Massachusetts HD 4293: A communication from the Office for Refugees and Immigrants (see item 4003-0123 of Section 2 of Chapter 77 of the Acts of 2023) submitting the monthly Resettlement Agency Report for December, 2024

Bill Text

MAURA T. HEALEY KATHLEEN E. WALSH
GOVERNOR SECRETARY
KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL CRISTINA AGUILERA SANDOVAL
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

January 13, 2025

The Honorable Michael J. Rodrigues
Chair, Senate Committee on Ways and Means
State House, Room 212
Boston, MA 02133

The Honorable Aaron Michlewitz
Chair, House Committee on Ways and Means
State House, Room 243
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chairs Rodrigues and Michlewitz,
Enclosed is the December 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, 2024. RAs and shelter providers are coordinating on rehousing
work with migrants in shelters and temporary respite centers.
In their contracts, RAs agreed to exit specific numbers of families by the end of December, 2024,
but none met those targets. This slow start reflected the difficulty of ramping up a new set of
services during a state emergency, under pressure of time, and in a tight housing market. ORI,
with support from Housing and Livable Communities, worked with RAs to address barriers to
success, and agreed to extend contracts for RAs that hit at least 10% of their target by the end of
November, 2024; all but one met this threshold. ORI is working with that one to wrap up the
contract.

Chair Rodrigues – Chair Michlewitz
Page 2
January 13, 2025

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 December, 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.
In their contracts, RAs agreed to exit specific numbers of families by the end of December, but
none met those targets. ORI agreed to extend contracts for RAs that hit at least 10% of their

target by the end of November, 2024; all but one met this threshold. ORI is working with that
one to wrap up the contract.
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