Organization History

Abby’s House: The Beginning

The concept of Abby’s House began with an invitation to Annette Rafferty from the Worcester Urban Ministry Commission. It was early 1973, and pastors, rabbis and ministers were overwhelmed with requests to house the “new homeless” – women and children. At the time there were only three shelter beds for women in the City. As chair of the Task Force, Annette was charged with identifying the need as well as a concrete solution. As a result of their research, Annette and the groups she worked with recommended opening a shelter. When the recommendation was voted down by the Commission, Annette resigned. In the months that followed a collective of women and men held meetings, sent letters, fundraised, generated publicity and searched for a property to site the shelter.

Annette would later recall the moment she resigned from the Commission. Some members reminded Annette that she had neither the skills nor the training to work with the homeless, let alone establish a shelter. In addition, there were no funds available for shelters at this time. Annette thought: “…in the realm of practical considerations, to follow the advice to wait for funds and training would have made sense. But I was no longer living in the realm of practical considerations. I had passed over, so to speak, to another space in time and was no longer willing to follow conventional wisdom.”

Further, “to imagine women as both planners and doers was risky and radical! Call it whatever you like – a decision made in anger, a foolhardy call to action, a response of an uppity woman. The truth is this: the decision came from a stubbornness of soul so powerful it frightened me, but it managed to push me forward with a great sense of purpose. We women would create the model. We would get the money, find a place and staff it all in good time.”

The Shelter

By the time the shelter door opened on Crown Street on June 7, 1976, hundreds of people had committed themselves to the project. Some worked on furnishing the rooms; others held bake sales and solicited funds from their neighbors, churches and workplaces. The Worcester community responded with enthusiasm, and offered assistance with the incorporation of the organization and other legal issues. Women signed up to staff the shelter, while others picked up the laundry each day, brought it home and returned it clean that evening. A group of students from the College of the Holy Cross signed up to staff the shelter and established a club that continues staffing today. A strong tradition of volunteerism and community support had begun, a tradition that has sustained Abby’s growth to the present.

The decade of the 80’s would see Abby’s House responding to the shocking increase in the number of persons becoming homeless in our country. The plan to close the shelter after five years, as the founders had thought, was never to be. No one expected that poverty among women and children living in the richest nation in the world would get to such a point that even basic shelter was out of reach. The hidden problem of domestic violence became visible when women realized there was a way out of their previously hopeless situations. Our government’s systematic disregard of the need for affordable housing led to a critical shortage of subsidized housing units.

All of these forces caused Abby’s to respond by establishing additional programs and services. A food pantry and emergency food supplies served both those in the shelter as well as former shelter guests who were doing their best to keep from becoming homeless again. When we realized that women who found rooms in lodging houses were isolated and at risk, we began a drop-in center (now called the Women’s Center) with meals, activities, workshops and opportunities to socialize. We took the many clothing donations we received and began our thrift shop. The 80’s also saw the creation of The Worcester Connection, a place to meet, to discuss women’s issues, and to gain awareness of how the struggles of the women we met in the shelter fit into a larger social context.

19 Crown Street

As the 1990’s began, we knew that our shelter was still needed, but we resolved as an organization to put resources into creating long term housing, a home with no set time limit except what was needed by each individual woman, a home that came with the support of Abby’s staff and services. As often happens in our lives, an opportunity presented itself when the rooming house next door to us went on the market. The building at 19 Crown Street had been in severe disrepair for many years, and was the site of illegal drug activity. A fire, set because of a drug deal gone bad, caused such serious damage that renovation seemed impossible.

But for our supporters and staffers, it wasn’t! In the Spring of 1993, we opened the door to a beautifully restored building to our first housing residents. 16 single women have their own furnished room and share a common kitchen, bathrooms and sitting areas. A yard with gardens provides a respite, and all residents participate in supportive services. Together with her advocate, each resident makes a plan to meet her individual goals.

77 Chatham Street

Soon after we finished this total renovation, another building in the neighborhood became available. 77 Chatham Street, jut a block from our shelter and 19 Crown Street, had been abandoned for over six years, and was also the site of illegal activity. Like our last renovation, this was a “gut rehab” that, when completed in November, 1996, created seven two-bedroom apartments for women with children. Each family has the support of an advocate in accomplishing its goals. Most families participate in opportunities for supportive services, including scholarship assistance for children to attend artistic, cultural, educational and recreational programs in the community.

52 High Street

On July 1, 2001, Abby’s began managing 55 units of single-room occupancy housing for women at 52 High Street – the former St. Joseph’s Residence. Here, each woman has her own furnished room and shares a kitchenette, bathrooms and sitting areas with other women on her floor. All residents at 52 High Street have a service plan and work with our advocates to attain their goals. A beautifully landscaped courtyard hosts art installations and festive outdoor gatherings in the heart of the city. Abby’s food service, thrift shop, Women’s Center, advocate offices, and administrative offices are located at 52 High Street.