Homeless in RI: Updates at 43 degrees, with winter 45 days away

Update from Rhode Island Housing:

RI Housing has hired a new communications liaison – Patti Doyle. Doyle provided this update to RINewsToday:

Pallet Shelters: “We have not confirmed a location for the pallet shelters as of this writing.  We are looking at sites in both Providence and Pawtucket. The Newport Avenue site is not being considered for pallet shelters.” 

Zambarano: “Facilities are in use. There are currently five families residing there, seven adults and 13 children. The families are from Cumberland, Warwick, West Warwick and Coventry”. 

Memorial Hospital – “We have nothing to announce today relative to Memorial Hospital…” (Note: Developer Michael Mota, embroiled in legal issues, called a local radio station saying rooms were renovated and ready to be occupied – this could not be independently confirmed, but clear ownership of Memorial’s building is in question.)

Woonsocket – “We have nothing to announce today relative to…[Woonsocket].

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Dignity Bus

Woonsocket Dignity Bus – From Benedict Lessing, Community Care Alliance, the group charged with operating the Dignity Bus program: “We are awaiting a lease from the City in order to move forward. Funding from the RI Foundation is in place to support 6 months of operating expenses once we have a lease in place.” UPDATE: Councilwoman Gonzalez said on Monday she thought the contract would have been signed by now so she is calling a meeting of all parties involved to get it moved along.

Other states – at least 3 other states have now ordered their Dignity Buses and 2 of these programs are underway.

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Emergency Shelters

Narragansett Plaza, Pawtucket – This site has been identified as a location for an emergency shelter that would provide emergency, temporary shelter in the winter months, with 50+ beds. However, the Pawtucket City Council is upset at plans to locate an emergency shelter at that location, saying that they were agreeing to the developer’s requests “thinking they were getting a “Garden City” shopping plaza instead. (Note: It is unclear if part of this area is actually in East Providence).

Broad Street, Cranston Family Shelter – plans are being discussed to locate a “families-only” emergency housing unit at 1890 Broad Street, the location of a low-income housing unit that had an emergency eviction years ago due to building disrepair and the fear that outside entrances and staircases were collapsing. City of Cranston said a location was in consideration for “families only” but did not identify the Broad Street unit – NBC10 news identified the address. The building is in the process of extensive work, as can be seen by photos, here, and it would be reasonable to guess a year or more would be required to prepare the building for occupancy. Notably, the 2 buildings back up to both a daycare center and an elementary school. The city and the state have said pallet housing will not be directed to Cranston, in light of the 150 emergency beds already at the Pastore Center.

There could be approximately 20 units in each building. We reached out to the local representative an city council rep for the area as well as the city. The city noted that this building is privately owned. The local rep and city council person did not respond by publication.

Other, Transitional Housing:

Building purchases – the state indicated they want to purchase housing rather than depend on renting large buildings or using hotel and motel spaces. The only definite to date is…

Charlesgate Nursing Home – 2 buildings, 1 already in use by homeless, after nursing home patients were moved out – RI Housing is moving to purchase both buildings for use as homeless housing that might be able to be transitioned into permanent housing.

Pawtucket Soup Kitchen – says they are serving more meals this year than ever before – 1115,000 so far – last year, 91,000 – says “90% of the people they serve are homeless, with very few people having housing”.

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Homeless agencies to be held accountable

In an interview between Gov. McKee and WPRO’s Gene Valicenti, McKee agreed that all new funding will have a report associated with it to show what they did with the funds. First should be early summer.

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Encampments

Encampments – Homeless advocacy groups have petitioned the Mayor of Providence not to take any more action to move out encamped individuals until housing can be provided. This followed the moving out of the “Marriot man”, a homeless man who had been camping outside of the hotel off ramp for over a year. He was arrested because he resisted being moved off the state property – he was later released on bail – and is now residing at a triangular piece of property behind the Providence Place Mall, across from the 904 residential building. The Mayor has said they will act once a complaint is made to help move out encampments. Individuals from the housing unit have started to complain, but he has not yet been moved out.

Mass & Cass encampments in Boston – All residents have been moved out and offered either shelter housing, temporary housing or arrangements to live with relatives, etc. In addition, Massachusetts has been given authority to cut off migrant housing at 7,500 families, which they should be at now. Anyone remaining can go on a waiting list but they won’t be bound by regs to provide sanctuary housing.

Boston Emergency Homeless/Migrant Shelters – Gov. Healey has put former Maj. Gen. Catfish Rice in charge of managing the emergency family homeless shelter system.

Boston unoccupied office housing – only 67% of downtown business offices are occupied and a federal program may aid the city in converting the buildings to emergency housing or temporary housing.

It is 17 days until Thanksgiving.

It is 45 days until the first day of winter.