BOSTON (WHDH) - A recreation center in Roxbury has opened as a temporary shelter to serve families in need of a place to stay, including those who have been sleeping at Logan Airport.
The safety-net shelter at the Melnea Cass Recreation Center opened to families on Wednesday, joining other sites already in operation around the state. People could be seen making their way inside in the evening hours.
Shuttle buses could be seen dropping off dozens of people Wednesday night.
The state-owned recreation center in Roxbury is set to house up to 100 families or 400 individuals who are awaiting long term shelter.
Gov. Maura Healey said the decision to move migrants into the recreation center was “just born out of necessity.”
“We just have to do what we have to do in this time,” she said.
City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson said all the programs that currently take place at the facility will be moved to make room for migrants.
The Melnea Cass Center in Roxbury is scheduled to cease operations as a shelter by May 31 in time to reopen its pool. The state has also committed to hiring more staff and renovating the facility for the future.
Some residents gathered outside the center to protest the move, saying kids who live in the area depend on the center and won’t have the programming they need.
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