Brookline's oldest elder-care organization has terminated a handful of employees who lost their work authorization when the Trump administration ended Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants on July 27.

Goddard House president and CEO Candace Cramer confirmed the terminations in a report published by Brookline.News on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The nonprofit, which provides assisted living and memory support for about 115 residents at 165 Chestnut St., had to let go several of its 140 staff members after they could no longer document their eligibility to work in the United States.

"There's a real human aspect to this and sometimes that gets lost in the conversation about how it's affecting people's lives," Cramer said.

Goddard House gave affected employees until Aug. 7 to provide alternative work authorization paperwork. Cramer declined to give an exact number of those terminated, citing privacy, but described them as dedicated caregivers whose contributions she valued.

Statewide impact

The TPS termination affects roughly 300,000 Haitian holders nationwide and about 45,000 in Massachusetts, according to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell. Campbell estimated about 1,500 workers at Massachusetts nursing care facilities would be impacted.

More than a third of home health and personal care aides in the state are foreign-born, according to the Providers' Council. Bill Yelenak, the council's president, told the Boston Globe on July 28 that the sector "does not function without immigrants."

Haiti was first designated for TPS in 2010 following a devastating earthquake, and the protections were extended multiple times. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the administration to proceed with ending TPS in June while litigation continued, and the protections formally expired July 27.

Brookline's other senior-care providers

Hebrew SeniorLife terminated 36 Haitian employees organization-wide but said no workers at its Brookline locations were affected. The organization made those employees eligible for up to $1,000 each from an employee assistance fund.

2Life Communities, which operates multiple senior residences in Brookline, declined to comment on personnel matters.

Brookline Council on Aging director Emily Williams said neither the senior center nor its service provider Springwell is reporting staffing issues related to the TPS change. Town government and school officials also said they were not aware of any employees losing jobs.

Preparing for the gap

Cramer said Goddard House began hiring additional per diem workers months before the July 27 deadline and does not expect the terminations to disrupt resident care. She said immigrants are an important part of the health care workforce, which already faces staffing challenges as the population ages.

No specific timeline has been set for the ongoing federal litigation over TPS.