Lexington Armory / Credit: Lauren Feeney

A Massachusetts National Guard armory located on Bedford St. in Lexington will serve as a shelter for 55 families, including both new immigrants and other unhoused families.

The decision to convert the building into a shelter comes as the state’s Emergency Housing Assistance Program struggles to keep up with the number of eligible families in the midst of an influx of migrants, including many fleeing political turmoil in Haiti and Venezuela. The site will accommodate some families currently living at the Cass Center, a recreational facility in Roxbury that is being used as an emergency overflow shelter but will be closing in May.

“We have identified a state-owned building in Lexington to use as a safety-net site for families experiencing homelessness. Preparations are underway in close collaboration with local officials, and we expect to open the site next month,” Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice said in a statement.

Town Manager James Malloy said the town was notified about a week ago, and that the health department and public schools would be working to make sure their needs are met.

“This site will be a closed site managed by the state, so otherwise we do not anticipate any issues,” Malloy said.

The building is operated by the state National Guard, so it’s not accessible to the public, Town communications director Jonas Miller explained to LexObserver. Unlike the shelter that’s been operating out of two Lexington hotels, there will be “no unauthorized personnel, no volunteers, no media,” he said. This is a separate operation from the existing shelter and does not impact the families currently housed there, Miller explained.

“This is something obviously that a lot of communities are dealing with, and it’s part of the times to be a municipal government and have to play along with the state to help in this,” Miller told the Boston Globe. “It is a crisis.”

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5 Comments

  1. Pingback: Patriot Front protests in front of Armory building in Lexington - The Lexington Observer

  2. I am an experienced English as a Second Language Teacher and Lexington resident. I heard that the residents of the Armory will be needing English instruction. Can you please advise me as to whom to contact about this?
    Thank you,
    Rosemary Previte

    1. Rosemary,
      Contact Craig Hall
      781 862-8043
      Lex community education running adult classes

  4. Pingback: Last of three homeless shelters in Lexington to close in June - The Lexington Observer
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