New Housing at Oriol Drive Gaining Momentum

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December 22, 2022

As we close the book on 2022, I would like to reflect on a year filled with highlights.

We have made progress on creating 90 permanent, supportive units of affordable housing for Worcester’s most vulnerable residents at 50 Oriol Drive, currently an underutilized hotel. We are aiming to begin leasing units in 2024.

Our Financial Literacy and Debt Counseling initiative and Landlord Liaison Program have helped over 165 individuals and families gain control over their finances and close the housing gap.

WCHR also received a $350,000 MassHousing grant to turn the long abandoned 12 Congress Street property into two homeownership opportunities.

Thank you to all of our funders and partners for helping us to make an impact throughout Worcester County and the Commonwealth. Here’s to a successful 2023!

Sincerely,

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Jennifer Schanck-Bolwell

Executive Director

New Housing at Oriol Drive Gaining Momentum

Worcester saw a 43% increase in homelessness this year, underscoring the severity of the housing crisis we see across Massachusetts and the nation.

To meet this challenge, WCHR is proud to be moving ahead on redeveloping an underutilized hotel at 50 Oriol Drive into 90 units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. By partnering with Eliot Community Human Services, WCHR will provide residents with critical services needed to achieve housing stability.

We anticipate securing the project’s financing by summer of 2023 and beginning construction shortly after. Our target is to begin leasing units in early 2024.

Being a good neighbor has always been our top priority -- it is part of our core mission. We took all the community's questions and posted our answers online here.

We look forward to sharing more updates as we make progress on this important effort in the new year.

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Worcester Hotel May Be Converted into Homeless Housing

Give to WCHR, Increase Our Impact

We accomplished many important things this year - now we need your help to widen our impact.

You may have received our 2022 annual appeal earlier this week – if you have already donated, thank you! If not, please consider making a gift; your generosity will ensure that WCHR continues to be a strong community partner in the years to come. You can easily give through this link. If you would like to double your gift, see information here on the Community Investment Tax Credit, which allows you to do so easily.

Employee Spotlight: Jini Henderson

Jini Henderson has been WCHR’s property manager for the past 16 years, caring deeply for the communities and people that we serve.

Jini works closely with the maintenance teams at each building to ensure that repair work is on schedule, attends neighborhood community meetings to stay informed about the latest happenings and manages resident managers – tenants who assist WCHR in coordinating each of their buildings.

“My favorite part of my work is helping people to establish and maintain independent housing,” said Henderson. “We do so many different things, I’m enjoying seeing the growth of the company so we can serve more clients and continue collaborating on important initiatives.”

Thank you Jini, for your dedication to WCHR and work that provides to families in need.

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