Homeless in RI: OpenDoors Woonsocket Shelter set to remain Open, Expand to 75 Beds

Extended lease will allow shelter to expand capacity and continue serving Woonsocket residents

New one-year lease agreement awaits final City Council approval in September

The OpenDoors homeless shelter at 181 Cumberland Street in Woonsocket is expected to remain open for another year and expand from 50 to 75 beds under a new agreement reached by the organization and the city.

The amended lease must still receive final approval from the Woonsocket City Council, which is expected to consider it at its September meeting.

The agreement follows an August 17 council meeting at which shelter residents, community members and advocates urged city officials to keep the facility open. OpenDoors had previously notified shelter residents and employees that it planned to close the facility if the organization and the city could not agree on new lease terms.

Under the proposed agreement:

• OpenDoors will be permitted to add 25 beds, increasing the shelter’s capacity to 75 people.
• The city will direct a portion of its opioid settlement funding toward shelter operations and services for people struggling with addiction.
• OpenDoors will use money from its state-funded project budget to make improvements to the city-owned building.
• Planned improvements will include repairs to the building’s elevator and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, which are necessary before the shelter can accommodate additional residents.

No dollar amounts for the opioid settlement funding, building improvements or overall state support were included in the announcement.

“As the mayor of Woonsocket, I see what OpenDoors has done for members of our community,” Mayor Chris Beauchamp said. “It is vital we continue this relationship, as the shelter and the services made available are critical resources to help those in need move towards long-term, stable housing.”

Beauchamp called the arrangement an important partnership among the city, OpenDoors and the state.

Councilwoman Valerie Gonzalez said the debate underscored the difficulty municipalities face when responding to homelessness without sufficient local resources.

“Woonsocket has the heart, but we do not always have the funds,” Gonzalez said. “This conversation is bigger than one lease and bigger than OpenDoors. It is about creating a sustainable partnership in which the state, municipalities and providers share both the responsibility and the cost of meeting needs that extend far beyond the borders of any one community.”

OpenDoors Deputy Director Dina Bruce credited shelter residents and community members with helping bring the parties back to the negotiating table.

“The strong response to that announcement, including the many residents who came forward to share their experiences and speak at the City Council meeting, demonstrated the power of community engagement and what is possible when people show up, make their voices heard and take part in the governmental process,” Bruce said.

Rhode Island’s Executive Office of Housing is funding the project and supported the agreement.

“The City Council, Mayor’s Office and OpenDoors have shown a strong commitment to addressing homelessness in the community,” Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard said. “Together, we are ensuring that Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness have access to a safe place to stay, wraparound services and the support they need to move toward greater stability and permanent housing.”

The agreement provides a one-year extension of the shelter’s lease. Additional details, including the amounts of city and state funding involved and the longer-term future of the Cumberland Street shelter, have not yet been announced.

About Open Doors

OpenDoors is the first and the largest organization in the state dedicated to helping people that have been in prison. In order to provide respond to the growing need, OpenDoors has grown four-fold in the last several years to a staff of around one hundred people. he agency’s programs include our policy and advocacy work, our one-stop Resource Center, our transitional and permanent housing programs, our homeless shelters, and our employment program. OpenDoors programs promote economic self-sufficiency by improving job-readiness, addressing barriers to employment and housing, and supporting addiction recovery.

Photo, top: Downtown Woonsocket Historic District. Photo by Marcbela/Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

RINewsToday recently did a story on Open Doors success story with GLP-1 treatment for addition:

Homeless in RI: Woonsocket Shelter Resident’s Recovery with GLP-1 Treatment – VIDEO