Ending homelessness in Brockton? Old hotel sees new life as apartments for homeless
October 23, 2021 : The Enterprise, by Darvence Chery
BROCKTON – The city's streets should see a significant decrease in the homeless population, thanks to the work of state and local officials to secure a facility to house people who are experiencing homelessness.
Formerly known as the Rodeway Inn at 1005 Belmont St. in Brockton, this former hotel will be renamed the Roadway Apartments and house up to 69 homeless people.
In September, MassDevelopment, a financing agency that works to support Massachusetts organizations in need of funding issued a $5.3 million tax-exempt bond on behalf of Roadway Apartments LLC, an affiliate of Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Inc., as part of the funding package to renovate and convert the site into housing units for formerly homeless people, according to Patrick Ronan, spokesperson for Father Bills & MainSpring.
On Oct. 12, state and local officials joined Father Bills & MainSpring to usher in a new project underway to convert the former hotel into a homeless shelter.
"We have the power to end homelessness with this project," said John Yazwinski, president and CEO of Father Bills & MainSpring.
The facility was previously used in the height of the pandemic in June 2020 as a temporary space to prevent crowding at the Father Bills & MainSpring site on North Main Street.
On average, Father Bills on North Main Street would house about 130 homeless people in the Brockton area, according to Yazwinski.
Those residents will now be able to stay at the Roadway Apartments, with renovations being made to the individual units they are staying in.
The project includes nine funders from both the state and private agencies across New England.
“This is about collaboration. We’re working with Gov. (Charlie) Baker, Lt. Gov. (Karyn) Polito, Secretary (Mike) Kennealy – people who understand how compassionate we need to be,” Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan said.
Altogether, the $10.1 million conversion project will reduce Brockton’s individual shelter population by 50 percent, with future investments in housing needed to maintain those gains and achieve further progress, according to Ronan.
In what is considered to be a first, homeless people who meet the homelessness and income criteria required by Father Bills & MainSpring will be eligible to stay at the Roadway while also receiving wraparound support services including vocational support, mental health and addiction counseling.
"For some people, it will give them a chance to start rebuilding for themselves," said Connie Tevis, assistant project coordinator with Project Guardian Angels, a Brockton-based organization that assists people experiencing homelessness.
Case managers will be on site as well as 24/7 staffing in order to aid the tenants of the apartment complex.
Tenants will need to pay 30 percent of their income toward their own rent as a part of their stay at the Roadway Apartments.
The project involves the creation of 69 efficiency-style apartments and will result in the addition of kitchenettes to existing hotel rooms, which already have their own private bathrooms. Additional site improvements include a common laundry room and electrical, mechanical and life safety systems.
The renovations are expected to be complete by next spring, but tenants will begin moving in as renovations are being made starting next month.
