Worcester Homeless: Out of Shelters, Into Housing
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The opening of the $3.2 million "Greater Worcester Housing Connection Triage and Assessment Center" is being hailed as a game-changer in addressing homelessnes in the city.
The opening of the center at 25 Queen Street, which will provide short-term emergency housing for 25 individuals and 15 units of supported housing for those who are preparing to move to more independent living, brought out a wide range of supporters who had been advocating the move for some time from a shelter to supported housing approach.
On hand for the opening of the $3.2 million facility were MA Department of Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein, Worcester City Manager Michael V. O’Brien, Worcester City Councilors Joseph O’Brien and Sarai Rivera, The Life Initiative President Susan Schlesinger, Country Bank for Savings President and CEO Paul Scully, and former 701 Main Street Shelter Advisory Board member Brian Chandley.
Also on hand was South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) Executive Director James Cuddy, who spoke with GoLocalWorcester on Tuesday about the profound impact the new model will have.
"A Different Paradigm for Housing Services"
"For the longest time, the shelter system, both locally and nationally, had been largely "custodial," meaning it oversaw just basic needs," said Cuddy. "This opening today of the triage center is a result of a "housing first" movement that has been underway for the past decade to help people be more sufficient, and get back on their feet. What it is, really, is a different paradigm for housing services."
Cuddy noted that when he came to the People in Peril Shelter at 701 Main Street back in 2004, they saw on average "150-175 people" every night.
"We started creating a housing network throughout the county to address the "housing first" ideal, and grew to provide access to nearly 500 units in the area," said Cuddy, noting that prior to shutting its doors, the 701 Main Street shelter was serving under 50 people a night.
"701 was an old shelter, an old building, and had served its purpose," said Cuddy. "Thanks to the support of city and state officials, as well as the community, we were able to identify a location for a new facility, and more importantly the funding."
Cuddy noted that the triage center would be serving primarily the needs of individuals. "We're working on addressing the needs of both the episodically and chronically homeless, and how to help them."
"It's harder work than the basic shelter model," said Cuddy. "It's the work we're supposed to be doing though."
According to the release sent out in conjunction with the event, "community members were actively involved in the design of the new facility through a series of six neighborhood meetings lead by SMOC and city officials from early December 2011 until late April 2012. Based on feedback provided at these meetings, SMOC presented a community-backed plan that was approved by the Planning Board on May 2, 2012. Building permits for the facility were issued on June 4, 2012."
The total cost for the project, including acquisition, is $3.2million; DHCD provided $1.6 million in project financing, with private funding from Country Bank for Savings in Worcester.
Housing -- Not Homelessness
Robyn Frost with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless spoke with GoLocal Worcester on Tuesday -- and said that "homeless" was not the correct terminology when dealing with the issue.
"I disagree with the word "homeless", or "homeless population", or "homeless community," said Frost, who has been a community activist for over 30 years on the issue of affordable housing. "The correct term, really, is "people without housing." Because that's what it's really all about. It's men, women, and children, who don't have housing. They're people -- not a label."
"We need to be able to empower people with long-term living options, and affordable housing just isn't on the table, especially in this economic climate," said Frost. "I applaud the efforts in Worcester as a start, however there are many more people out there than that center can reach I'm sure."
Frost echoed Cuddy's assessment of the movement away from the shelter model. "We need to be creative here. Single room occupancy is part of the conversation for sure. Realistically, we can't give everyone Section 8 housing."
"Representative [Jim] O'Day, Senator [Harriet] Chandler...Worcester has great champions in the community to address affordable housing" said Frost. "They've done yeoman's work along with others in the city. The center sounds like a great step forward, but what can all the case managers in the world do if there's not enough affordable housing available?"
"We're seeing a growing division of the "haves" and "have-nots", said Frost. "And it's unhealthy for society as a whole to have sizable population without housing. It's a complex -- and particularly sad issue."
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