Our Mission

The Green Hill Neighborhood Association strives to create a caring, clean and safe community by promoting and advancing the active participation of more people, more voices and more power within our neighborhood.

Our History

In 2013, a group of Green Hill neighbors convened in Winnie Octave and Waldir Cruz’ living room. Winnie, along with the neighbors, began to work with State Representative Mary Keefe (D-Worcester), to find solutions to neighborhood problems.

While reaching out to our neighbors to gather input, we realized that social-service-organizations, including a number of halfway houses, homeless shelters, houses for behavioral adolescents, and methadone clinics made up a large part of our neighborhood. At first, this raised our concerns. But, after speaking with a few of the groups, we also realized they were our neighbors, too, and they wanted to be part of our community. Working together, we created the Green Hill Neighborhood Association.

In our short existence, we have received a liaison officer who is our point of contact with the Worcester Police Department and an inspector from the Worcester Inspectional Services Department (formerly, the Code Enforcement Department) for rubbish and nuisance in the neighborhood. We have also worked with City Hall to renovate Grant Square Park, a dilapidated park located on Northampton Street.

One of the highlights of our group is that each year we celebrate a community picnic, which started as a potluck and has been a great success. We make this community affair possible with donations from area businesses, organizations and neighbors. In attendance, we have had representatives from City Hall, the Police Department, the Worcester Fire Department and the Lieutenant Governor’s Office, as well as the mayor, city councilors, state senators and representatives, and several candidates running for public office. Many other organizations and businesses are invited to come and showcase their work, to make their resources and offerings available to the picnic attendees.

From the community picnic, we gained so many new voices, and our monthly meetings went from Winnie’s living room and the homes of her neighbors to a space donated originally by Father Ryan in the basement of St. Bernard’s Church on Lincoln Street, and continued by Father Jonathan, who succeeded Father Ryan.