Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce against encampment sweep pause

WORCESTER — In a letter to the City Council, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce is coming out against a proposal to place a moratorium on clearing homeless encampments on private property or in city parks.

“As we have seen in many other communities, unauthorized encampments on private propertyor public settings such as parks and recreation areas create unsafe and unsanitary conditions forresidents and businesses and they also create safety challenges for our first responders,” the chamber wrote.

The chamber letter also applauded the city administration’s current approach to housing and homelessness, including the formation of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the approval of inclusionary zoning, rental assistance programs and the proposed affordable housing preservation program.

“We believe the current approach of collaboration and focused commitment by city, state, nonprofit partners, and the business community is one of Worcester’s greatest strengths,” the letter read. “We should continue in this spirit by creating more units, building on the work that has happened over the past decade.”

The chamber is the latest stakeholder to weigh in on the debate about how to properly handle encampments at a time when homelessness is projected to be on the rise in the city and advocates say housing for the homeless may not be built fast enough.

On May 9, the City Council’s Standing Committee on Public Health and Human Services heard a petition by Maydee Morales, an at-large City Council candidate who has worked to provide emergency services to the unhoused in Worcester. The petition sought a temporary moratorium on encampment sweeps or to find a site to support people living in encampments, as the city works to expand shelter beds.

Homeless advocates have defined encampment sweeps, also referred to as clearings, as forced removal of encampments where homeless people have gathered. Advocates say people who are homeless are often removed from the area and their possessions lost as a result of so-called sweeps.

Clearing near Walmart spurs outcry

A clearing of an encampment by Walmart at Tobias Boland Way in October 2021 spurred some outcry. The city said at the time that the clearing was done due to quality-of-life concerns reported by nearby property owners including Walmart.

District 5 City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, who is a member of the Standing Committee on Public Health, entered the petition on Morales’ behalf during the previous City Council meeting.

Haxhiaj said she was worried that people who reside in encampments are not being being taken care of during the summer and winter, when the weather poses a threat. She added it would take more time to build the housing necessary to help them transition out of homelessness.

The petition was received with hesitance from the other two members of the committee, District 4 City Councilor Sarai Rivera, the committee chair, and Councilor-at-Large Morris Bergman.

Rivera said she was concerned about the potential impact on quality of life for other residents in areas of encampments and a loss of public space. Rivera said the policy would need to be fleshed out with stipulations in order for her to be more supportive.

Bergman said he would not support a moratorium if it came to a vote, saying a property he visited with a number of encampments posed numerous health risks and the people residing there unanimously did not want assistance.

Rivera ordered the matter to be sent to the city manager’s office, so a group tasked with addressing homelessness could discuss the policy and make recommendations.