Raynham hotel will be shelter for homeless and migrants. Impact on schools?

RAYNHAM — State and national issues have come knocking on the door in Raynham.

Selectmen said the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities will soon be placing homeless and migrant families in one of the hotels in Raynham: the Homes2 Suites hotel, located at 5 Commerce Way.

Select Chair Patricia Riley read a letter during the Dec. 12 meeting that didn’t skimp on the known details.

The state department of housing, as it has done with many hotels and hotel chains across the Commonwealth, has entered into a contract with Homes2 Suites, which is owned by Hilton, to operate as a shelter to handle the continued overflow of people in need.

“There’s nothing we can do to stop it. This is happening through a contract between a private business and the state. The town was not involved,” said Riley, emphasizing that neither party sought input from local officials, and the town is still seeking additional information, such as how many people and families will be staying there, and for how long.

How many people will be housed at Raynham hotel?

Riley confirmed that all 84 rooms at the Homes2 Suites will be reserved for families in the building. A search for rooms on Hilton.com for Raynham’s Homes2 Suites Hotel indicates the entire occupancy for the building is sold out for at least all of 2024.

Town Administrator Gregory Barnes said while the town didn’t definitively know how many and the full composition of families coming to Raynham, the state informed him that most of them are Haitian migrants.

Barnes speculated that “based on room size” the amount of people to be housed at the hotel would be around 300.

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Barnes added that, according to communications with the state housing department, many of the families from Haiti are asylum seekers seeking permanent residency, but “those hearings are years away” because of how backed up the immigration process is.

They are expected to arrive at the hotel “as early as” Dec. 20, Barnes stated.

Riley clarified in her letter the majority of families arriving are those who have already been in the state housing shelter system for some time, originating from other short-term shelter operations inside hotels from other parts of the state.

“You have many families and pregnant people coming here from other shelters." She said contracts expired, but “people still need housing.”

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Vaccination needs 'taken care of'

Barnes said because the majority of these families are coming from other shelters in the state, they are already enrolled in health programs like Mass Health, and so already have the required vaccinations needed to stay in the state and country.

Raynham Health Director Paula Rossi-Clapp confirmed this, saying her communication with the state Department of Public Health indicated their vaccination needs are “taken care of before they arrive here.”

Barnes also said the hotel will have both a services coordinator employed by the state and the National Guard present to provide services, such as transportation for medical appointments, and the facilitating of job clinics and work permits for those seeking employment.

Impact on B-R schools

Though numbers are not yet known by the town, all kids of age will be enrolled in Raynham schools, including Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, Riley said, due to federal law mandating access to public education.

“We have a legal obligation to provide it, regardless of immigration status,” Riley said.

Selectman Joe Pacheco concurred saying, “legally, we can’t do anything. We can’t interfere with state and federal law,” adding that his communications with school officials indicated “the school feels prepared for these kids.”

Riley said meetings between the town administrator, other town departments, and the school district have indicated they are ready and can handle the new load on town resources, including police, fire, and public works.

Selectman Kenneth Collins echoed the rest of the board, saying the community needs to rally together on this.

“We need to move away from the frustration. We’ve been dealt this hand and need to deal with it,” he said.

“We will offer these families the respect they deserve as human beings, and, in return, expect their respect back for our community,” said Riley.

Both Riley and Barnes also said the town will be seeking additional reimbursement from the state and/or federal government over the resources the town will be mandated to provide.

“This is a state-run operation. It will have impacts on the town,” said Barnes.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Raynham hotel soon to be migrant and homeless shelter