Former Senator Harriette Chandler has been working to address homelessness in the state and in the Worcester area for decades. At a recent city council meeting, she stood up during public comment to support a new approach that she has been pushing for, along with city and state officials, local nonprofits, and recently retired Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Maddie Castiel.

LPA|A also got involved in the pilot project early on, which aims to provide seniors at risk of homelessness with small, modular homes on vacant properties that could not support a conventional home or business development. LPA|A provided pro bono consulting as part of the community collaboration on site layout and building configuration and style.

The pilot is a public/private partnership with funding from the City of Worcester, a state Department of Health grant, and the United Way of Central Massachusetts and partners, and they are still actively working to raise more money for the project.

With senior homelessness rising steeply in recent years, this unique approach could be scaled to provide safe, permanent housing to many more vulnerable Worcester residents, which may also take some pressure off the housing crisis that has been a statewide problem in recent years.

The modular design allows for an expedited process and a lower cost than a traditional development.

LPA|A Principal Sean Brennan also said at that same Council Meeting’s public comment, “The Claremont street project is exactly the kind of small-scale, neighborhood housing — what we call “missing middle housing” — that Worcester once built and now urgently needs again. Together, we can show that Worcester invests not only in buildings but in the dignity and future of its people.”