WORCESTER—As winter cold settles over Worcester, the city is preparing to open a temporary overflow shelter at 50 Oriol Drive, aiming to relieve pressure on existing shelters and get more people indoors during the most dangerous months.
Officials announced on Thursday that the site opens Monday, Dec. 15, and remains in operation through April. The shelter is managed by South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) and operates as a low-barrier facility. It will offer 36 beds, set up in 18 hotel rooms with two people per room.
The city’s announcement states that SMOC provides a range of supports on site, including intensive case management, referrals to treatment programs, connections to permanent supportive housing, help with medical and behavioral health stabilization, assistance obtaining IDs and benefits, and workforce development and job-search support.
The site at 50 Oriol Drive was once the Quality Inn & Suites, which closed in 2023. A long-term redevelopment effort is already planned for the property, led by Worcester Community Housing Resources, which hopes to turn it into permanent supportive housing. That project has been slower to launch than initially expected, prompting the nonprofit to break the work into two stages, reports the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.
Under the revised approach, the first phase would create about 40 units of supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness. A second phase would follow with roughly 50 additional units geared toward residents 55 and older who are at risk of losing stable housing.
The shelter is going to be open around the clock with a security guard on duty at all times, according to the release. All intakes are handled through SMOC’s location at 25 Queen St.
The temporary site arrives as demand for emergency shelter traditionally spikes in Worcester during sustained cold weather—an issue that has become increasingly visible across community forums and social media as temperatures have been plunging.
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