Upon Arrival: Community-based organizations provide essential support to migrant families in Mass.

Flanked on either side by her two children, Augustin Monita says she left her home of seven years in French Guiana because there was nothing for them there. 

She said the journey was hard, and much of it was on foot.  

"She spent a lot of time walking with her two children, to come over here. But, with the grace of God, she made it here," explained Marline Amedee, who works with Monita and others as part of her work at the Haitian Community Partners Foundation. "All three of them made it here alive."

Marie-Jouseu Toussaint tells a similar story of leaving Chile, where she says her family was struggling and she could not find work. When she got pregnant, they decided to leave.  

The father of her children was supposed to follow, but when he was injured at work, she had to leave him behind.

"The children's family, father's side. There are some of them that are here. So her plan was to come here, thinking that they will support her. But when she, came they didn't have enough space. So they were not able to support her," Amedee said.

Daphne Joseph is originally from Haiti but spent many years in Chile before coming to the U.S.  

She said she misses her country, but believes she will create a better left for herself and her son in Massachusetts. 

It’s the same reason Jean Roussel Elysee and Darlande MoÏse left Haiti, traveling through multiple countries before arriving in Massachusetts.  

"He said the message is not on their behalf. It's on the behalf of all immigrants," Amedee translated. "They know why they are here and they know what kind of future that they want," Amedee said.

Amedee stood by as the migrant families spoke with NBC10 Boston acting as an interpreter because none of them were comfortable speaking in English. Instead, they spoke Haitian Creole and Spanish. That’s because none of the families we interviewed were comfortable speaking in English. Language is one of the biggest barriers for them to overcome. 

"They don't speak the language. People are often talking at them and not with them. And whether they speak the language that they speak or they just speak English, they're just being spewed information at them constantly," said Belynda Cesar, who is the case manager at Haitian Community Partners.

The Brockton-based organization, founded in 2013, offers culturally appropriate wraparound services to underprivileged populations. 

Part of Cesar’s role is creating a safe, stable housing situation where people feel comfortable communicating their needs.  

Many of them have experienced trauma that prompted them to leave their homes or during the journey, and stability can be hard to come by.

"A lot of the people have explained that when they found out they were coming here, they found out within hours or within hours that they were had to pack up all their belongings that they own and come here," Cesar said.

Haitian Community Partners does a range of work – from things like ESOL classes to financial literacy programs to youth workforce development to mental health support and more in between. They call the aid they offer “standing in the gap.” 

"We saw the, the influx of the going come coming in Massachusetts our organization i standing in the gap to make sure that services are allocated to the different hotels for the migrants. So they can can support themselves and they can integrate in the community," Amedee said.

Amedee is the founder and president of the organization. They coordinate with hundreds of families living in motels and also have partnerships with private landlords to set up some families in apartments.  

The nonprofit is one of dozens of community organizations working with United Way of Massachusetts on the Safety Net program, which mobilized as the state emergency shelter system reached capacity.

"The reality is, for all of us having a safe, stable place to live and deep connections in our communities, this is the foundation all of us need to thrive, to and to show up in the ways that we show up in our community as parents and as workers, as neighbors and voters and all of the things that we do," Sarah Bartley, vice president of safe and stable housing at United Way, explained.

The end goal isn’t only to give people a place to live, but to help new arrivals carve out a permanent home and become independent. 

"Whether it is the families that we're managing at SafetyNet or those that we are managing at the motels, 99% are here to work, and they have full stabilization," explained Rev. Tony Branch, another leader at Haitian Community Partners.

"A CBO connection with wraparound services, it's what's going to state, integrate and stabilize. Yes, you can go in a shelter and be managed for 8 to 12 hours a day, but where is that permanent connection with that family so that they are successful?"

Branch is referring to the community-based organizations speckled throughout the state. Many have become deeply involved with the shelter crisis, even if housing wasn't previously a focus of their services.

"Whether you're helping people who are new to a community put down roots in a community, whether you're helping people who've experienced homelessness put down roots in a community, a lot of it is the same work. And and it the key is to refocusing on people as incredible assets with so much to lend to our communities, if we could give them the resources they need," Bartley noted.

The families we spoke with say they are read to put in the work to build their lives in these communities. Monita summed it up:

"She said there's nothing in life that will struggle for as long that you, persist. So she wanted to come here to have a better life. She struggled to journey, to get a better life, to come here. But, all she needs to say that she will succeed," Amedee said.

More challenges await new families that arrive in Massachusetts. Starting on Aug. 1, migrant families will no longer have priority in the Emergency Assitance program, effectively restricting access to state-run housing aid. Gov. Maura Healey said it's a necessary step to manage the ongoing crisis.