Homeless in RI: Mayor Grebien says replicating the Dignity Bus work here would be phenomenal

Yesterday, RINewsToday featured a story on the visit of Pawtucket’s Mayor Don Grebien to Vero, Florida to view The Dignity Bus program at The Source.

“RI News Today has been covering homelessness in Rhode Island now for some time and we all recognize the challenge. As you know, municipalities in RI do not provide homeless services, but we work with the State and our non-profit community to facilitate as best as we can.

Replicating the work that The Source does in Florida here in Rhode Island would be phenomenal, and I am hopeful that some of our nonprofits could evolve into similar wraparound service providers.

The Source’s operation was incredibly impressive. They provide their members with job training, mental and emotional health services, multiple pathways to access housing or shelter of some kind, and other programming that is centered around the community. I was grateful to witness this firsthand and will work with our local nonprofits to encourage them to adopt similar best practices.

As to the potential acquisition of one or more Dignity Buses, the City of Pawtucket has great interest and will be working with the Housing Secretary’s office as well as local nonprofits to see if this is something we can make work here in Pawtucket.

We are also in regular contact with other municipal leaders around the state and through the League of Cities and Towns to ensure that these solutions are not considered in a vacuum. There are a number of logistical and policy matters that need to be considered if we are going to make that investment, but I am confident that if we all work together we could implement such a solution successfully.”

What is The Source? – more than a bus, they say:

The Source began in 1995 as a homeless ministry serving free meals and offering Bible Study in a 600 sq. ft. storefront in Vero Beach. Twenty-seven years later we have grown into a 5,000 sq. ft. facility; a community outreach resource center located at 1015 Commerce Avenue, open seven days a week. Our Dignity programs address the complex needs of the homeless and poor who find their way to The Source. Our purpose is to offer assistance; including hot meals with restaurant-style service; clothing; counseling; support groups; hygiene items; showers; mail and telephone services; and benefit referrals.

The Source’s Dignity Buses, the first of its kind in the county, provide emergency shelter. One bus sleeps 20 individuals and the second bus sleeps 16.; both buses operate 365 nights a year. Our Dining with Dignity Program offers free hands-on culinary training and food and beverage safety, preparing students for employment in the hospitality industry. Students are required to pass the State of Florida’s SafeServ exam and upon graduation they will receive certification of successful completion of the program. After graduating from our Dining with Dignity program, students can take advantage of our Dignity Smiles program, receiving free dental work from area dentists who offer their services at no charge. Some of our members also take advantage of our Dignity Jobs program to earn a dignified income. We promote family reunification and assist many members in reuniting with their families.

The Source operates one Dignity Bus in Vero, another coming to Palm Bay, and has sold a bus to Woonsocket, in Ohio, and is about to open a third bus in Florida. They have developed a “Tool Kit” to help others implement the program.

When the bus came to Woonsocket, along with it was The Source’s CEO, Anthony Zorbaugh, and a staff familiar with the bus and implementing the program, all formerly homeless.

While there is a ministry basis of The Source, the bus provided to Woonsocket was painted solid white with the script “Dignity Bus R.I.” painted from one end to the other.

Follow “Homeless in RI” with RINewsToday at: https://rinewstoday.com/?s=homeless+in+ri%3A

This is a developing story