Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu toured a recreational complex Wednesday hours ahead of its planned opening as a temporary shelter site for families experiencing homelessness, including migrants.
Healey said about 75 individuals were expected to arrive at the Cass Recreational Complex, located in the city’s Roxbury neighborhood, before the end of the day. The complex can provide temporary shelter for up to 400 people, or about 100-125 families, as the state continues to grapple with an influx of homeless migrants.
“We’re here today because we really don’t have a choice,” she said. “ Families continue to come into this country, continue to come to Massachusetts, and we have over the last several months opened up locations throughout the state.”
There are currently three larger state-operated overflow family shelter sites. The location in Roxbury, one of the city’s traditionally Black neighborhoods, will be the fourth.
The others are located in Revere (150 rooms), Quincy (57 rooms) and Cambridge, which can accommodate 200 people or about 57 families.