39 Salem Temporary Units For Unhoused Residents Planned For Holyoke Square

SALEM, MA — A new temporary housing development with 39 units and 24-hour, on-site professional support services personnel is set to open in Holyoke Square within the next four months.

Centerboard, a nonprofit human services organization located throughout all of Essex County, said the development "will provide critical housing solutions and contribute to the vitality and well-being of the Salem community as a whole."

The plans follow what Centerboard called the "proven success" of its housing project at Salem State University's Bates Campus, which had 92 placements in December and "fosters stability and independence for its residents."

Centerboard said the organization prides itself on being a good neighbor, offering the Bates Campus development as evidence of that.

The Holyoke Street development will offer housing to 39 unhoused families with children through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities' Emergency Assistance Program.

Staffing is estimated to include two to six on-site professionals, including maintenance personnel.

"By establishing this project at 1 Holyoke Square, we aim to expand access to safe, stable housing while strengthening Salem's commitment to innovative, results-driven social support programs," Centerboard said in a statement to Patch. "This development will provide critical housing solutions and contribute to the vitality and well-being of the Salem community as a whole."

Centerboard said the city of Salem has been supportive of the initiative and is a place where "transformative projects like this can thrive."

"Centerboard remains dedicated to fostering innovative housing solutions and expanding opportunities for needy families," Centerboard said. "We thank the city of Salem and our partners for their ongoing collaboration as we develop this new venture, which holds the potential to strengthen our community further and set a precedent for effective congregate housing initiatives across the state."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)