Haitian asylum seekers share their experiences in Framingham. 'We want a better life.'

FRAMINGHAM — The road so far for migrants in Framingham has been anything but easy.

Haitian migrants began arriving in MetroWest in late July, and since then, municipal officials have scrambled to provide resources. Following an Aug. 31 event at which the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority (MWRTA) taught migrants to use the bus system, a few of the city's newest residents spoke to the Daily News about their experiences so far in Framingham.

Acting as interpreter was Giovanni Fleurancois, a Haitian native who is general manager of National Express, the MWRTA's transportation company.

The migrants, who requested anonymity due to safety concerns, expressed both gratitude and concern about their new temporary home.

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One man said he's staying in Framingham with his wife and three children.

"We want a better life," he said. "We plan to work to improve the economy or better ourselves."

He praised the staff at the hotel, saying its management has been great, and that the staff has even used applications such as Google Translate to help communicate with the migrants, who primarily speak Haitian Creole.

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The man also praised the services Framingham has provided, including helping out with health care and the new service with the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority, which provided migrants with Catch Cards, pre-paid cards with a three-month shelf life that will allow migrants to any of the MWRTA's 16 communities.

"Transportation is good because it gives us access to go places," said the man, who said he was trained as a preacher and plans to attend school for theology. "My plan is to be established, to be steady... I'm working and building my life and family."

He said he's hopeful the migrants at the Red Roof Inn can all benefit and serve the community and benefit the country.

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However, migrants also addressed concerns about their stay at the Framingham Red Roof Inn on Cochituate Road (Route 30).

"We do not feel independent because we cannot cook food that's in our culture," the man said. "The first week, we received sandwiches for food. The adults can eat it, but it is not preferred."

He later raised concerns about the lack of storage for food, adding that migrants need refrigeration and stoves to cook. Finally, the man raised concerns over winter approaching, and wondered how the group will adapt to the cold and which, if any, service will be provided to the group to help.

The state has hired a caterer to provide food for the migrants.

Some migrants say living conditions a little crowded in hotel rooms

Migrants raised concerns over capacity in their rooms, with three others saying they're housed with up to five others, including the man who said he and his family of five are in one room; a woman who said she's in a room with five children without her husband; and an 18-year-old man who said he's in a five-person room.

In Taunton, the city is fining the Clarion Hotel $1,000 a day for being over capacity and creating a safety hazard. The 155-room hotel in the Myles Standish Industrial Park is being used by the state to house hundreds of migrants and unhoused families — taking up most, if not all, of the rooms in the building.

"Our city should have been included in the discussions before Taunton’s only hotel became a shelter, which is stretching city resources and eliciting many questions from our residents," Mayor Shauna O'Connell told the Taunton Daily Gazette earlier this month.

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Migrant families began arriving in Framingham on July 18 with little notice from the state. The first wave, which included 39 people — mostly ethnic Haitians who were seeking asylum in America as a result of instability in their home country — were initially moved into the Red Roof Inn.

Migrants were dropped off at the hotel — which sits right off the Mass Pike — by the state, with the city having to scramble to arrange for services and donations to get them situated. The state did assign a care coordinator, Framingham nonprofit Jewish Family Services of Metrowest, to handle such tasks as getting families enrolled in Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, teaching them how to access public transportation, assisting with employment certification and other services.

But more recently, more than 100 additional individuals have been moved into the city. When the state did not immediately assign an additional care coordinator, and JFS was unable to take on more families, city officials had to hastily organize an emergency team to welcome these newer migrants.

On Wednesday, the city confirmed that the South Middlesex Opportunity Council had officially taken over as the emergency care provider for migrants at the Red Roof Inn and at an additional hotel. The arrangement is expected to increase the reliability of support services for migrants at those locations.

Framingham officials are notified only after families are moved into the city. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said the state is trying its best to communicate with communities that are getting migrants, but that more families are arriving every day and the process to house them moves rapidly.

Multimedia journalist Jesse Collings contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Haitian migrants discuss how they adjust to life in Framingham