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Homeless in RI: State shelter/housing plan for winter coming TODAY. Woonsocket discord.
RINewsToday has learned that the state’s Housing Department will release its plan TODAY – this morning – to address homelessness for the winter months. The plan will address emergency shelter and other housing options. The announcement will be made with partners, including religious groups. Some churches and temples tried to do emergency shelters a few years ago, but that plan fell flat and was abandoned, except for city churches that already were doing this as part of their mission.
Stay tuned for the plan, here.
For months since Stefan Pryor took over the department he has said shelter beds are needed, but they are also working on housing that could transition to permanent housing. They have said that shelter beds will be increased by 25% over last year. Presently, even in non-winter months, shelter beds are 90% occupied.
Pryor has talked about engaging with local cities and towns about placing temporary small housing units in their locations, and has met with almost uniform resistance. Those who have been approved for housing vouchers often find no vacancies are available in the area they want to use them.
Memorial Hospital
A few weeks ago Michael Mota called a local radio talk show and said that he has renovated the hospital building and it is good to go to house those in need, but that no one in the state will talk to him. Notably, Memorial is embroiled in lawsuits to the point where clear ownership of the building cannot even be determined. A quick look at the outside of the building leaves doubt that it could be used anytime soon.
Governor McKee
Speaking on WPRO’s Matt Allen Show: Listen in to 15:16 when the Governor and Matt Allen discuss homeless issues – key points being a call to evaluate the homeless advocacy groups for their effectiveness – this year the list of people on the waiting list and locations of encampments will be required, and kept confidential:
Stefan Pryor, RI Housing and Dan Yorke:
They discuss the 25% increase in beds for the winter, including shelter beds. Working with service providers to find new sites, working with municipal leaders to find locations for new shelters and warming centers, with new sites identified, expansion of pre-existing sites, also providing alliances with faith leaders – across denominations (Episcopal, Jewish, Catholic, etc). “It’s really happppening”. Quite the discussion and critique about the homeless advocacy agencies. “If we have a contract with them, we’re going to hold them accountable.”
Woonsocket
Last week, Woonsocket Mayor Baldelli visited 3 known homeless encampments. Governor McKee joined her as well as city officials. While visiting they came upon the first area with 2 men and bags of cocaine and drug paraphenalia, weapons including a loaded gun, and a large amount of cash. Woonsocket police arrested the two individuals:
From WPRI: “Richard Bittner, 30, and Junior Martinez, 53, were taken into custody Friday after officers found a loaded 9mm ghost gun and a Glock 9mm magazine, a loaded Colt 38 special revolver, bags of crack cocaine and other drug trafficking paraphernalia, knives, and a large amount of cash. The men were staying at the homeless encampment under the Hamlet Bridge.” Both men were charged with possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance, conspiracy, carrying without a license or permit to carry a concealed pistol or revolver (ghost gun), possession of prohibited large-capacity feeding devices, and possession of a firearm while delivering or manufacturing. Martinez was also charged with possession of firearm of person convicted of a violent crime. Police said both men had previous narcotics charges.”
The second homeless encampment was empty except for trash. The third encampment contained drugs and guns.
Baldelli critiques CCA
Baldelli, in a rare critique of the city’s main social service agency serving the homeless population and those with drug addictions said, as quoted in a Valley Breeze article: “The time has come to focus on Lessing [Benjamin Lessing CCA’s CEO] and CCA’s programs and their lack of effectiveness, said Baldelli-Hunt. He may be good in certain areas and social service programs, but he hasn’t been effective in making a dent in the problem of homelessness.” She went on to say that “she’s the one putting up families at hotel rooms or helping to get them jobs when they leave CCA after being told that there’s no room or money to help. It’s time to shift money to someone else who wants to try something else”.
Lessing said, in the VB article: Lessing said “…CCA receives very little funding from the city, and very little is invested by the city into social services or behavioral health.
Baldelli said, “One false narrative that should be dispelled is that housing solves homelessness… The people in these encampments don’t have the life skills to be able to get their trash to the city garbage can, never mind pay rent and hold a job to be able to afford it.
Lessing responded that “housing is absolutely a solution that any number of experts agree on, but the mayor continues to believe that most homeless should be in inpatient services… “institutionalization is not the answer” and was discarded decades ago. There also aren’t enough inpatient beds.”
When reached, Lessing said his board of directors was going to release a statement in reaction to Baldelli’s comments – as of today no statement has been received.
Where’s the Dignity Bus?
According to Woonsocket City Councilor Valerie Gonzalez, “the bus contract negotiations with CCA & the church were just recently finalized. CCA had already hired staff but relocated it them to another department because of the time lapse. They have recently reposted and are conducting interviews. Now that the contracts are finished we can introduce the zoning ordinance to allow the operation to begin. The first passage will be at our October meeting. The second meeting is on the 16th. It is expected to pass unanimously. I hate that it has taken this long (especially on hot, rainy or cold days)…. the day can’t come soon enough.”
More on Florida’s Dignity Bus from The Source
The success of the Dignity Bus has drawn attention from other states and as of now, Illinois, Georgia, and one more state have ordered buses to help with their emergency shelter needs!
CES System no system at all
Gonzalez also commented on the Coordinated Entry System (CES) which is the state’s priority system for filling shelter beds throughout the entire state. She explains, “Any shelter receiving funding from the state is required to use this system. Facilities sometimes have people in need outside their doors, but they are unable to help since they need to reserve a bed for someone from another city. This makes it hard for municipalities to serve their own.
Furthermore, it seems as though they are reluctant to build more housing solutions, fearing an influx of unhoused. This was one of the major reasons why we were glad to own the Dignity Bus and have funding through the RI Foundation. Back in April, I represented our Community Partnership Task Force before The Continuum of Care (the board that makes recommendations to HUD) requesting regionalization, a set aside so that municipalities directly address the needs in their communities. I was told that this conversation had been happening for over 20 years – and would not happen. A work group was formed by the COC. We met weekly from May to Aug and submitted our proposal to HUD at the end of Aug. [HUD regulations on a CES system apply]. On Friday Sept 8th, I was notified that HUD approved a standard set aside of 25% for all existing shelters and up to 75% for any new developments.
Gonzalez continues, “I’ve been mainly meeting with their Statewide Coordinated Entry System Director, Rebecca Rathmell. This has taken so much time to achieve. I’m glad to give it, but it can be challenging with all the additional responsibilities I have. This is why in our task force we are only taking 2 initiatives at a time. Next, we are addressing recovery solutions.”
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“Marriot Man”
The homeless man who lived near the Orms St. exit off Route 95, called by some “Marriot Man” has relocated to a median behind the Providence Place Mall and is beginning to put back together a set up of signs, chairs, tarps, etc. It is between Harris Ave & Promenade. Now he says he does not want housing, he is conducting a demonstration. So far, even though this is state land, he remains there, with no attempt to move him.
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Boston’s Mass & Cass – editorial from Boston Globe:
“Mass. and Cass shows the failure of progressive drug policies.
Mass. and Cass is a humanitarian tragedy with multiple causes. It’s partly the confluence of a mental health crisis, addiction, a local housing shortage, and the spread of fentanyl.
The underlying reasons are complex, but when the encampments endure, it’s because cities let them, under the influence of progressive ideological orthodoxies about drugs and crime that took root in part as a reaction to war-on-drugs excesses.
Such “harm reduction’’ strategies are rooted in good intentions. Proponents generally contend that arresting people or forcing them into treatment will backfire. They cite research that says overdoses and overdose deaths follow police sweeps of encampments. But can the harms that would supposedly come from a heavier police hand really be worse than the nightmare Mass. and Cass has become, especially for the people living there?
We need to be honest about the shortcomings of the progressive approach — for surrounding neighborhoods, but also for vulnerable addicted people themselves.
At Mass. and Cass, the decision not to crack down on tents has given criminals free rein to prey on the encampment’s inhabitants. “The police are hamstrung from doing anything,’’ says former Boston Police Department Commissioner Ed Davis. Since police cannot enter the structures due to city orders and a regulation stating they must give 48 hours notice, these shield human trafficking, drug dealing, and violence.
The homeless at Mass. and Cass suffer the most from the status quo. Though the city offers street health care and recovery services, being surrounded by addicts and dealers can only impede recovery. If they were able to disperse the camp, with proper housing available, police and service providers could continue their compassionate work on an individual basis to help people get into shelter and treatment programs.
Given the safety threats that homeless encampments pose to their inhabitants and local residents, it’s no wonder that some progressive cities have reached their breaking point. “
The Boston Globe
On Aug. 28, Wu took a small step in the right direction. She introduced an ordinance to the City Council to “establish a prohibition against unsanctioned use of tents, tarps, and similar temporary structures’’ on public property at Mass. and Cass that has since stalled in the City Council.
But without decisive law enforcement at the encampment, there will never be any incentive to move the vulnerable off the streets and into treatment or the power to arrest criminals who prey on the situation.
“I just would encourage people who have very liberal views on this to understand that they are sacrificing a whole group of people in the city to a horrible life, because there’s no leverage to get them the treatment that they need,’’ says Davis.
Until there is decisive, urgent action, Del Rio’s lament will continue to be a reality at Mass. and Cass — more people will get hurt, and all on the city’s watch. – Carine Hajjar, Boston Globe (https://epaper.bostonglobe.com/infinity/article_popover_share.aspx?guid=30993e68-c031-4387-a720-62ef893c76bc)
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Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project
One of the key homeless “advocates” group, headed by director Eric Hirsch, says there is not nearly enough shelter beds going into cooler weather. He estimates the state is short by 536 beds, at this time. The group recently organized a protest outside of Providence Mayor Smiley’s office for clearing encampments “without a plan” to house them. About a week ago there were 90% of shelter beds full. Shockingly there were 208 people in households – with children – yet DCYF does not seem involved in helping these families. DCYF told RINewsToday last year if housing insecurity was the only issue to lead a family towards having their chilld(ren) removed, then they could access their own emergency fund to place them.
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Most recent articles on homeless in Rhode Island:
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