Worcester opening emergency homeless shelter in former RMV building
WORCESTER — The city will use the former Registry of Motor Vehicles service center at 611 Main St. as an emergency winter shelter for single homeless adults, City Manager Eric D. Batista announced Thursday.
The 60-bed shelter is expected to open the week of Dec. 11 and will be staffed by the South Middlesex Opportunity Council. It will be staffed and in operation 24/7 through the end of April.
The RMV service center moved to the former Big Y supermarket at 50 Southwest Cutoff (Route 20) last year. The Main Street building has not been in use since the move.
The shelter will provide showers, meals, support services and a security detail, according to a city news release.
The city's Homeless Outreach Team and Quality of Life Team are reaching out to homeless residents to let them know about the emergency shelter, and will prioritize those with the greatest needs, according to the city.
“The opening of this emergency winter shelter is the culmination of our community, along with the state, coming together to figure out a solution to make sure no one is left outside in the cold during the winter months,” Batista said in a statement. “I can’t thank the state and our community partners enough for their hard work and perseverance to secure a location that is centrally located, close to services, and accommodating of needs.”
City councilors and homeless advocates have been worried about the lack of a winter shelter in the months leading up to winter, while Batista has said the city was working to secure one.
Homeless service providers estimate that the city has a shortage of over 200 beds with the number of homeless people in the city rising.
The Worcester Housing Authority Chief also has waitlists with thousands of people.
According to city property records, the building at 611 Main St. is owned by the state.
Last winter, Blessed Sacrament Church's Phelan Center on Pleasant Street hosted an emergency winter shelter after the city searched for a replacement for Hotel Grace, which lost its home when Ascension Church on Vernon Street was sold this past spring.
Open Sky Community Services operated the Blessed Sacrament shelter.
While staffers said they were able to find housing for 30 homeless people at the shelter, it was the source of controversy on the West Side with questions arising about safety and its impact on nearby businesses. The Blessed Sacrament shelter was a "wet shelter," where residents were not required to be sober for entry.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Worcester opening emergency homeless shelter in former RMV building
