Dear Friends,
As you can imagine, 2025 brought unprecedented challenges for Worcester County’s low-income residents, not least of which is their ability to afford and maintain safe, quality housing for their families.
As a means to address these challenges, Worcester Community Housing Resources has launched new and expanded existing programs and services. Your investment is a crucial part of this work and of making sure that all Worcester County residents have a place to call home in a safe and vibrant neighborhood. A gift of any amount will make a big difference in a neighbor’s life. Please click here to make a donation today.
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And for those of you who can invest $1,000 or more, your impact will be doubled through the state’s Community Investment Tax Credit, a win-win program that gives you back 50% of your donation as a tax credit. Please click here for more information.
Thank you for lending your support to this important work. We’re honored to have the backing of so many helpful and generous neighbors, and we wish you all the best for the holiday season.
Best regards,
N. Paul TonThat
Executive Director
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Oriol Drive Property Becomes Winter Shelter
The City of Worcester and WCHR are pleased to announce that this winter WCHR’s 50 Oriol Drive property will be used as an overflow shelter — starting today and continuing through April, with 18 rooms and a total of 36 beds.
We are delighted to put this former hotel to immediate use again as supportive housing, offering warm, safe shelter during the cold winter months. The facility will be open 24 hours a day, managed by South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC), with a security guard on site at all times. SMOC will also provide intensive case management and support services.
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WCHR to Manage $2 Million Grant for Revolving Loans to Receivers
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announced in late November that WCHR has been awarded the role of Fund Administrator for $2 million in loans to receivers across the state. As part of the new Receivership Expense Assistance for Creating Housing (REACH) Fund, WCHR will oversee the coordination of these revolving loan funds, increasing the capacity of those receivers to finance the rehabilitation of distressed and abandoned properties.
Revitalizing homes is one of the most significant ways we can increase the supply of affordable housing in our county and state. We are honored to continue and expand our partnership with Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in our role as Fund Administrator, helping put neglected homes back into use. For more information, click here to read the Attorney General's press release.
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A Community-Sourced Holiday for WCHR Residents
Perhaps you saw the ads that Aldi ran this year, saying "Host Thanksgiving for 10 for just $40." That offer immediately caught the eye of WCHR Director of Property Management Carmen Rivera, who began strategizing. What would it take to provide Thanksgiving meals for WCHR tenants?
With an estimated 49 meal kits needed, Carmen needed to raise $1,960. She made a list of potential donors and sent each a formal request. Five weeks later, she had 10 generous individuals and companies providing the funds as well as a plan for delivering the meal kits (which included turkeys, vegetables, stuffing, and pie) to SRO sites and Aldi's gift cards to families.
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"Thanks to Carmen's resourcefulness and our supporters' generosity, WCHR was able to significantly brighten the holidays for residents on tight budgets," said Executive Director N. Paul TonThat. "It's this level of commitment that makes our team, and our donors, so special."
Carmen also set up a Toys for Tots donation box and would like to express her gratitude to all of those who have helped share the spirit of giving. Your generosity has brought joy to the holidays for children in our community.
| | The Heywood Wakefield Commons Story | | |
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In the mid-1800s, downtown Gardner was the site of one of the world’s largest furniture manufacturing mills, earning the city the nickname “Furniture Capital of New England.”
Founded by the Heywood family, the company later merged with the Wakefield Rattan Company and operated for more than 150 years before closing in 1978.
The late U.S. Congressman John Olver had a vision for how this former mill in the heart of town could be repurposed for the benefit of his constituents. A strong advocate for affordable assisted living, Olver started the lengthy process in 2001 that ultimately led to the opening of Heywood Wakefield Commons (HWC) 10 years later.
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WCHR Property Development Director Andy Howarth was there every step of the way, helping lead the funding and redevelopment of the complex, and he could not be prouder of the results. “It’s beautiful,” he says. “There are 78 private apartments, all with exposed beams to preserve the building’s historical character. My wife and I have already picked out our apartment.”
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HWC Executive Director Tom McMullen and Assistant Director Kristy Livingston have worked with Andy and run the facility since just before it opened in 2011. “As one of the last remaining factories in a city celebrated for its factories, Heywood Wakefield Commons is preserving Gardner’s heritage,” says Tom. “Most important, as the only assisted living facility in Gardner, Heywood Wakefield allows elderly locals to stay near family and friends in an affordable community.”
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“We have daily exercise, social, and entertainment activities as well as weekly outings and special events,” says Kristy. “Residents also run their own activities as volunteer leaders, like the popular ‘Word Break’ game this week where residents made more than 100 words out of the word entomologist. Our staff nursing assistants and home health aides are available for one-to-one help around the clock. They also help serve the excellent food prepared by Executive Chef John Germano, who has been here as long as Tom and I have.”
“Mostly we want to recognize Andy,” Tom says. “This was his baby from the beginning, and it was his enthusiasm that made me to want to be a part of Heywood Wakefield Commons and continue to be a part of it for the foreseeable future.”
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