Supporting community in Worcester
On a warm spring afternoon in May, 2024 – almost a year to the day after they found their new apartment – the Ogbalu family sat in their living room recalling the stress and sleepless nights they spent worrying about being homeless through no fault of their own.
When asked to describe their relief, they nodded in unison. “It’s all we could talk about for months afterwards, what a difference this apartment has made for us,” said Treasures Ogbalu, the 28-year-old daughter of Patricia Ogbalu.
Finding their three-bedroom apartment at Grand Street Commons in Worcester’s Main South neighborhood has not only helped them shed their worry about having a place to live, but it has also enabled them to continue their work toward starting a small business, something they have been dreaming about since coming to the U.S. from Nigeria in 2011.
Their hope has been made possible due in part to the Main South Community Development Corporation, which has worked steadily for over 25 years under the leadership of Executive Director Steve Teasdale to revitalize the neighborhood and provide hundreds of affordable rental, homeownership and economic opportunities for its residents, often with financial support from MHP’s multifamily loan and first-time homebuyer mortgage programs. The Ogbalu story is another example of how Main South supports its community.
Small business dreams
When Patricia Ogbalu came to this country, she immediately got to work taking care of the elderly in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and one-on-one with seniors in their homes. Along the way, she became a Certified Nursing Assistant, and took additional courses in nursing and mental health nursing. Her daughter Treasures was a track standout in the hurdles, shot put and discus at Auburn High, and majored in biochemistry at UMass Dartmouth. Royal, now 22, went to Shrewsbury High and is studying marketing at Fisher College.
While Patricia worked in elder care, she harbored dreams of starting her own business, preferably an African restaurant that would allow her to capitalize on her cooking skills that her family says are second to none. Starting in 2015, she took small business workshops at Main South CDC and remained in constant touch about finding a commercial space where she could open a restaurant or food business.
During this time, Main South was developing Grand Street Commons. Built on a former factory site that produced textile machinery, the development involved a brownfield clean up and the construction of 46 affordable and two market-rate apartments.
The property also featured a ground floor commercial space that Main South hoped would become a convenience store that could serve the revitalized neighborhood near Clark University, the new Boys & Girls Club and the new Table Talk Pies factory. MHP helped finance Grand Street with a $3.4 million loan from its bank-funded loan pool, the sixth loan it has made to Main South to finance affordable apartments.
Opportunity knocks
After Grand Street opened in 2022, Yary Jaen, Main South’s longtime Director of Property Management and Programs, turned her attention to filling the commercial space and remembered Patricia Ogbalu’s persistence in wanting to start a business. In January 2023, Jaen reached out and pitched the idea of a convenience store. Patricia listened. Her own mother and brother had run stores, and she had always been around them. “I pretty much can do that,” she thought.
Over the next few months, she did her homework. She worked with Clark University’s Small Business Development Center on a business and marketing plan and worked with the City of Worcester’s Vaske Gjino on applying for a $15,000 small business grant to fund the purchase of refrigerators, freezers, and other store equipment.
Everything was coming together except for one problem. Early in 2023, Ogbalu’s landlord in another part of the city said she had to be out by May 30 because their apartment building was being sold. Suddenly, starting the business took a back seat to finding a home, something Teasdale says is happening all too frequently in Worcester’s red-hot real estate market.
“In many ways, the city’s real estate boom has been good in that it has created jobs, but the downside is it means housing isn’t going to be affordable for the average resident,” said Teasdale. “My view is the city needs to continue to enact policies to create affordable housing because it’s a demonstrable need.”
The scramble to find housing
What’s happening in Worcester is happening more frequently all over the state, according to MHP’s Housing Stability Monitor, which tracks eviction and foreclosure data across the state. In its latest report released in April 2024, MHP found that eviction filings had surpassed pre-pandemic rates for 19 consecutive months, with no fault evictions the third likeliest cause of eviction filings.
The Ogbalu family went through the no fault eviction experience. Their initial attempt was to buy a home, but the seller backed out, leaving them only a few weeks to find something. In desperation, they called Yary Jaen, who told them there was a lottery coming up for a market-rate three-bedroom apartment at Grand Street. It was just a few doors down from the convenience store they were trying to open and the rent was $1,900 a month, utilities included. Patricia Ogbalu applied, was selected in the lottery, and moved in on June 1, 2023
Almost one year later, Patricia, Treasures, and Royal Ogbalu sat in their living room, marveled at their good fortune and then walked a few steps down the street to give a tour of the store they plan to open in the summer of 2024. Once again, their hard work was earning them hope and respect.
“Patricia and her family are very driven,” said Jaen, who grew up in the neighborhood and has played a key role in moving it forward since she started working at Main South CDC in 1996. “They’ve asked a lot of questions about opening the business. They are role model tenants who have put in the work and have shown what can be achieved. It’s very fulfilling to see their dream being realized.”
From left, Treasures, Patricia, and Royal Ogbalu.
Photography by Jonathan Morales and Greig Cranna.
"My view is the city needs to continue to enact policies to create affordable housing because it’s a demonstrable need."
– Steve Teasdale