Worcester Homeless Population Jumped 43% In One Year

WORCESTER, MA — The number of homeless people living in Worcester rose to nearly 500 in April, an increase of about 43 percent in one year and the highest figure in recent memory, according to city human services workers.

Of the 496 total homeless residents counted in Worcester in April, about 120 were sleeping outdoors, Worcester Homeless Outreach Strategist Eniya Lufumpa told city councilors on Tuesday evening. There were 347 homeless residents counted in Worcester in April 2021, she said.

The Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance conducts a point-in-time homeless count every year. The 2022 count found 551 homeless people total in Worcester County — that means about 90 percent of homeless people live in the city.

According to Lufumpa, the rise in the local homeless population is due to multiple factors: police from surrounding towns dropping off people here; people being discharged from hospitals — including rehabilitation facilities — with no plan for housing; and people coming to Worcester in search of services.

At the same time, there isn't enough housing available in Worcester for people trying to leave homelessness. Worcester Commissioner of Health and Human Services Dr. Matilde Castiel told city councilors that shelter and treatment services won't reduce homelessness without affordable housing available for them to move into.

"Housing is hopefully the goal we want to get to," Castiel said.

There are several low-income housing projects underway in Worcester — including a tiny home village along Stafford Street — but none will come online until a year from now at the earliest, officials said.

A Worcester Housing Authority project with 24 units along Lewis should get its financing approved in July, CEO Alex Corrales told councilors on Tuesday. The WHA will be able to start construction shortly after that. Another South Middlesex Opportunity Council project hopes to get its financing in the fall.

Dr. Erik Garcia, a UMass Memorial physician who does extensive medical outreach in the local homeless community, told councilors that Worcester is missing a key step for the homeless.

About a decade ago, the South Middlesex Opportunity Council closed the rundown People in Peril (PIP) Shelter at 701 Main St. as Worcester moved toward a model of getting the homeless into permanent housing. The large PIP shelter was replaced by a 23-bed facility along Queen Street, which specializes in getting people into housing. Garcia said the number of people living outdoors in the wintertime has grown from about 30 a decade ago to 100 today.

Worcester may have to revisit the idea of a larger shelter to get people indoors during hazardous weather, Garcia said.

"One of the things that's obvious is unless we have the appropriate [housing] stock, the concept of a rapid rehousing center is no longer working for this city," Garcia said.

The latest figures on Worcester's homeless population came during a meeting of the city council public health and human services committee during a discussion about the unsheltered population living near Lincoln Plaza.

Evis Terpollari, Worcester's homeless projects manager, told councilors outreach efforts had actually helped reduce the Lincoln Plaza population since the fall. There were about 16 people sleeping outside in October, but now there were about three, Terpollari said.