WORCESTER ― The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council opened a set of 15 modular housing units for chronically homeless individuals Thursday.
Located at 6 Wyman St., the units are part of the city’s initiative to create more permanent supportive housing. Forty-three such units have now been created, out of the 103-unit goal set by the city’s housing first task force.
“This here is a compilation of many efforts that happened years ago and they all started with the housing first task force to develop permanent supportive housing,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista. “And SMOC took the challenge to make that happen.”
Candidates for housing are drawn from a pool of those currently in shelters or living outside and working with outreach programs, who are then referred to a team from the Greater Worcester Housing Connection, said Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council chief of staff Tania Diduca.
“They’re doing the background work to make sure we’re thinking about who are the right personalities and how do we make sure it’s a good fit for everybody,” said Diduca. Currently nine people have been identified to move in over the coming weeks, she said.