Worcester Housing Authority Tackles Crisis with New Projects and Self-Sufficiency Programs

As demand for housing outpaces availability, WHA Executive Director Alex Corrales details new developments and a support program aimed at helping families thrive.

By Hank Stolz

WORCESTER, Mass. —The Worcester Housing Authority (WHA) is working to address the affordable housing crisis in Worcester. Alex Corrales, Executive Director of the Worcester Housing Authority, and Kelly Taylor, the ROSS Family Coordinator, stopped into Radio Worcester. The WHA’s ROSS program provides case management and support services to help residents become self-sufficient and potentially transition to homeownership. Corrales talks about the challenges Worcester residents are facing. “Part of the struggle is that nine years ago, if I had a hundred Section eight vouchers on the street, meaning there were a hundred people with a voucher looking for an apartment, 93 of the hundred could find an apartment in Worcester.

Today, that number is 52%. So what does that mean to you? Okay, well, 52%. Well, that means that out of that 52%, most are going into towns, Oxford, Southbridge. That’s where they’re going.

But most importantly, what’s happening with that 48%, they can’t find an apartment. They lose their voucher. So they’ve waited for 10 years for that voucher. In six months, they lose it. They’ve got to restart all over again, another 10 years. That’s extremely depressing for someone who has waited patiently and requires that voucher.” Corrales updates us on some of the essential projects underway by the WHA. The WHA has the Curtis and Lakeside projects underway, which will add hundreds of new affordable housing units to the city. The WHA is including a mix of income levels (30% AMI, 60% AMI, 80% AMI) in the new developments to create diverse, mixed-income neighborhoods.

The WHA’s efforts to develop new affordable housing units and provide support services to residents can significantly impact the lives of low-income individuals and families in Worcester, helping them to remain in the city and potentially achieve self-sufficiency and homeownership.

This article is based on an interview originally aired on Talk of the Commonwealth, hosted by Hank Stolz for Radio Worcester.