Restore, Motivate, Validate
Insight into Worcester's new temporary emergency shelter
I am so pleased that we are on the eve of opening Worcester’s emergency winter shelter at the former Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) Service Center this week. Deriving its name from that same acronym, the Restore, Motivate, Validate shelter will provide 60 unhoused Worcester residents with a welcoming place to sleep, keep warm, and access services—such as mental health support and recovery coaches—that they otherwise might not have.
Do we still have a lot of work to do to address homelessness and housing insecurity issues? Of course. Permanent supportive housing is still our goal. But I also think it’s important to take a moment to reflect on the work that went into establishing this shelter and spotlighting the herculean effort it took to get to this stage. It is an example of how local government can partner with community agencies and the Commonwealth’s administration to deliver solutions and act on the mantra that people are not the enemy; the issues are the enemy.
One of my intentions with “The Buzz” is to offer additional insight and transparency into how operations unfold. So, I want to take you back to the spring. Following the closure of the Seeds of Hope Shelter at Blessed Sacrament, a working group was established to get the best and most knowledgeable people and organizations in the room to talk openly and honestly about the city’s chronically unhoused and what could be done. In partnership with the Mayor and City Council, my administration convened a biweekly Supportive Housing & Services group that also included the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance (CMHA), Eliot Community Human Services, South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), Spectrum Health Systems, and Open Sky Community Services.
In addition to longer-term ideas, a strategy for a winter shelter became an immediate priority, and we began to consider the three major factors to make it possible: 1) management, 2) location, and 3) funding.
Fortunately, SMOC quickly stepped up and graciously agreed to be the future shelter’s primary operator and service provider, for which I can’t thank Chief Executive Officer Susan Gentili and Chief of Staff Tania Diduca enough. With management pinned down early, we began exploring potential locations.
Under Massachusetts regulations, only a church or house of worship is eligible to be used as a temporary overnight shelter (780 CMR 3111.2).1 HHS Commissioner Dr. Matilde Castiel worked tirelessly over the summer reaching out to places of worship across the city. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in finding a host for a variety of reasons; we heard concerns ranging from inability to comply with building code and the Americans with Disabilities Act to apprehension within residential neighborhoods. It was not for lack of effort, but we were back to square one.
Pivoting to other options, we began exploring the city’s inventory of vacant property that could be repurposed as a temporary shelter, which drew the involvement of the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED). Over the course of several weeks, we started down a couple different avenues that did not come to fruition and eventually turned our attention to the RMV building, which brought with it a different set of challenges.
Although the building was empty and unused, it is still owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), meaning that it had to be inspected and approved for new usage by the state—not to mention that it is not a house of worship and needed a waiver to serve as a shelter. My office and the EOED immediately began discussions with Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll’s Office and the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) with the hope of being able to open by Nov. 1.
Our first site visit took place on Oct. 12, where the Worcester Fire Department (WFD), Division of Inspectional Services (DIS), HHS, EOED, and my office toured the space with MassDOT. It was deemed suitable for use as a shelter, and WFD and DIS made recommendations on what maintenance and improvements would be needed for it to meet code. We compiled a proposal to present to the Lt. Governor’s Office, and based on that proposal, the state waived 780 CMR 3111.2, clearing one major hurdle to make the shelter a reality.
As with most projects of this magnitude, unexpected challenges and issues to resolve rose along the way, but we were in great hands with Director of Housing Development and Healthy Homes Jim Brooks as de facto project manager.
Over the next month, the Law Department assisted in ironing out details with several state entities in addition to MassDOT and the Lt. Governor’s Office, including the Governor’s Legal Counsel and Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance. From there we were put in touch with the state building inspector (SBI) and the Division of Occupational Licensure, leading to a second site visit on Nov. 17. The SBI outlined the outstanding steps we needed to take to get the shelter approved by the state, including mapping out a formal floorplan, hanging new doors, removing old service counters, activating pipes, and installing fire systems. We still had more work to do, but we were successful in procuring a licensing agreement from MassDOT in partnership with SMOC.
Finally, just days before Thanksgiving, we put pen to paper, and Dr. Castiel officially signed off on a final use agreement between the municipality and MassDOT, and then it was all hands-on deck. We hired contractors for construction, HVAC, and electrical; secured showers and trash removal; and set up meal service, staffing, security detail, and medical services thanks to SMOC. It was a whirlwind over two weeks, but through incredibly hard work and collaboration, we converted the RMV into a comfortable, up-to-code shelter.
With the dust settled, the total cost of the shelter is estimated to be just over $1 million. Similar to the location process, the means of funding evolved over the months, but we have settled on covering it through a combination of ARPA funds previously dedicated for emergency use by HHS and state supplementation.
As you can see, setting up the RMV shelter was no easy task, and the municipal administration couldn’t do it alone. It took a village of people—many of whom are already at max capacity. But they were willing to prioritize the shelter because together we are committed to addressing homelessness and treating our unhoused population with the dignity they deserve. It was a collective effort to answer the call to find a short-term solution while we concurrently implement longer-term strategies. And it goes to show that even what some may consider a small step that’s part of the bigger picture takes substantial time, resources, and money.
I have too many people to thank for their efforts in getting the shelter up and running, but I will try to do so here:
My entire administration, cabinet, and their staffs, in particular Dr. Castiel and HHS; the EOED led by Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn and Jim Brooks; Commissioner Chris Spencer, Building Commissioner David Horne, Director of Housing & Health Lee Hall, and DIS; Chief Martin Dyer, Captain Thomas Bull, and WFD; Michael Traynor and Law Department; the Quality of Life team for getting people from encampments and to the shelter; and my office, especially Community & Intergovernmental Affairs Manager David Quiroa for helping to steward the overall process and liaising with state agencies throughout
Susan, Tania, and all of SMOC for operating and staffing the shelter
Contractors Antonelli Construction and DelSignore Electrical
John Haffty and Casella for in-kind donations
MassDOT, the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety and Inspections, the Lt. Governor’s Office, EOHLC, and the coalition of state agencies that assisted us
CMHA, Eliot Community Human Services, and Open Sky Community Services
780 Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR): State Board of Building Regulations and Standards
3111.2 Temporary Overnight Shelter Defined. For purposes of this section 3111, a temporary overnight shelter shall be defined as any facility designed and used primarily as a church or house of worship for religious services or instruction which is owned or operated by a religious organization and qualified for exemption under 26 U.S.C. section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The primary use of the facility is for religious services or instruction but may, on occasion, provide a sanctuary from the cold weather to a limited number of individuals for a limited period of time as provided for.
“One of my intentions with “The Buzz” is to offer additional insight and transparency into how operations unfold.” You have not been transparent with the Oriol Drive/ Quality Inn project that you have been working on since pre-covid. You lied to the residents of this community. The truth is out now thanks ti Castiel’s slip at the city council meeting. You offer no transparency, you live in a delusional world.
Rewrite!
"Write tight and be read."
You're paid $275,000 per annum: hire a real writer and an actor to recite it.
Reading this is as challenging as hearing you speak -- but without the mumbles!