Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista’s administration wants the city council to approve a property tax break for a proposed homeless resource center.
The resource center, located at 134 Gold St., will be operated and leased by the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, a local organization that advocates for housing and homelessness prevention in Central Massachusetts. The resource center will provide several resources for homeless individuals, including housing assistance, wellness services and facilities such as showers, bathrooms and changing stations, according to a letter Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn sent to the council.
Batista’s administration is seeking a 10-year tax increment financing (TIF) agreement for the property. Under the agreement, Resource Center Worcester LLC — a business entity created by the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance — won’t pay any incremental taxes from 2026 to 2036, according to Dunn. The limited liability company will only pay the property’s base taxes, resulting in the city collecting $150,000 in tax revenue over 10 years.
“In addition, the project will help stabilize and restore value to an underutilized building, create new permanent full-time jobs preserve an historic resource while modernizing it to current building code standards, and generate new tax revenue to the municipality,” Dunn wrote to the council.
The council will review the proposal on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
The two-story building at 134 Gold St. was built in 1900 as a commercial property, according to the city’s property records. Prior to the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance buying the property in 2025, the building was owned by Junction Development LLC, managed by former Worcester Housing Authority chairman Paul Giorgio.
The building will be renovated in two phases. The first phase involves the renovation of the first floor and the creation of a parking lot and outside pavilion at 5 Sargent St., according to Dunn. Construction on the first phase is expected to be finished by the end of 2026. The second phase involves renovating the second floor of the building and will be finished at a later date, Dunn wrote. The Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance has invested $4 million toward renovations and the acquisition of the space, according to Batista.
In January 2025, the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance identified 3,110 people experiencing homelessness in Worcester County — a 20% increase — according to GBH News.
Worcester manager to ask council for tax break for incoming homeless center
