MAURA T. HEALEY KATHLEEN E. WALSH
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL CRISTINA AGUILERA SANDOVAL
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
September 23, 2024
The Honorable Michael J. Rodrigues The Honorable Aaron Michlewitz
Chair, Senate Committee on Ways and Means Chair, House Committee on Ways and Means
State House, Room 212 State House, Room 243
Boston, MA 02133 Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chairs Rodrigues and Michlewitz,
Enclosed is the August Resettlement Agency Report, submitted in compliance with item 4003-
0123 of chapter 77 of the acts of 2023. That act, which became law in December of 2023,
appropriated $10 million for resettlement agencies (RAs) that resettle and support refugees and
immigrants under contract with the U.S. State Department. The money is authorized to be
expended by the RAs to “provide services to refugees and other displaced persons eligible for
[RA] services” and “to prevent families from entering the emergency shelter system.”
Eight resettlement agencies have been working under contract with the Office for Refugees and
Immigrants (ORI) since March. RAs and shelter providers are coordinating on rehousing work
with migrants in shelters and overflow sites. This monthly report reflects activity in August,
2024.
To date, few families have exited from shelter with support from RAs. ORI, with support from
Housing and Livable Communities, has worked with RAs to address the barriers to success, for
example by clarifying the responsibilities of shelter providers and RAs, and allowing RAs to
access state funds more quickly on behalf of shelter residents. We are hopeful that we might see
improvements in exit numbers in the coming weeks.
I hope you find this document useful and informative. Please feel free to contact Susan Church,
Chief Operating Officer at ORI, if you have any questions about the report.
Respectfully,
Cristina Aguilera, Executive Director
 Resettlement Agency Report
As of August, 2024
Chapter 77 of the acts of 2023, the final supplemental appropriations act for the state’s fiscal year
2023, appropriated $10 million in item 4003-0123 for resettlement agencies (RAs) that resettle
and support refugees and immigrants under contract with the U.S. State Department. The money
is authorized to be expended by the RAs to “provide services to refugees and other displaced
persons eligible for [RA] services” and “to prevent families from entering the emergency shelter
system.”
The $10 million in c. 77 supplemented $500,000 appropriated in the same item in the fiscal year
2024 budget. This $10.5 million, which goes to the same entities for the same purposes, is
addressed in combination in this report.
Chapter 77 requires that monthly reports to the House and Senate Committees on Ways and
Means detail the following information:
(i) a list of recipients of such funds; (ii) the amounts distributed to each recipient; (iii) the
number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient, delineated by municipality;
(iv) a breakdown of the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient,
delineated by individuals: (a) currently residing in the emergency housing assistance
program under section 30 of chapter 23B of the General Laws; (b) who entered said
program as migrants, refugees or asylum seekers as a result of the ongoing humanitarian
crisis; and (c) who are currently on the waitlist for placement into said program; (v) a
breakdown of the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient who have
been resettled into long term housing other than the emergency shelter system; (vi) a
breakdown of the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient who are
currently awaiting federal work authorization versus the number of said immigrants and
refugees who have had their federal work authorization approved; and (vii) a list of all
municipalities served by each recipient of such funds
The status of these items is as follows:
(i) a list of recipients of such funds; (ii) the amounts distributed to each recipient;
Eight RAs receive funds through this item, covering eight geographic regions of the state. ORI
worked with the RAs to assess the number of refugees they serve, and to develop expectations
about the numbers of EA shelter families they can each commit to resettling by the end of
calendar year 2024.
Of the $10.5 million in authorized spending, $2.5 million was distributed to support each
recipients’ work with their identified caseload of refugees as of January of 2024, when the
contracts were negotiated. These funds are allocated in proportion to the January caseload.
The remaining $8.0 million is committed based on RA’s estimates of the numbers of families
they can rehouse by December 2024; half was distributed in an initial payment at the
commencement of the contract.
See Attachment 1 for more detail, which is current though August.
(iii) the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient, delineated by
municipality;
See Attachment 2 for number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient, delineated by
municipality.
(iv) a breakdown of the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient,
delineated by individuals: (a) currently residing in the emergency housing assistance
program under section 30 of chapter 23B of the General Laws; (b) who entered said
program as migrants, refugees or asylum seekers as a result of the ongoing humanitarian
crisis; and (c) who are currently on the waitlist for placement into said program;
All people served through these contracts are residing in shelters, or were in shelter and
subsequently exited, and all of them entered the program as migrants, refugees or asylum seekers
as a result of the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Therefore, the only difference between category
(a) and (b) is whether they are currently still in shelter (a), versus were in shelter, were placed in
permanent housing, and continue to receive stabilization services (b but not a).
No one served by these contracts is in category (c) (waitlisted for shelter). Data below is as of
September 16, 2024:
Individuals Arrived as
Individuals Served Refugees/Migrants/Asylum
Agency Currently in EA Shelter (a) Seekers (b)
Ascentria 35 52
Catholic Charities Association
Boston (CCAB) 115 124
International Institute of New
England (IINE) 76 95
Jewish Family Services Metro
West (JFSMW) 77 79
Jewish Family Services
Western Mass (JFSWM) 36 36
Organization for Refugee and
Immigrant Success (ORIS) 86 90
Refugee and Immigrant
Assistance Center (RIAC) 67 67
Total 492 543
(v) a breakdown of the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient who
have been resettled into long term housing other than the emergency shelter system;
As of the end of August, a total of 26 immigrants and refugee families have been resettled into
long-term housing through the efforts of the RAs funded through this appropriation. Please note
that this number is not the total for refugees and immigrants resettled out of shelters, but
narrowly those resettled through this program.
(vi) a breakdown of the number of immigrants and refugees served by each recipient who
are currently awaiting federal work authorization versus the number of said immigrants
and refugees who have had their federal work authorization approved; and
RAs have approximately 299 “enrolled” adults with whom they are actively working. Within
this active caseload, as of September 16, the breakdown is as follows:
EAD Status Individual Adults Served
EAD Received 121
EAD Filed 65
Unknown 113
Total 299
(vii) a list of all municipalities served by each recipient of such funds
See Attachment 2 for a list of municipalities served by each RA.
Attachment 1. Massachusetts Resettlement Support Program (MRSP) – Distribution of C. 77 Funds
PART 1: DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO SUPPORT REFUGEES
Agencies Number of MRSP Budgeted Expenditures
Assured Refugees Distribution through July
(at initiation of
program)
Ascentria (Worcester and West Springfield) 410 $439,914 $439,914
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston 220 $236,051 $236,051
Catholic Charities Agency of Diocese of Springfield 280 $300,429 $300,429
International Institute of New England (Boston & Lowell) 365 $391,631 $391,631
Jewish Family Service of Metrowest 95 $101,931 $101,931
Jewish Family Service of Western MA 375 $402,361 $402,361
Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) 185 $198,498 $198,498
Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (Boston & Worcester) 400 $429,185 $429,185
Total 2330 $2,500,000 $2,500,000
PART 2: ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS TO SUPPPORT SHELTER EXIT/APARTMENT PLACEMENT OF
THOSE ON WAITING LISTS FOR EA
Agencies # of Families Distribution of Expenditures
agency commits to MRSP funds by through July
exit from shelter Agency ($8M)
Ascentria (Worcester and West Springfield) 75 $1,500,000 $750,000
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston 50 $1,000,000 $500,000
Catholic Charities Agency of Diocese of Springfield 50 $1,000,000 $500,000
International Institute of New England (Boston & Lowell) 50 $1,000,000 $500,000
Jewish Family Service of Metrowest 25 $500,000 $250,000
Jewish Family Service of Western MA 50 $1,000,000 $500,000
Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) 50 $1,000,000 $500,000
Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (Boston & Worcester) 50 $1,000,000 $500,000
Total 400 $8,000,000 $4,000,000
Attachment 2. Families Served by RA and Municipality (as of 9/16/24)
Agency Caseloads by Region Individuals Served
Ascentria Care Alliance 52
Chicopee 27
Peabody 3
Springfield 18
West Springfield 4
Catholic Charities Association Boston (CCAB) 124
Boston 42
Dedham 3
Malden 17
Sharon 60
Unknown 2
International Institute of New England (IINE) 95
Arlington 14
Chelsea 1
Lowell 76
Medford 3
Unknown 1
Jewish Family Services Metro West (JFSMW) 79
Foxborough 14
Framingham 64
Unknown 1
Jewish Family Services Western Mass (JFSWM) 36
Great Barrington 30
Unknown 6
Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS) 90
Auburn 6
Hudson 35
Leicester 3
Medway 3
Middleborough 8
Northborough 3
Westborough 30
Unknown 2
Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC) 67
Auburn 34
Worcester 33
Grand Total 543