In March, Healey announced that she would convert the historic Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, a now-vacant soldier home scheduled for demolition, into a shelter for migrant families and pregnant women. The historic site would be converted into a shelter to accommodate migrants who have entered the state in the past few months. However, the proposal came as military veterans continue to face homelessness in the state, with 545 vets experiencing homelessness on a single night in 2023.
“Massachusetts has proven that we can take care of veterans and families experiencing homelessness in our state,” Secretary of Veterans Services Dr. Jon Santiago sarcastically said at that time.
Moreover, single veterans living at the facility were mandated to pay $30 per day for nursing home care, with $300 personal income exemption. Meanwhile, those who do not require nursing home or memory care were charged $10 per day, with $300 personal exemption. The illegal immigrants, on the other hand, receive housing and meals at no cost. (Related: Illegal Alien Invasion: All the big U.S. land grabs by China and globalists may be for housing illegal immigrants.)
Instead, the illegals only need to prove that they are applying for work authorizations, learning English and searching for permanent housing. But they will need to reapply monthly to retain their accommodations at the shelter, which is projected to remain operational from six months to a year.
Residents have raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding these decisions and their potential impact on community safety and cohesion.
Denise Levy, a social media user who read the post on Facebook earlier this month, questioned why migrants would be housed at the facility for free while the veterans “who fought for our country are paying to live there.” She wrote: “Disgusting!!!”
“I can’t believe the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home which is for the vets is going to [be] used for the immigrants overflow. How about taking care of the homeless vets first? I am all for helping people but how about taking care of those already here and homeless,” George Belmonte, a Massachusetts resident, also commented on Facebook.
Massachusetts and Chelsea officials are gaslighting the public
Local officials have been trying
to justify their actions.
“We have said for months now that our system is at capacity, and we do not have the space, providers or funding to continue expanding,” said Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice. “This new certification policy is a responsible step to address the capacity constraints at our safety-net sites. Families will need to demonstrate that they’ve taken action to get on a path toward independence and out of shelter.”
Alarmingly, Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez has been cooperating with the local government in this matter.
“While this is going to be very challenging, I am very hopeful that Chelsea is going to come through and do what we do best, which is in a time of need, we come together,” he said earlier in April.
Massachusetts officials have insisted that the new migrant housing will not affect services for veterans, but that is clearly not what is happening.
