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Update: Heat Emergency Continues at Charles Place — Seniors Fear Retaliation as Officials Respond (Video)
On Saturday morning, it is 1 degree in Providence with a feel like of 3 below zero. It has been a week since the residents of Charles Place have had sufficient heat as one of two boilers failed.
After RINewsToday’s story on the serious heat issue at Charles Place, and that the failed boiler will not be fully replaced and operational, by management’s estimate, until Friday, February 7th, we continued to reach out to officials at the state and city.
The complaints from residents and volunteers – and the description from city and state officials – do not sound like they are describing the same situation.
We’ll start with a transcribed conference call RINewsToday held with residents, volunteers and the CEO of the DaVinci Center:
We read the responses from the state officials to the residents and they were “not surprised” at how their situation is being described – and also acknowledged that they are afraid to complain due to real concerns of retaliation – many with past experiences with the management company. Here is a collection of comments as told to RINewsToday in this group conference call:
“I have no heat and I have not had hot water for weeks”- 8th floor resident
“I haven’t had hot water for 4 weeks. I use bottled water and heat it up”
“I live on the 2nd floor – I have no hot water and no heat”
“I am on chemo and have to take care of myself – I have no heat – and no hot water – no hot water for weeks, sometimes on and off”.
“We’re putting the oven on and leaving the door open…”
“We have 2 elevators but only 1 is working. If the fire department is here for any reason, that elevator shuts down.”
“Clients are waiting 1-2 hours to get upstairs because of the elevators – if people are moving things in and out we take the stairs but many have walkers and wheelchairs or electric scooters, and they have to wait.”
We were told that RI Legal Services will be gathering individual complaints to protect people who were hesitant to do so.
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On Thursday RINewsToday notified NBC10 about the issue – often visuals (photos and on-scene video) tells the story in a way print can’t adequately capture. NBC10 thanked us for the information – and on Friday they filed this report:
NBC10 News Report on Friday, Jan. 30th, with Devin Bates reporting:
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From Norma Gonzalez, CEO of DaVinci Center – “people are fearing retaliation – since the issue has been made public, we’ve seen fewer people coming over here because they are afraid”.
Tonight Norma and her volunteers will be cooking and prepared to offer residents who want to come over for a hot meal companionship, support and a respite from the stress of living in their current situation.
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Here are responses received from our inquiries – as well as our original article:
From Christine Hunsinger, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at RI Housing: “We are aware of the situation and have been in touch with the property manager. They report that while one of the boilers needs to be replaced (and they have a plan to do that by next Friday) the units have heat and that temperatures are being maintained between 65 and 75 degrees in the units. They have supplied electric heaters to those who need their unit to be warmer. Additionally, Providence code enforcement has visited the site, both yesterday and today, and report that all three buildings have heat and hot water. – Only 8 tenants have asked for heaters but there’s plenty more if anyone wants or needs one. The temperature readings that were taken at the site in hallways and units were all 66 or above. The primary heater is not operating at full capacity, but it is operating.”
From Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon to RINewsToday: “I saw you emailed me earlier this morning about the Charles Place issue. Please see the below update RI Housing provided me about the work they are doing to help residents. I provided this info to [those] who asked me to reach out and advocate for the residents. I’ll continue to be in touch with RI Housing to see how I can assist going into another cold weekend, both as a senator for the area and as chair of the Senate’s Committee on Housing and Municipal Government.” Notably, Sen. Bissaillon did go to the building and visited several floors.
- From Amy Rainone, Director of Government Relations & Policy, RI Housing – to Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon: “I’m reaching out to give you an update on an issue involving the Charles Place development which you may have already heard about. As you know, Charles Place is a 200 unit senior section 8 development in Providence. One of the two boilers serving the building is not functioning properly. The building is not without heat but some of the apartments are only able to maintain 65 degrees in the unit. These units have been provided electrical heaters from management. There are currently 20 heaters on site and an additional 30 heaters are scheduled to arrive today.
- The management company has executed a contract to install a new boiler. The boiler will arrive tomorrow, with installation beginning early next week and an anticipated completion date of next Friday. The management company has also partnered with the DaVinci Center to offer additional support. Between the hours of 8am – 8pm, Charles Place residents have been invited to their community area, where they DaVinci Center will be providing food and snacks to those who may be hungry or in need.
- We are in close communications with property management as the work to fully restore heating to Charles Place continues. Please let us know if you are hearing from tenants with specific urgent needs that are not being addressed. Thank you!”
From Josh Estrella, City of Providence, Mayor’s Office: “Department of Inspection and Standards has inspected this location upon hearing that there may be a lack of heat in the buildings from community members. Upon inspection, the primary heat in the building was not operating at full capacity, the management company provided additional heating to tenants until the primary system it fully functional. The department will continue to inspect, should the office receive any complaints from tenants.”
No response from Rep. Edith Ajello, rep for that section of Providence.
No call back from the Providence Fire Dept. who said they would let us know about the space heater situation.
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Fear of Retaliation
People who rely on housing, care, or fixed benefits often hesitate to complain because they fear retaliation that could jeopardize their stability—such as eviction, rent increases, loss of services, or subtle harassment. Seniors are especially vulnerable: many live on fixed incomes, have limited mobility or legal support, and worry that speaking up will label them as “troublemakers.” Studies show this fear is widespread in senior and subsidized housing, even when laws formally prohibit retaliation, because enforcement can be slow and residents fear immediate consequences long before protections take effect.
The AARP reports and surveys document fear of retaliation among older adults in housing and care settings, including reluctance to report unsafe or substandard conditions.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which funds what is often still referred to as “Section 8 Housing” said this — Fair Housing guidance explicitly acknowledges retaliation fears as a barrier to reporting violations, particularly in subsidized and senior housing.
The National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) says their research on tenant protections notes that low-income and elderly tenants often do not assert rights due to fear of eviction or non-renewal, despite legal safeguards.
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RInewsToday story on Jan. 29th:
Heat Emergency for Seniors and Disabled Residents at Providence 10-story, 200 unit Charles Place; Repairs a Week Away
Today, RINewsToday learned that residents living in the 200 apartment units at Charles Place, a 10-story building at 460 Charles Street in Providence had no or insufficient heat for the last several days.
Charles Place is familiarly identified as “Section 8” – housing for the elderly and disabled — and managed by Wingate Companies.
Our source described the situation for the residents as:
“They are freezing, uncomfortable, and stressed. No consistent hot water to wash or bathe. Some are using their stove to keep warm; others are using electric heaters — and need blankets to keep warm. They have been informed by the management company that the condition won’t be fixed until at least next Friday. Apparently, the problem has been going on and off for a few weeks — but now the weather is so cold, making the situation worse.”
In speaking to another source familiar with the heating issue – “we were told that the building has two boilers and one is not working and scheduled to be replaced “next week” – the other unit is not capable of pushing the heat to an acceptable level for the entire building. Space heaters are in use by some residents in their apartments.”
It was not clear who provided the residents with space heaters for their apartments, but it appears to be the management company.
For Thursday night, the DaVinci Center, located directly next door, opened up to provide safe heating and food for whoever needed to come over – and was set to close at 8pm.
We contacted the Governor’s office and the Mayor’s office and at publication we were awaiting their response.
The property management company – Wingate – has an emergency maintenance person on-call but corporate could only be reached during “regular business hours”.
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A source provided a statement from Sen. Sheldon Whitehouses’s office, who had been notified:
“We just heard back from property management, and this is what they said:
“I want to provide an update on the steps being taken to support residents and address the concerns.
At this time, we have 20 heaters on site and are available for residents who are in need. An additional 30 heaters are scheduled to arrive tomorrow to further ensure resident comfort and safety.
We have partnered with the DaVinci Center to offer additional support. Between the hours of 8am – 8pm, residents are welcome to relax in the community area, where the DaVinci Center will be providing food and snacks to those who may be hungry or in need.
In addition, we have executed a contract with our HVAC company to install a new boiler. The boiler will arrive tomorrow, with installation will beginning early next week and an anticipated completion date of Friday. This work is being prioritized to provide a long-term solution and improve system reliability. We will continue to monitor conditions closely.”
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Providence Fire Department
The Providence Fire Department was informed and asked when a large building like this that serving a special population loses heat if space heaters are a safe solution. We are awaiting return comment from them.
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DaVinci Center steps up
The DaVinci Center will stay open until 8pm as a “warming center” Thursday night —- and the Executive Director, Norma Gonzalez, and her staff/volunteers will prepare some evening food. The Center has a history of helping out for the homeless last year and the year before. At last check, over 60 people were served an evening meal.
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Housing advocates and homeless advocates are working together to notify the agencies and officials who should be notified. But for most, today was the first day they had heard of the situation.
This is a developing story