It’s been a while since I’ve written about tiny houses (you can search on the term to see what I posted before), and I was curious to see what was going on in the movement. To my surprise, I learned that a tiny-house community is being planned to combat homelessness in Worcester.
Tori Bedford writes at GBH News, “Plans for a community of tiny homes for people experiencing chronic homelessness in Worcester have been announced, with a small village slated to open in 2023.
“The village, to be located at 264 Stafford St., will have 21 tiny homes that contain a bedroom, bathroom and combination kitchen and living room, contained within about 480 square feet. As of 2019, 84 people in Worcester were chronically homeless, according to data reported to Central Mass Housing.
” ‘It’s expanding the options for people,’ said Amy Arrell, a service director at Open Sky Community Services, ‘because different things work for different people, depending on their trauma history, their need for privacy, their different experiences when they’ve been out on the streets.’
“Arrell says Worcester’s homelessness crisis has heightened during the coronavirus pandemic: at the height of the crisis in April of last year, nearly half of the population at a Worcester adult emergency homeless shelter tested positive for COVID-19.
“Open Sky is working in partnership with the Worcester East Side Community Development Corporation and a group of local real estate developers, organizations and agencies to offer permanent housing for people who have struggled with chronic homelessness, mental health challenges and substance use.
“Applicants for residency will be processed through a coordinated entry process, led by the city, Open Sky and the Department of Mental Health, to select candidates who don’t thrive in a group setting or temporary housing. …
“The village will include on-site housing specialists to help transition tenants into the neighborhood, as well as individualized and group mental health and substance use treatment. Staff will live in a central building that also serves as a community center, offering monthly social activities like barbecues and picnics. Residents will additionally have access to both individual and community gardens.
“Subsidies will be available to cover the cost of rent based on a percentage of income, and resources for job placement will be made available to residents on-site. …
“ ‘In permanent supportive housing programs, people usually don’t live there forever, they live there for as long as they need to. But there is a sense of security as you’re recovering to know that if you do need that, it’s a permanent option for you.’ …
“Some funding has already been secured through UMass Memorial Health’s anchor mission program, which has connected Worcester East Side CDC and Civico, a real estate development firm that has designed the model based on similar projects across the Pacific Northwest.
“ ‘We abide by some of the principles referred to as “trauma-informed design,” ‘ Taylor Bearden, a partner at Civico, said. ‘The idea is that you’re actually designing for the population and the experiences that these people who may have suffered from chronic homelessness have had in their life. You’re not creating dark corners. You’re making sure that, from the bedroom, you have a clear line of sight to the front door. Certain things that may be triggers for trauma are sort of addressed in the architecture of the spaces themselves.’
“Bearden says safety and community are huge factors in designing a space that can serve as both a recovery center and a liveable space for people who have experienced trauma.
“ ‘The goal is to create a really permanent community where the people who live there develop relationships.’ “
More at GBH radio, here. At the Christian Science Monitor, here, you can see what some other cities are doing to address homelessness.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Wow. This sounds promising. I especially. like the idea that “staff will live in a central building that also serves as a community center, offering monthly social activities like barbecues and picnics. Residents will additionally have access to both individual and community gardens…”
I hope it has strong support in Worcester. Before you can address people’s problems, you have to get them housed.
Yes, housing first! Other problems cannot be addressed unless a person has somewhere to live. I really like those tiny houses, and the article indicated there would also be support and community available, which are also very important.
Housing doesn’t solve everything, but it’s the best place to start.
I love this concept, I hope it works and spreads to other communities, we have a huge homeless problem in San Diego.
It depends a lot on neighbors. Neighbors must understand they have a role in ending social problems.
You just have to be careful not to create tiny house ghetto’s. Those people carry a lot of issues and they always cast a shadow on their surroundings. Not to mention that it will already be difficult to keep a group of 20 of them manageable. Many of them are extremely averse to any kind of interference with their personal lifestyle (even when it’s done with the best intentions).
Pretty sure the people who work directly with these folks are less Pollyanna about the road ahead than I am.
I am so happy to hear that communities are utilizing tiny homes to help those in need. It sounds like those in charge are trying to make sincere efforts with trauma counselors as well as counselors for drug rehabilitation counseling. Also, the monthly get-togethers sound really nice and will hopefully build a sense of community within the tiny homes’ neighborhood. I hope that this tiny home neighborhood is a huge success and will help many of the people that are in need of a stable, kind and thoughtful community. 🌷
For some folks, if not for everyone, housing is all that is needed to start getting back on their feet.
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