Worcester’s homeless find kindness, respite from cold
By
Craig S. Semon
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Telegram & Gazette Staff
Posted Jan 6, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Updated Jan 6, 2018 at 11:26 PM
WORCESTER – Michelle Lewis was bundled up and huddled in the stairway
leading to the basement of St. John’s Church on Temple Street. She was
close to front of the line, waiting for the ready-made shelter to open
for the overnight rush.
“I was actually in an apartment with no heat for three days before I came here,” Ms. Lewis said. “My cat’s water was frozen.”
With her curly red locks popping out of the bottom of her knitted hat, Ms. Lewis, 49, describes herself as being “chronically homeless” for three years. Becoming disabled made her lose her home 17 years ago, she said, and she has been crashing at other people’s places and in shelters ever since.
“This is the face of today’s homeless,” Ms. Lewis said. “I have an income. I’m trying. If you’re on disability, it’s hard. I just got Section 8 (federal program aiding low-income people for housing).
Thank God. And I’m looking for a home.”
So amid the record cold that has gripped Central Massachusetts, bursting water pipes, taxing heating systems and causing headaches for thousands of homeowners, people without homes are dealing with different worries - how to escape the cold and stay safe.
These are the people who seek warmth holding a book in a
library and may be pretending to read it, or the middle-aged woman
sitting at a coffee shop counter with her hands wrapped around a
steaming cup of coffee, nursing it until her hands have absorbed the
heat. People who make city streets their home need safe shelters in the
extreme weather. But there are few options and, even still, limited
space, in a basement in the oldest Roman Catholic Church in the diocese
and a shelter on Queen Street.
The need is much larger than the resources available. According to the city of Worcester in January 2017, there were 1,111 homeless people, including adults, children and youth. They were living in shelters, transitional housing or in places not meant for human habitation. Of this number, 640 were living in shelters, 96 were unsheltered living outside and 375 were in transitional housing. The annual homeless count is planned for the end of the month.
Ms. Lewis said the weather has been brutal and the cold-weather shelter in the church is a blessing to so many of the city’s homeless.
“They say prayers. And they’re so comforting. It’s amazing,” Ms. Lewis said of the shelter. “I just found out about this (Tuesday). I was walking around and somebody told me it was good. I’m so grateful.”
The cold-weather shelter, called Hotel Grace, opens its doors to the homeless when temperatures drop below freezing. The homeless are greeted by pastor Richard “Richie” Gonzalez of Net of Compassion.
“Normally, we open the doors at seven o’clock,” Mr. Gonzales said. “As soon as we set up, I open the doors because I don’t want to keep them freezing out there. In the evening, the temperatures start dropping more. So, six o’clock, 6:15 we have 50 people here, which is our capacity.”
While many homeless people wrestle
with problems such as addiction and mental illness that then lead to
homelessness, Rev. Madden and Mr. Gonzales agree that there are a lot of
“regular” people who find themselves without a home in the severe
weather.
Another
person seeking a safe place from the biting cold last week was Josh
Megarry, 32, who left his home in Westboro nine years ago to an
addiction to opiates, which he called “The Devil,” but said he is doing
his best, trying to stay clean and trying to find housing in Worcester.
“If you’re in Worcester, there’s no reason why you should go hungry.
Worcester is excellent as far as food resources go,” Mr. Megarry said.
“When it comes to the homeless people, the process (to get into a
shelter) is so hard that it makes it difficult for people to do it. I’ve
been trying to get into a shelter for two years.”
Mr. Megarry said the city needs more sober houses, more shelters, more options for the homeless.
“Worcester, don’t give up on your homeless,” Mr. Megarry urged. “There are a lot of good people out here. It’s not all about drugs or alcohol. There’s a lot of good who are homeless in the city of Worcester.”
Mr. Megarry was thankful for the shelter at St. John’s Church.
“Everybody that comes here is friendly and nice. Nobody argues, nobody fights, everybody’s here for the same reason. We all know each other and everybody sticks by each other,” Mr. Megarry said.
“Pastor Richie (Gonzalez) does a fantastic job here. We appreciate what they do for us down here because we’re not going to make it out there, especially when it’s below zero. You can still have 10 blankets. You’re still going to freeze.”
For some people, a criminal record can lead to difficulty finding a long term home.
William “Bill” Burnett Jr. used to work alongside his brothers Scott and Todd at the old Telegram & Gazette building at 20 Franklin St., bundling newspapers before they were shipped and delivered. Today, he finds himself out in the cold, unforgiving streets for the last five months, after serving time in jail.
“The cold’s been terrible,” he said. “I can’t take the cold.”
While he hopes for better things in 2018, Mr. Burnett, 49, wearing a medical fracture boot and walking with crutches, started the year by getting hit by a car on Main Street on New Year’s Day. According to Mr. Burnett, the driver didn’t stop and he suffered a broken leg.
“I went past the windshield, ended up right on the ground,” Mr. Burnett said. “Now, I feel it in my rib cage.”
Mr. Burnett, who has spent close to 10 nights at the shelter this winter, said he likes it here. Still, he feels the city needs to build or transform condemned buildings into apartments or rooms for people who need them.
Among those people seeking shelter in the church basement was John Johnson, 60, a disabled man in a motorized cart. He said he has been coming to the church since it opened this season. He became homeless four years ago after, he said, after he was kicked out his Pleasant Street residence by his ex-girlfriend whose name was on the lease.
“The cold has been bad. I had frostbite on my feet,” Mr. Johnson said. “It gets pretty rough. Luckily, I stay where there are people who know and watch out for me.”
Mr. Johnson also said the city is not doing enough for its homeless.
“Give us some housing,” Mr. Johnson said. “I have income but they
can’t find any housing for me. I can’t get any disabled housing.”
Many of the people lined up last week waiting to get into the shelter were critical of the city.
Debbie Bleau, who considers herself to be a “regular” at the homeless shelter, said there are very few places for the city’s homeless to go, so all they can do is walk around.
“You can go to the library. That’s about it,” Ms. Bleau said. “If you walk into the atrium at St. V’s, even if you got something to eat and go sit down, security will kick you out. If you stay at one spot too long, you get harassed or arrested for either trespassing or loitering and they do that. It’s ridiculous. You have nowhere to go except the library and if the library isn’t open, you’re screwed. Not everybody causes trouble. Even if you don’t cause trouble, you get harassed.”
While she has panhandled in the past, the 50-year-old Ms. Bleau said it’s embarrassing.
“People think when you have a sign you’re automatically want it (the money) for either alcohol or drugs,” she said. “Some people want it for food or get a room somewhere in a motel.”
Ms. Bleau said the best thing about the homeless shelter at St. John’s is they are nonjudgmental and treat you with respect.
“They treat you like you’re a human being,” Ms. Bleau said. “They
feed you. They made you feel welcome. Last year, for the Super Bowl,
they had a TV in here. Everybody watched the Super Bowl.”
Going through 10 kidney surgeries compounded by living with “a messed-up back,” Ms. Bleau, who has been homeless for four years, said she had an apartment on Tirrell Street but, when she was three days late on her rent, her landlord took her to court and got her evicted. She’s been on the streets ever since.
“The mayor in the city literally thinks there’s not a homeless problem like everybody says there is,”
Ms. Bleau said. “I think he needs to come out and spend a week on the street with us and she what it’s really like.”
But the city’s commissioner of health and human services, Dr. Matilde Castiel, said that members of the city’s Quality of Life Task Force, a small team with representatives from the city’s inspectional, public works and police departments, has been checking homeless encampments in the city to ensure that residents are safe and warm.
The team is bringing the homeless to open shelters - Hotel Grace at St. John’s Church and the SMOC shelter - during the bitter cold. SMOC gets federal and state funding through the city. The Hotel Grace project gets money from the United Way and the city.
During Thursday’s storm, SMOC, which houses 80 to 100 clients on a given night, was open so people didn’t have to go out. In addition, the St. John’s food pantry opened in the early morning and stayed open until the nearby basement shelter opened at 1 p.m., six hours earlier than usual.
“The goal is to get the homeless into temporary shelter and then into permanent, supported housing for the chronically homeless,” Dr. Castiel said.
She said the addition of Hotel Grace has been helpful towards the
goal of combating homelessness. She noted that although the numbers of
homeless has not changed that much from last year, the faces are new -
meaning that advocates are getting people housed.
The city is also working with nonprofit agencies and hospitals to provide beds where the homeless can recover from an illness, Dr. Castiel said.
Cyrus Moulton contributed to this story.
“I was actually in an apartment with no heat for three days before I came here,” Ms. Lewis said. “My cat’s water was frozen.”
With her curly red locks popping out of the bottom of her knitted hat, Ms. Lewis, 49, describes herself as being “chronically homeless” for three years. Becoming disabled made her lose her home 17 years ago, she said, and she has been crashing at other people’s places and in shelters ever since.
“This is the face of today’s homeless,” Ms. Lewis said. “I have an income. I’m trying. If you’re on disability, it’s hard. I just got Section 8 (federal program aiding low-income people for housing).
Thank God. And I’m looking for a home.”
So amid the record cold that has gripped Central Massachusetts, bursting water pipes, taxing heating systems and causing headaches for thousands of homeowners, people without homes are dealing with different worries - how to escape the cold and stay safe.
Related content
The need is much larger than the resources available. According to the city of Worcester in January 2017, there were 1,111 homeless people, including adults, children and youth. They were living in shelters, transitional housing or in places not meant for human habitation. Of this number, 640 were living in shelters, 96 were unsheltered living outside and 375 were in transitional housing. The annual homeless count is planned for the end of the month.
Ms. Lewis said the weather has been brutal and the cold-weather shelter in the church is a blessing to so many of the city’s homeless.
“They say prayers. And they’re so comforting. It’s amazing,” Ms. Lewis said of the shelter. “I just found out about this (Tuesday). I was walking around and somebody told me it was good. I’m so grateful.”
The cold-weather shelter, called Hotel Grace, opens its doors to the homeless when temperatures drop below freezing. The homeless are greeted by pastor Richard “Richie” Gonzalez of Net of Compassion.
“Normally, we open the doors at seven o’clock,” Mr. Gonzales said. “As soon as we set up, I open the doors because I don’t want to keep them freezing out there. In the evening, the temperatures start dropping more. So, six o’clock, 6:15 we have 50 people here, which is our capacity.”
If
the church reaches capacity, the Rev. John Madden of St. John’s, said
it has an agreement with South Middlesex Opportunity Council shelter on
Queen Street to offer transport there. But so far, there hasn’t been too
much of an overflow, he said.
“So many people are one paycheck away from homelessness,” Rev. Madden added.
Mr. Megarry said the city needs more sober houses, more shelters, more options for the homeless.
“Worcester, don’t give up on your homeless,” Mr. Megarry urged. “There are a lot of good people out here. It’s not all about drugs or alcohol. There’s a lot of good who are homeless in the city of Worcester.”
Mr. Megarry was thankful for the shelter at St. John’s Church.
“Everybody that comes here is friendly and nice. Nobody argues, nobody fights, everybody’s here for the same reason. We all know each other and everybody sticks by each other,” Mr. Megarry said.
“Pastor Richie (Gonzalez) does a fantastic job here. We appreciate what they do for us down here because we’re not going to make it out there, especially when it’s below zero. You can still have 10 blankets. You’re still going to freeze.”
For some people, a criminal record can lead to difficulty finding a long term home.
William “Bill” Burnett Jr. used to work alongside his brothers Scott and Todd at the old Telegram & Gazette building at 20 Franklin St., bundling newspapers before they were shipped and delivered. Today, he finds himself out in the cold, unforgiving streets for the last five months, after serving time in jail.
While he hopes for better things in 2018, Mr. Burnett, 49, wearing a medical fracture boot and walking with crutches, started the year by getting hit by a car on Main Street on New Year’s Day. According to Mr. Burnett, the driver didn’t stop and he suffered a broken leg.
“I went past the windshield, ended up right on the ground,” Mr. Burnett said. “Now, I feel it in my rib cage.”
Mr. Burnett, who has spent close to 10 nights at the shelter this winter, said he likes it here. Still, he feels the city needs to build or transform condemned buildings into apartments or rooms for people who need them.
Among those people seeking shelter in the church basement was John Johnson, 60, a disabled man in a motorized cart. He said he has been coming to the church since it opened this season. He became homeless four years ago after, he said, after he was kicked out his Pleasant Street residence by his ex-girlfriend whose name was on the lease.
“The cold has been bad. I had frostbite on my feet,” Mr. Johnson said. “It gets pretty rough. Luckily, I stay where there are people who know and watch out for me.”
Mr. Johnson also said the city is not doing enough for its homeless.
Many of the people lined up last week waiting to get into the shelter were critical of the city.
Debbie Bleau, who considers herself to be a “regular” at the homeless shelter, said there are very few places for the city’s homeless to go, so all they can do is walk around.
“You can go to the library. That’s about it,” Ms. Bleau said. “If you walk into the atrium at St. V’s, even if you got something to eat and go sit down, security will kick you out. If you stay at one spot too long, you get harassed or arrested for either trespassing or loitering and they do that. It’s ridiculous. You have nowhere to go except the library and if the library isn’t open, you’re screwed. Not everybody causes trouble. Even if you don’t cause trouble, you get harassed.”
While she has panhandled in the past, the 50-year-old Ms. Bleau said it’s embarrassing.
“People think when you have a sign you’re automatically want it (the money) for either alcohol or drugs,” she said. “Some people want it for food or get a room somewhere in a motel.”
Ms. Bleau said the best thing about the homeless shelter at St. John’s is they are nonjudgmental and treat you with respect.
Going through 10 kidney surgeries compounded by living with “a messed-up back,” Ms. Bleau, who has been homeless for four years, said she had an apartment on Tirrell Street but, when she was three days late on her rent, her landlord took her to court and got her evicted. She’s been on the streets ever since.
“The mayor in the city literally thinks there’s not a homeless problem like everybody says there is,”
Ms. Bleau said. “I think he needs to come out and spend a week on the street with us and she what it’s really like.”
But the city’s commissioner of health and human services, Dr. Matilde Castiel, said that members of the city’s Quality of Life Task Force, a small team with representatives from the city’s inspectional, public works and police departments, has been checking homeless encampments in the city to ensure that residents are safe and warm.
The team is bringing the homeless to open shelters - Hotel Grace at St. John’s Church and the SMOC shelter - during the bitter cold. SMOC gets federal and state funding through the city. The Hotel Grace project gets money from the United Way and the city.
During Thursday’s storm, SMOC, which houses 80 to 100 clients on a given night, was open so people didn’t have to go out. In addition, the St. John’s food pantry opened in the early morning and stayed open until the nearby basement shelter opened at 1 p.m., six hours earlier than usual.
“The goal is to get the homeless into temporary shelter and then into permanent, supported housing for the chronically homeless,” Dr. Castiel said.
The city is also working with nonprofit agencies and hospitals to provide beds where the homeless can recover from an illness, Dr. Castiel said.
“We’re
looking at how do we provide more housing and, also, what we call
support housing, housing that has the ability to have case management
and help people,” she said. “Prior to this, the federal and state
(governments) gave their different agencies funding, so they could
rapidly rehouse. That funding has gone away and now we need to figure
out how we can raise that funding in our community so we can provide
supportive housing.”
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