Quote and Information provided by Marion Maxwell
The following quote was shared by a resident who attended Tuesday evening’s (Nov. 14) meeting at the Acton Council on Aging about the families moving to the Minuteman Inn.
“…The new shelter at The Minuteman Inn (old Concordian) will get its first guests on Monday, November 20. There will eventually be thirty-three families. They expect that about 20% will be homeless Massachusetts families and 80% will be Haitian asylum seekers.They explained the difference between refugees (vetted and approved for benefits before they arrive in the US) andasylum seekers,who are here legally but have not gone through any of the steps yet beyond getting here. They need to get a work permit before they can work, and that generally takes six to twelve months. These groups are usually about 60% kids and 40% adults; the kids are mostly under 8. There are a lot of pregnant women and a lot of babies, not many teens.
“The organization developing and running the site is called Making Opportunity Count (MOC). They run the Concord shelter at the old Best Western, and they provide a lot of services and help and understanding to their residents. (And they understand that the larger problem is affordable housing. And getting a work permit, and daycare.) There was a Haitian immigrant presenter who was in the shelter system six years ago. She talked about how when she first got into a shelter, she was grateful but afraid all the time, didn’t want to ask for help, didn’t really want to talk to anyone for a while. When she was ready, she was able to get involved more. She said when people smiled, it helped her to feel welcome. Another presenter was an Acton Police Officer, Monika Jean-Baptiste, another young Haitian immigrant.
“Apparently, some/many Haitian immigrants escaped the violence and chaos originally by going to South America, to Brazil or Chile or Peru. They may have spent quite some time there already, and made their way north through Central America and Mexico to finally get here. Some can speak Spanish or Portuguese. And Haitian Creole is sort of a French-Spanish mix, so French or Spanish knowledge may allow you to communicate with the immigrants. (Also note that Duolingo has Haitian Creole….)
“The messages we got included: be patient. The first families are only arriving on Monday [November 20]. It will take a few weeks to get all the rooms filled. Then they’ll need time to settle and rest, and to figure out what people’s needs are and how best to use the space, etc. After a bit, there will be opportunities for the community to help in many ways. MOC is busy running the operation, so help will be mediated by the Acton Boxborough United Way. That’s who we should contact if we have stuff or services or ideas to share. They already know they’ll need winter clothing, coats, boots, etc, in new or gently used (“consignable”) condition (there’s a drop box outside the Acton Boxborough Resource Center offices in the administration building on Charter Rd).”
Further information:
Acton TV has produced a long video about the Haitian immigrants videotaped at a meeting of involved Town staff and others called Fostering Cultural Humility.
Acton Boxborough United Way will coordinate donations through the AB Resource Center. It is important that all donations go through the AB Resource Center (15 Charter Road, Acton) as the shelter itself does not have space to accept/sort donations. Until more details are available as to specific needs, donations can be accepted through AB Resource Center’s AB Exchange, a space where Acton and Boxborough residents can access essential items they need to thrive. They are presently looking for winter coats, boots, and pants for all ages(new, or consignment-quality). An Amazon Wish List that AB United Way set up is another way to contribute specific items to AB Exchange.
Marion Maxwell edits an Acton seniors email newsletter.
