WORCESTER — Construction has been completed on a three-story, modular-built building on Winfield Street slated to house single individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
The $6 million project was funded through state and city efforts.
The 18-unit structure will provide tenants with case management to services to help them access medical care, behavioral health care including recovery supports and life-skills development.
Housing Secretary Edward M. Augustus Jr., who chaired the task force that championed the idea in 2018 when he was Worcester city manager, said Monday, Aug. 11 during the official ribbon-cutting, that the goal is be “to keep people rehoused.”
More: Homeless numbers hit all-time high in Worcester County with 20% spike over 2024
“If we want to end homelessness, what we need to do is build more homes — crazy idea,” Augustus quipped. “Build more homes and support the people in those homes with supportive services; that’s what this model is about.”
The 18 new units at 30 Winfield St. are the first toward a 100-unit goal Augustus’ administration set in 2018 for supportive housing units inside modular buildings.
The pieces were manufactured in Claremont, New Hampshire, and put together over the course of six months on a formerly open lot at 30 Winfield St.
Housing Secretary Edward M. Augustus Jr. tours one of the units at 30 Winfield St. on Aug. 11.
Ranging from 250 to 300 square feet, 17 of the studio apartments will be offered to single homeless tenants, while a one-bedroom unit will house the building manager. Three of the studio apartments are handicap accessible.
Tenancy will be chosen by a lottery system, according to Tania Diduca, chief of staff at the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, the social service agency that owns and will manage the property.
Susan Gentili, president and CEO of the organization, said the building’s construction was completed using $5 million from the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and $1 million from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.
“We’re really hoping that this project serves as an example for other developers and other people who do housing development in other communities,” said Gentili. “I think this is possible not just in Worcester but really across the state.”
Also present at the Aug. 11 event were state Sens. Robyn Kennedy and Michael O. Moore, as well as City Manager Eric D. Batista, Mayor Joseph M. Petty, City Council Vice Chairman Khrystian E. King and District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, whom Augustus credited for pushing for the project in its early stages.
In her remarks, Kennedy made reference to President Donald Trump’s recent statement calling for homeless people to be removed from streets in Washington, D.C.
“This project sends a clear message that I hope reaches Washington, D.C.,” Kennedy said. “This is how you end homelessness. This is how you care for people. This is how you invest in people — by building affordable, accessible, innovative, dignified housing for residents of all income levels to be able to live here in our community.”
Petty described the homeless population as, “the most vulnerable in the United States and who are being attacked.”
“Here in the city of Worcester we don’t do that,” Petty said. “We accept people and make sure you have a good place to live with dignity and that’s what this place does right here.”
In June, the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance reported that its annual homeless count found an all-time high of 3,110 people experiencing homelessness in Worcester County.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Modular apartment complex for formerly homeless opens in Worcester