Everyone Against PIP : IMC Worcester

“In Their Own Words”
January 27th, Main South Alliance for Public Safety ‘Community’ Meeting on the possibility of SMOC/PIP using a property on Claremont St. for homeless individuals.

BILLY BREAULT Main South Alliance For Public Safety
[SMOC will bring in] “alcohol problems, injectors, girls walking the street … wrapping them all together.” “This isn’t only about SMOC, it has to do with other social service agencies, where they’ve gone in and baited and switched.”

CITY COUNCILOR BARBARA HALLER
“I have many years of experience trying to find the balance between social services and the neighborhood’s personality and neighborhood’s needs. . . . We have reached what I call “super saturation”.

JIM HORAN Husband of Housing Court Judge Diana Horan, speaking for St. Peter’s Central Catholic
“We have 400 students from pre-K to 8. They’re in an outdoor playground. We’re trying to bring-up and enrich education. And yes, we help others, but we certainly have to balance the location of where we help others. And I think with all the great strides made in this neighborhood, including what we’re trying do at St. Peter’s Central Catholic, we’d be very concerned with the location of what’s possibly proposed.”

MARGARET VENDITTI; South Quadrant Manager, Worcester Public Schools
“We really do oppose the location. It is inconsistent with the efforts of the Worcester Public Schools to create a safe and family friendly environment.”

PRINCIPAL JANE GRADY;Accelerated Learning Lab – Claremont St. (St. Peter’s Graduate)
“I have concern for my students.” “Inappropriate for right across from my school”

JACK FOLEY; Clark University
[re: PIP] “They’re attracting people from all across New England.” “The place is coming back, we can no longer sit back and watch….We need to push them [agencies] somewhere else.” “With my School Committee hat . . . I can’t even consider putting this across from a school.”

SEN. ED AUGUSTUS
“…concerning proximity to the school, I do feel that is a valid concern”

CITY COUNCILOR MICHAEL PEROTTO
“Siting it next to a school I have a real difficult time with it.”

CITY COUNCILOR JOSEPH PETTY
“The only group that isn’t coming the table are the social service agencies.”

NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT
“What about in the morning when the hypodermic needles are in the gutter. The back of that building has such a large lot, I hate to think about what will happen.”