The City of Worcester announced Thursday that a temporary winter overflow shelter will open at 50 Oriol Dr.
The temporary shelter will be managed by South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) and will feature 36 beds in 18 hotel rooms with two people per room, according to a press release from the city.
The shelter is expected to open Monday, Dec. 15 and remain open until April, the release reads.
At the shelter, SMOC will provide the following services:
- Intensive case management
- Referrals to treatment programs
- Referrals to permanent supportive housing
- Assistance with stabilizing medical and behavioral health needs
- Obtaining photo IDs
- Applying and following up on benefit applications
- Assistance with workforce development
- Finding employment
The shelter will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with a security guard onsite at all times, according to the city. Any intakes for the shelter will go through SMOC’s 25 Queen St. location.
The building at 50 Oriol Dr. used to be a Quality Inn. The Worcester Community Housing Resources (WCHR) plans to redevelop the hotel into permanent supportive housing for homeless people but renovation work has not started yet, according to the Telegram & Gazette.
A spokesperson for WCHR did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.