I WAS SLIGHTLY nervous the first night. Some of what I knew to prepare was obvious: Clean sheets, basic toiletries, and toys for the young child. But I kept asking myself questions like, “Do I need a car seat?” or “What if they do not like these foods?”
When the Haitian family – Mom, Dad, and one happy 6-year-old – arrived that March evening, they slowly dragged in their few belongings, then hugged me tightly. I left them to settle in, and returned an hour or so later to see if they would join me for dinner. But instead, I found them sound asleep. When I eventually learned the family had only crossed the border a week earlier, after their trip from Haiti, I was not surprised.
As slanderous, hateful comments against Haitian immigrants have frustratingly filled the airwaves, I think back to that March night – back to a family that simply wanted to feel safe. First-hand, I have learned that the fear-mongers could not be more wrong. Our new Haitian neighbors are strong, capable, and enduring individuals who constantly try to find ways to repay the kindness they are shown.
Families have shown me this many times, preferring to rely on themselves rather than ask for help with even the simplest tasks. For example, after driving a family to the grocery store just once, they chose to walk the mile and a half journey there and back – groceries in tow – without complaint.
These families are always eager to reciprocate my hospitality any way they can, offering to share in cleaning, take out the trash, or even feed my cat. Though there are occasional moments of miscommunication or awkwardness, it’s been a pleasure having them in my home.
Obviously I do not want families to endure hardships or feel as though they are required to help out while staying with me. I want them to feel safe and welcome, and to enjoy the respite they deserve after overcoming an unimaginable journey.
Then I remind myself: These families who have lived with me – all Haitian – have somehow made it from the border to Massachusetts. The conditions they have fled and endured are unlike anything most Americans can imagine. Unprecedented gang violence and tragic natural disasters in Haiti have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of innocent people, more than half of whom are children. Every day, Haitians in Massachusetts worry if their family and friends back home are still alive, let alone working or in school.
Unfortunately, the state’s decision to chip away at the basic human right of providing families a right to shelter has proven incredibly disappointing and saddening. Caps on the number of beds per shelter, as well as the number of nights a family may stay in a shelter, provide those desperate for safety few options.
Hosting a family, however, is one way I can assert my values in this troubling time. I encourage others to find ways to do the same.
For instance, while not everyone can house families, many can donate necessary items, support non-profits and faith-based organizations working with those in need, speak up for welcoming immigrants, and be open to hiring immigrants in our businesses.
Massachusetts has the resources to continue investing in our new arrivals. Providing English as a second language classes, workforce training programs, and other assistance – yes, including shelter – helps people stabilize and more quickly become part of our communities.
The data is clear that immigrants ultimately pay so much back in taxes and other contributions. Earlier this year, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the current immigration surge will add $1.2 trillion in federal revenues over the 2024–2034 period. And here in Massachusetts, our workforce continues to need more workers, skilled and unskilled. Immigrants can fill these jobs.
If the state is cutting back on actual shelter beds, then more must be done to incentivize Massachusetts residents to host families. Connecting hosts to families and offering stipends to offset expenses – as the state is planning to do – is a good start. But the state must closely collaborate with business, non-profit, and community leaders to ensure buy-in, and, ultimately, help effectively promote policies like these at the highest levels.
While anti-immigrant figures continue to spout disproven, dangerous claims against Haitian immigrants, the months I have spent hosting Haitian families has shown me the truth: Parents and children alike are generous, kind, and strong. By supporting new arrivals, I hope others can learn this first-hand too.
Elizabeth Sweet is the executive director of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, New England’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the rights and inclusion of immigrants and refugees.
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