spokesperson, wrote, adding that it was “one of several potential sites” United Way is evaluating.
The building, located on a narrow, dead-end street that includes commercial properties, condominiums and a parking garage, is the headquarters of Unitarian Universalist Association, a liberal religious organization that grew out of two “radical Christian groups,” according to the UUA website.
A publishing company and architecture firm also hold office space in the building, which has been criticized for its lack of bathroom and shower facilities, in terms of being adequately suited to serve as a short-term shelter for migrants.
Whether that proposed use moves forward will be determined by United Way, which received a $5 million grant from the Healey administration to fund safety-net sites for migrant families last fall.
The state works with the United Way to help assess the feasibility of the safety-net applications, according to a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Boyd previously said many factors are taken into consideration before moving forward with safety-net sites, including obtaining certificates of occupancy, adequate staffing plans to meet the basic needs of families, municipal support, compliance with zoning and fire codes, and availability of affordable housing.
The governor’s emergency declaration for migrant arrivals straining the state’s shelter system overrides local zoning regulations, meaning that overflow shelters can be placed anywhere, two city councilors and a state senator told the Herald.
City Councilor Ed Flynn, who represents South Boston and has been critical of the proposal, called for more transparency, saying in a statement to the Herald that the community process, to date, has been “disappointing and almost non-existent.”
“I’m encouraging city and state officials to be transparent in this process and communicate with residents, businesses and elected officials about the proposal, its impact on the community, services for migrant families, and potential sites throughout Greater Boston that might be available and provide services and housing in a more appropriate way,” Flynn said.
Flynn joined several South Boston lawmakers in calling for a community meeting on the proposal last week, to address neighborhood questions and concerns. That meeting has not yet been scheduled, he said.
Murphy expressed similar sentiments, saying that while she is “confident that the governor does not take any shelter location decision lightly” and the available office space may be able to accommodate migrant families, there are still questions that need to be answered so “neighborhoods don’t feel that these decisions are already a done deal and their input and ideas don’t matter.”
“The migrant situation here in Massachusetts reached a tipping point back in the fall,” Murphy said in a statement, pointing to a maxed-out state shelter system driven in large part by an influx of migrant families, and the governor’s past warnings that the state was “running out of room and money” to support them.
Citing her position as an at-large councilor, Murphy said, “I have to work to make sure we find an equitable balance between helping the families in need, and at the same time not take any needed resources away from our residents.”
A similar safety net site opened by Catholic Charities in Newton can support up to 30 migrant families, or roughly 81 people, per night.
