Central Mass. Housing Alliance to acquire Worcester properties, open homelessness resource center
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Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance and the City of Worcester will open their Day Resource Center at 134 Gold St. in Worcester.
Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, a Worcester-based nonprofit addressing homelessness through initiatives aimed at promoting long-term housing stability, has teamed up with the City of Worcester to open a Day Resource Center for the community’s unhoused population.
The center, slated to open in 2026, will be owned and operated by CMHA as the nonprofit’s bid to acquire the 20,000-square-foot building at 134 Gold St. has been accepted, according to a Tuesday press release from the City.
The property transaction has not been finalized with the Worcester District Registry of Deeds as of Wednesday.
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The Day Resource Center will provide individuals experiencing homelessness with connection to outreach workers providing services including those pertaining to housing and employment as well as access to bathrooms, showers, charging stations, laundry, and storage lockers.
“This is a big step forward for the city, as outlined in our municipal Strategic Plan, and will help us connect individuals experiencing homelessness with the services they need to secure housing and employment. This is another example of community partnerships working together to uplift the city,” Worcester City Manager Eric Batista said in the release.
The City released its five-year strategic plan in September outlining 49 objectives within six priority goals including those addressing public health and safety, economic growth, and quality education. The municipality’s effort to establish its Day Resource Center was outlined in objective five under its affordable neighborhoods and reduced homelessness priority goal.
The number of Worcester adults without children experiencing homelessness that were enrolled in City of Worcester programming increased 46% from mid-2021 to the start of 2022, growing from between 315-278 individuals to more than 550, according to the the Worcester Now | Next plan implemented by the Worcester Planning Board in March. The average length of time experiencing homelessness increased by 77% between 2016 and 2020 from 140 days to 248 days.
Along with CMHA’s upcoming acquisition of the 134 Gold St. property, the nonprofit will acquire the parking lot located at 5 Sargent St. The purchase and renovations to the sites will be partially financed through interest generated from American Rescue Plan Act funds in conjunction with the $4 million the City has conditionally committed to the project.
“The Day Resource Center will enhance the current service system and assist folks in accessing housing more quickly. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the City and our community partners to provide services like this that help those who are unhoused find safe, permanent housing,” CMHA CEO Leah Bradley said in the release.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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