Migrants living in at-capacity emergency shelters are packaging cooking oil in Ayer, caring for patients with developmental disabilities in Waltham, and gearing up to clean hospital rooms in Salem. But getting to that point has required a massive undertaking.
The state has launched what it says is a first-in-the-nation program to provide legal assistance, case management, and other services for new arrivals. But those who came earlier this year are still waiting.