BOSTON — The City of Boston is partnering with a nonprofit to hand out $250 to $500 to LGBTQ+ migrants for yoga, meditation, massages, hair salon visits, acupuncture, and gym memberships.
The program, called "Belonging Matters," is a collaboration between OUTnewcomers and the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement — a city agency under Mayor Michelle Wu. Priority goes to "low-income, isolated queer and trans migrants, asylum seekers and refugees."
This as the city faces a combined budget deficit north of $100 million and is preparing to lay off hundreds of Boston Public Schools teachers and classroom aides.
The OUTnewcomers flyer advertising $250–$500 wellness vouchers for LGBTQ+ migrants in Boston. The post has since been deleted from Instagram.
Who is OUTnewcomers?
The organization describes itself as “a Boston-based, community-led organization supporting LGBTQ+ migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees” that provides “direct cash assistance, legal access support, mental wellness programming, and community-building initiatives.” Its website lists no board of directors and no staff page, though the organization appears to be run by Sal Khan, a self-described “exiled lefty queer activist” from Pakistan who also performs drag under the name Miss Chilly Masala. Khan’s Instagram bio describes them as an “angry brown queer” advocating for LGBT migrant rights. There are no tax filings on record with ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer, suggesting the organization is either very new or has not yet filed as a 501(c)(3).
Despite this, the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement is listed as an official partner on the program. In March, MOIA announced it had awarded $1.3 million in grants and external funds to local organizations through its “Weaving Well-being” program — funding “community-led mental health and well-being programming” and “non-clinical practices.” OUTnewcomers’ “Belonging Matters” wellness allowances appear to fall squarely within that grant pipeline.
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Yoga is among the wellness services covered by the program, along with massages, acupuncture, hair salons, and gym memberships. (Wikimedia Commons)
What the money covers
According to the nonprofit’s Instagram post, the wellness allowances can be used for:
— Yoga and meditation
— “Creative healing”
— Peer support
— Hair salon and acupuncture appointments
— Massages
— Gym memberships
All funds must be used within the City of Boston.
“Many LGBTQ+ migrants carry trauma, isolation, and survival on their shoulders often without access to care,” OUTnewcomers wrote. The program is their “way of saying: you deserve rest, healing, and community.”
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A migrant caravan heading toward the U.S. southern border in 2023. No public data exists on how many LGBTQ+ migrants arrived in Boston or how many are eligible for the city’s new wellness program.
The city’s involvement
This isn’t a private charity doing its own thing. The program is run in direct partnership with @bosimmigrants — the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, a city agency that operates under Wu’s administration.
The City of Boston’s official @bosimmigrants Instagram account — the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement — sharing the OUTnewcomers wellness program on its story.
The same administration that just proposed a $4.9 billion budget while facing a $48.4 million city deficit and a $53 million Boston Public Schools shortfall. The same administration that froze spending on food, travel, and office supplies. The same one that’s about to cut hundreds of teaching positions.
The program is currently accepting applications.
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