Twenty migrant families temporarily housed at opportunity center

The opportunity center for the homeless in downtown El Paso took in over 40 migrants after they were dropped off by border patrol on Saturday.

The all men’s shelter received a phone call Saturday reporting the migrants standing outside the Greyhound station.

To keep the families separated from the general population, the center turned its administration offices and conference room on the 3rd floor into temporary housing using blankets to make bedding.

Dorothy Truax is the social services director for the opportunity center. ” We were not ready for this. One of the issues of being a men’s shelter is we are not set up with diapers and children’s clothing even women’s clothing.” Truax says.

The homeless center has worked with the migrants to connect them to other shelters and family members around the country. Truax says “What we do is help connect these people with their support system out of town. Make transportation arrangements with the family. And we connect them by taking them either to the bus station or the airport.”

Truax says they expect to have all the families out of the opportunity center by the end of the week but would not turn anyone away who needs a place to stay.

To donate to the center you can go to homelessopportunitycenter.org