Council votes 6-0 to advance homelessness panel nominee

Citizen Advisory Council · Meeting of September 17, 2026

Worcester's Citizen Advisory Council voted 6-0 to recommend an applicant forward for a seat on the Commission on Homelessness, after she criticized the city's plan to clear homeless encampments. The applicant, identified in the meeting only as Rebecca, said the city risks trying to "terrorize these poor people that are really just trying to survive" without first lining up housing or services. Chairperson Rachel Brown and members Michael Richard, Carol Stovall, Sarah Gerace and Kelly Brochu joined a sixth member recorded only as "Tara" in the unanimous roll call.

The council also welcomed Charmaine Whitman-Jemison as the city's new employment coordinator and agreed to hold its chair and vice chair election at the November 18 meeting, with Brown terming out in March after what she called "two and two-thirds terms."

In the full story:

• Commission on Homelessness Applicant Interview
• Staff Transition: New Employment Coordinator Introduced
• Recruitment and Outreach Planning
• Officer Election Timeline
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,038 words

Source: the Citizen Advisory Council meeting of September 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.