Migrant Families Moving Into Former MA Prison-Turned-Shelter: Reports

NORFOLK, MA — Just weeks after a Massachusetts town announced that a local former prison was set to be used as a temporary emergency shelter, nearly two dozen families have moved in, according to officials and media reports.

A total of 21 families were placed at Bay State Correctional Center, which was decommissioned in 2015, on its first day in operation Wednesday, WCVB reported, citing officials with the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

Many of the families are migrants, according to NBC Boston, which spoke with Norfolk Select Board Chairman Jim Lehan.

According to Norfolk's Temporary Emergency Shelter Dashboard, Governor Maura Healey's administration notified the town of the emergency shelter designation on May 10.

"This decision was made as part of its ongoing response to the number of migrant families arriving in Massachusetts," a notice posted to the webpage read. "The town had no role in this decision and was not consulted prior."

The Healey administration told the town that the shelter will house up to 140 families or up to 405 people deemed eligible for emergency assistance by the end of July.

It will be managed 24/7 by a shelter operator and will operate for six to twelve months, officials told the town.

Before being moved to Bay State Correctional Center, some families were being housed at Logan Airport, according to officials.

"An unexpected influx of a large number of families poses many logistical challenges to Norfolk," the town said on its website, adding that the town administrator, police and fire chiefs, school superintendents, and other department leaders will continue to hold regular meetings to "develop a comprehensive list of potential impacts to the Town and develop strategies to continue to deliver regular municipal services without interruption."

Norfolk officials added that they will "also have regular conversations with state officials to ensure the town's concerns are heard, and to work collaboratively on creative solutions that are in the best interests of Norfolk."