Migrants getting support to enhance chances of getting job in Massachusetts

CHELSEA – It hasn’t been easy for 49-year-old Elisner Mesecial from Haiti, laid off from construction work and now filling out as many as 40 job applications. Through an interpreter he says there are challenges to finding work. “He’s frustrated, he’s been able to find jobs, but they are far away and he doesn’t have a car, it’s another challenge other than English.”

He has found support at La Colaborativa in Chelsea where many receive help finding jobs and take classes including computer skills. Nearly half of the 1600 individuals they support have found work. “They want to be able to work to support family, not sleep in a shelter, they want to find the American dream,” said La Colaborativa Chief Operating Officer Dinanyili Paulino.

Work authorizations now take months, not years

According to the Healey administration, in the last five months more than 3,500 new arrivals have been assisted with work authorizations, 626 living in shelters have found jobs, and over 1,000 are enrolled in language classes. After pressure on the Biden Administration work authorizations now take only months instead of years.

It made all the difference for Doublenska Merina and Ledna Fermont who arrived in Massachusetts from Haiti last July, got their work papers by November and found jobs assisting developmentally disabled residents at Thrive Support Advocacy in Marlboro, which has recently hired 25 migrants.

“I’m really proud of myself technically for working and doing things on my own. That removed the stress I was having,” said Fermont who is living in a shelter.

“Right now, I’m in the process of getting my own apartment so I can be on my own. We’re finalizing the paperwork,” said Merina.

The organization like many others in human services had a 25 to 30% vacancy rate, but it is now close to being totally staffed for the first time in a decade. “All of us are looking for creative ways to address staffing shortages,” said CEO Sean Rose. “We were very intentional about doing everything we could to say how can we do this.”

At La Colaborativa they say not enough employers are so willing to open their doors to a waiting applicant pool. WBZ-TV cameras caught waves of migrants continuing to arrive at Logan Airport also looking for opportunity like Elisner Mesecial. “He confides in God so he’s OK.”

These migrants say finding a way out isn’t easy as the state tries to relieve an overwhelmed shelter system. But many are getting the help to do it. “Our residents are happy to have a whole wave of new smart people speaking a number of languages supporting them,” said Rose. 

Beth Germano

Emmy award-winning Beth Germano is a general assignment reporter for WBZ-TV News.  Born and raised in Massachusetts, Germano has been a New England-based reporter for more than 15 years.  She joined WBZ-TV as a freelance reporter in 1996 after reporting for several local television stations including WCVB-TV, New England Cable News, Monitor Cable Channel, WLVI-TV, and WGBH-TV.