Worcester Council Opposes Transitional Assistance Dept. Move

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester City Council may "vehemently" oppose a plan for the state Department of Transitional Assistance office to move from its downtown Sudbury Street space to the vacant Big Y along Southwest Cutoff.

Worcester Councilor Gary Rosen has submitted a resolution to be considered on Tuesday opposing the move. The move was first reported in November by Worcester News Tonight, and at the time Councilor Kathleen Toomey said she was concerned about how clients would get to the office since WRTA didn't have a route nearby.

WRTA recently added a new bus line — Route 12 — that connects Union Station to the Southwest Commons plaza, which is where the new Transitional Assistance office will be located at the old Big Y. The route began weekday-only service on Jan. 27.

"That the Worcester City Council goes on record as vehemently opposed to the proposed
move of the Massachusetts Department of Transitional Assistance office from its present
downtown Worcester location of 13 Sudbury St. to the former Big Y Market location in
the Southwest Commons, 50 SW Cutoff, Worcester" — Gary Rosen's resolution

The transitional assistance office provides a range of services, from SNAP food assistance to job training and direct cash assistance. Thousands of Worcester residents are clients at the Sudbury Street location, according to state data.

The state decided to move out of the Sudbury Street location due to the end of a lease, Worcester News Tonight reported in November. The Big Y was already under renovation for the move at that time.

The Big Y closed in 2011, and the space has been empty ever since.