Homelessness at all-time high in Worcester County

Homelessness is at an all-time high in Worcester County, according to data from this year's annual homeless census.

The Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance released data from the census Wednesday. It found 3,110 people were homeless the night the count was conducted in January. That represents a 20% increase over last year. More than one-third of those experiencing homelessness were children.

The alliance's chief executive officer, Leah Bradley, said she's particularly concerned about an increase in people who are unhoused in towns outside of Worcester. The current housing shortage has left people especially vulnerable.

"The vacancy rate remains below 5%, which is really concerning to us. And the median rents are around $2,200. Those two indicators are causes of homelessness," Bradley said. "We expect to continue to see [homelessness] rise as long as we are not building ... housing of all income levels in order to get out of this housing crisis."

More than 200 people were unsheltered the night of the census, staying outdoors, in their cars or in other places not meant for human habitation. The vast majority of them — 120 — were in Worcester. But Fitchburg and Sturbridge had higher rates of unsheltered homelessness than Worcester, with 56 and 14 people staying outdoors in those communities, respectively.

Bradley expressed concern about moves at the federal level to reduce funding for food benefits and housing programs that combat and prevent homelessness.

"Food insecurity and housing instability go hand in hand. So people are making choices about whether or not to buy food or to pay their rent," she said. "So any resources that we can maintain for this highly vulnerable population is really what we need in order to maintain their housing."