WORCESTER—At the June 3 Public Health and Human Services Committee meeting, Worcester officials and housing advocates presented new data highlighting a worsening housing crisis in the city.
According to the latest point-in-time count, 262 individuals were reported homeless on a single night—142 seeking refuge at the Triage Center and 120 unsheltered across the city. Countywide, 221 people were counted as unsheltered, with more than half located in Worcester.
The spike in homelessness comes amid a critically low rental vacancy rate of 2.9% in Worcester County, reflecting an increasingly competitive housing market. While the median renter income in the county is $51,300, the income needed to afford the typical monthly rent of $2,205 is more than $86,000.
“There’s 120,000 rentals in Worcester County,” said Jack Moran of the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance (CMHA). “Out of those, nearly 60,000 renters are cost burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent.”
A recent report from the National Association of Realtors ranked Massachusetts and California as the least affordable housing markets in the country. In Massachusetts, only 10% of homes are accessible to households earning $75,000 annually. Even those making $150,000 can afford fewer than 30% of listings.
Eviction filings have reached historic highs. Over the past year, 2,800 cases were filed in Worcester County, with Worcester residents accounting for more than 1,200 of them. “And 96.8% of them are actually entering court without legal representation,” Moran added.
“The eviction rate has surpassed pre-pandemic levels,” said Blair Komar Bates, senior supervising attorney at Community Legal Aid’s Housing Law Unit. “Tenants may sign agreements they can’t reasonably comply with, which leads to homelessness.”
Homelessness is also lasting longer. “This year’s measurement was at 212 days, which is an all-time high,” Moran said. “Even those in shelter are finding it very difficult to exit homelessness.” Worcester’s success rate in transitioning people into permanent housing remains at 24% for the second consecutive year.
The city is currently updating its five-year homeless strategic plan, which prioritizes public health and safety, affordable housing, homelessness reduction, clean city initiatives, economic growth, high-performing government, and quality education.
Dr. Matilde Castiel, the city’s commissioner of Health and Human Services, outlined the city’s planning structure, which includes a steering committee, operations group, data committee (chaired by CMHA), housing and shelter workgroups, and a newly proposed prevention team.
Among the city’s upcoming initiatives is a Day Resource Center set to open in 2026. Developed in partnership with CMHA, the facility will include showers, bathrooms, laundry, charging stations, storage, and access to housing and employment services.
City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj advocated for better tracking of rent increases and suggested Worcester consider implementing a rental registry system. Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson proposed increasing funding for eviction prevention and legal support for at-risk tenants.
The committee voted to hold two related agenda items: one calling for a meeting with local service providers to address housing instability, and another requesting a report on legal aid and rental assistance options for residents facing eviction.
Committee members plan to revisit the topic at a future meeting, bringing in housing experts and attorneys to further assess the city’s response to the growing crisis.
The committee also voted to hold two agenda items for future discussion: one that would bring together leaders from CMHA, Catholic Charities, and other non-Emergency Assistance shelter providers to outline plans for individuals potentially losing housing under new family shelter restrictions, and another calling on representatives from the Central West Justice Center and CMHA to address the status of evictions in Worcester.
That conversation is expected to include updates on legal representation and rental assistance programs for tenants at risk of losing housing. Additional meetings with housing experts and attorneys are planned to continue the city’s review of its homelessness and eviction response.
Matt Olszewski is a freelance content and news writer based in Boston, MA. In his free time, Matt enjoys running, hiking or skiing. Matt just graduated with his MPH from Tufts University. He can be reached at mattoskier@gmail.com
