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PaulPierceBrosnan t1_j8s7pkz wrote

As others have said, it's not as easy as deregulating some 1925 zoning law and the problem is solved. I'm all for assisting homeless and those trying to manage some addictions but I'm weary of just turning a residential house into a boarding house willy nilly.

There is a residential halfway house in my neighborhood that most neighbors want to evict. Other folks in Worcester are quick to call you a NIMBY when you speak out about it but the problem is that it brings a lot of baggage with it. The house/yard are absolutely littered with trash and cigarette butts. There's constant traffic and activity late into the night that disturbs neighbors including frequent arguments. Strange men sleep in tents on the lawn/steps on occasion because its a women's only house. When somebody moves out, they will frequently just leave all their trash and unwanted belongings on the sidewalk. Some tenants simply don't care about the people next to them because they will move on in 2 months and leave a mess for us to deal with.

Zoning change sounds like a nice idea on paper but thus far, from what I've seen in my neighborhood, I'm not sold.

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Acceptable-Poem-6219 OP t1_j8sh14x wrote

I think those are all reasonable concerns. And I agree that this alone won’t end homelessness in Worcester. That said the homeless population in Worcester has increased dramatically (the Housing Authority states its gone up 60% since the pandemic began) and the cost of living continues to rise and we remain short on emergency shelter beds.

This type of proposal would give us another tool in the toolkit and make it easier for case managers to address the issues of the residents who need treatment or other social services.

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