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Homeless in RI: Emergency overnight shelters, hubs opened. Coalition says they cannot keep up.
Two releases were received Monday night after 4 days of intensive media coverage of the need – and the lack – of emergency shelter for the homeless public. The first, from Governor McKee, printed in its entirety, below, noted 3 new hubs – in Newport, Westerly and West Warwick, and 4 existing agencies who will be open overnight. All locations are drop-in, with no referral or CES position needed, and are specific for the frigid winter weather.
This was followed by a press release from the RI Coalition to End Homelessness expressing their urgency about the issue, and saying without additional resources, including more funding, they cannot keep up with the need. That is printed in its entirety, below.
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With a polar vortex expected to hit the state this week, Governor Dan McKee is sharing information about expanded resources, including the activation of emergency winter hubs across Rhode Island to support individuals during this extreme weather.
“The safety of our residents, particularly those most vulnerable, is our top priority as we prepare for this intense cold,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We are ensuring that more resources are available to provide shelter, warmth, and support to those who need it the most.”
The emergency winter hubs, activated through the Municipal Homelessness Support Initiative, will provide additional, overnight capacity to help keep Rhode Islanders safe.
No referral is needed to enter the hubs. Beginning tonight, and extending until the end of the polar vortex, these hubs will be open at the following locations:
Newport: MLK Community Center, 20 Dr. Marcus Wheatland Blvd – Open 24 hrs until March 31, 2025
Westerly: WARM Center, 56 Spruce Street – Open 24 hours during the winter months
West Warwick: West Warwick Civic Center, 101 Factory Street – Open 4:30 pm – 8:00 am until Thursday, January 9, 2025
“These hubs are a critical resource during this polar vortex,” said Secretary of Housing Deborah Goddard. “They are temporary, emergency drop-in centers designed to provide immediate relief to individuals who might otherwise be exposed to the harsh conditions. We are committed to ensuring that these hubs are readily available to help those in need.”
All winter hub operating hours will be updated on the Department of Housing website: Resources | Department of Housing, as they are subject to change.
In addition to these emergency hubs, beginning tonight and lasting until the end of the polar vortex, several existing overnight shelter locations are also available on a drop-in basis. These shelters include:
Crossroads Rhode Island: 162 Broad Street, Providence – Open beginning at 4:00 pm Jan. 6, 2025
Emmanuel House: 239 Public St, Providence – Open 24 hours from Jan. 7th through Jan. 8, 2025
Welcome House of South County: 8 North Road, Peace Dale (South Kingstown) – Open 24 hours
OpenDoors: 1139 Main Street, Pawtucket – Open 24 hours
As Rhode Island braces for the cold, state agencies, municipalities, and community organizations are working together to make sure everyone has access to the support they need to stay safe and warm during this winter weather.
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After the Governor sent out this announcement, the RI Coalition to End Homelessness sent this out about the status of the CES system, currently under fire for hours long wait times and un- or understaffed hours.
Homeless System at capacity, and freezing temperatures make the need for a Public Health Emergency necessary
The Coordinated Entry System (CES) Help Center, run by the RI Coalition to End Homelessness, serves as a critical access point for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, and is currently experiencing sporadic periods with longer wait times because of the bottleneck in the system.
There are not enough beds to refer people to – and not enough staff members to handle the increasingly high call volume.
Agents are staying on calls for longer than 5 minutes to try to refer people to resources when there are no shelter beds available. Simply, the number of people experiencing homelessness have sharply increased, and there are not enough shelter beds.
In recent years, the number of calls from people seeking assistance through CES has grown 99.5% over
the last 4 years (103,911 calls in 2024), driven by rising homelessness and economic hardships due to RI’s housing crisis, all while we have had insufficient shelter options to refer people to.
As more individuals and families face housing instability, the call center has been overwhelmed by the higher demand, leading to delays in connecting callers with essential resources.
In the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Annual Homelessness
Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress in December 2024, RI ranked 3rd in the nation for largest change to number of veterans experiencing homelessness per capita. Additionally, Rhode Island was also ranked 6th highest in the nation for people per capita experiencing homelessness.
The root cause of the increased wait times is clear: there are not enough staff members available to
meet the growing call volume and staff need to stay on the line longer with people to connect them to
resources when shelter beds are not available. Additionally, CES staff have to stay on calls longer to map out the navigation of resources that will help people survive while living outdoors in freezing
temperatures.
Despite the rising demand, CES has not received adequate funding to expand staffing, leaving the existing team to manage a heavy workload with limited resources. With fewer personnel available to answer calls, wait times have stretched, making it more difficult for individuals in urgent need of assistance to access help.
“Many of the individuals who call our CES call center are in crisis, and long wait times can have serious
consequences,” said Kim Simons, Executive Director at the RI Coalition to End Homelessness, the
organization that is charged to manage CES. “We need more low-barrier shelter beds, more winter
warming centers and more staff to ensure that people experiencing homelessness can quickly connect to the services they need. Without sufficient funding, we simply cannot keep up with the increasing
demand.”
The CES call center staff plays a vital role in assessing individuals’ needs and connecting them to
appropriate shelter and social services. However, the staff has worked throughout the last few years to
reduce call handle times and streamline the process for callers, including a revised intake assessment
and adding a call back feature.
As call volume continues to grow, the limited number of trained staff is stretched thin, and callers may experience frustration or be forced to wait longer than is acceptable. The organization emphasizes that this issue is not just a temporary inconvenience but a reflection of the urgent need to address an insufficient homeless response system. Without additional resources, the homeless response system and CES will continue to struggle to meet the demand for housing services, leaving individuals vulnerable and at risk of worsening conditions, especially in the winter weather.
“We call on our local, state, and federal policymakers to recognize the need for emergency shelter and
affordable housing,” said Kim Simons, Executive Director at the RI Coalition to End Homelessness. “The
lack of a statewide plan to end homelessness and a lack of funding to meet the current need will result in people freezing to death in the coming days. Stand outside for an hour and see how it feels. Then
picture sleeping out there for days with no hope for relief.”
To address the current challenge, The RI Coalition to End Homelessness is urging leaders to prioritize
funding for emergency shelters, which would improve response times, and provide faster access to the
critical resources that individuals experiencing homelessness require.
For more information about the Coordinated Entry System or to learn how you can help support this vital service, please visit www.rihomeless.org.
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RINewsToday posed questions back to the Coalition, specifically asking what their plans were to get the information out to the homeless public about the Governor’s new emergency drop-in shelter availability. No response to date.
RINewsToday also posed questions to the Governor’s staff asking how he receives his updates on bed availability and the status of services to the homeless public. Staff indicated they will get back to us with this information. No response to date.
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Links to stories RINewsToday has done over the past week: