WORCESTER, Mass. - David and Samantha are homeless. They spent Saturday’s nor’easter in a tent here in Worcester.

They have no computer, no phone, no television and say they had no clue a storm was coming until the snow started falling.

“It’s real difficult, especially with the snowstorm,” David said. “Because then, if the state of emergency or something like that, the buses are shut down and you know you can’t get to the soup kitchen or whatever the case may be for that day, however we’re trying to eat.”

What You Need To Know

  • Shelters in Worcester, including Hotel Grace, were at capacity over the weekend as Worcester saw more than a foot of snow
  • Hotel Grace's founder, Pastor Richie Gonzalez, said they had to add five beds, bringing their total to 65 over the course of the weekend
  • Gonzalez expects Hotel Grace to be at full capacity or close until sometime next week

The couple was holding signs asking for money on a city street corner Monday. They tell Spectrum News 1 they make around $25 a day doing this, and public health concerns are a big reason they choose not to go to what they call crowded local shelters.

“COVID is running rampant through those places. They’re not always the greatest places,” Samantha said. “I mean, there’s two shelters in the city.”

Hotel Grace is one of those shelters. The Vernon Street spot was at capacity Friday afternoon before the first snowflake fell from the sky.

Pastor Richie Gonzalez says since opening in early October, it was their busiest weekend yet. They had to add five beds to welcome 65 people.

“My theme is: hunger and needs doesn’t take a break because of weather conditions,” Gonzalez said.

David and Samantha are looking for work and they want to get a larger tent. They say they’re just two of the many in the same situation in Worcester.

“We stay warm,” said David. “Like I said, we do have propane and stuff but those little tanks only last so long. Especially when there’s days that are nine degrees out.”

Seeing people out in the cold hits home for Gonzalez. He knows the feeling, which is why he founded Hotel Grace.

“I remember the days when I was homeless in the street like that,” said Gonzalez, who says he spent more than two decades battling addiction and homelessness. “Places close, I was still hungry, I was still cold, I still needed a place to sleep.”

Gonzalez expects to have a full house or at something close to it until at least early next week.