Update: Homeless in RI – Shelter beds or no beds. Depends who you ask. And when.

It was a routine “Ask the Governor” segment on WPRO with Gene Valicenti on Friday morning. As Governor McKee was updating Valicenti about the status of the Pallet Shelters, he went on to address shelter bed availability, saying that beds were available to anyone who needed one “if they make the call” – and even saying that one homeless shelter provider is operating at only 66% capacity.

Here is that interview: Jump on at 27.40 to hear that segment.

The transcript:

DM: 176 units are being built by Crosssroads that are going to be opening up. We purchased Charlesgate with over 200 beds that will be opening up. We have MORE BEDS today, thann we’ve ever had in the state of Rhode Island… all our beds are not even filled right now.

GV: You have shelter beds open tonight for anyone whose homeless, who needs a bed tonight, to stay warm.

DM: If the call is made, there are beds right now.

GV: You have a surplus of beds available, you said?

DM: I’m told that one of the providers is only up to 66%, and that was just yesterday.

Gene seemed to ask the question a variety of ways, as if to give the Governor a way to clarify what he meant, but did not push further.

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The Call for a RI State of Emergency & Public Health Crisis

Eric Hirsch, advocate leader for the homeless – noted on an NBC10 interview that last year 54 people died in Rhode Island last year who were homeless. Last week 1 person died in the back of a U-Haul who was homeless.

Hirsch reinforces the calls of others asking Governor McKee to declare a State of Emergency on homelessness in Rhode Island now – or a Public Health Emergency.

Providence City Councilor Justin Roias also has called on the Governor to declare a State of Emergency, asking for the Pallet Shelters to be immediately opened. He went on to say about the radio interview and the Governor’s claims of more than enough shelter beds: “…his response was nothing short of appalling. He laughed. He scoffed. He dismissed the urgent reality that people in our state are literally freezing to death. Providers who work directly with the Coordinated Entry System will tell you the truth—our shelters are stretched to their breaking points while ECHO Village sits empty.” 

Continuing, Roias said, “Every night the Governor delays, more people are at risk of dying in the cold. This isn’t a game. This isn’t political theater. This is life and death. Right now, 45 warm beds sit empty at Echo Village. All it takes is one signature—just one moment of leadership—to open them and save lives. And yet, Governor McKee does nothing. When people die on our streets this winter—and they will—it will be because of his refusal to act. Leadership means stepping up in a crisis, not laughing it off. Governor McKee, history will remember your failure, but more importantly, so will the families of those who freeze to death under your watch. Do your job. Lives depend on it.”

Street Sights’ publisher, Janice Luongo, writes in her newsletter (to be published in its entirety on Monday, HERE, next week: “The lights are on at the RI State House, but who is working for our Unhoused friends?” Luongo’s article says, “The people in charge – elected officials and their appointees, just don’t care about human life. There is no plan, no vision, no leadership, no direction, there is only death, despair and criminalization. When will this madness end?

Street Sights call to action: The 2025 Legislative Session starts on January 7. Contact your state representatives and senators today to demand immediate action on homelessness. If we really want to eliminate homelessness we all need to work together, speak up and demand that Gov. McKee make ending homelessness a priority! Call the State House (401-222-2983) or, if you want to get more involved, contact [email protected].

We also learned that the City of Providence did not apply for funds to set up Warming Shelters for this winter.

On Friday we contacted several people at the RI Coalition to End Homelessness. We also tried to get through on the CES line and were on hold for over 2 hours. We wrote to the senior and communications staff. We received 3 out of office messages, and then this from a senior person at the agency:

“This is a particularly challenging time of year. Our senior staff has taken time off at various times during the holidays. We wouldn’t be available to adequately speak to the details regarding the Governor’s statement today. My apologies for the inconvenience this may cause you in writing your story. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

We said that her words would be her quote. She came back and said she would prefer not to be quoted. We asked further questions, and provided a deadline, and are not giving her name at this time. She attempted to reach us later in the day for a phone call.

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Governor’s Office

Governor’s Office did not respond to our request to clarify why he believes one agency is at only 66% capacity and why there is a bed for anyone who needs one.

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RI Department of Housing

Emily Marshall, Chief of Information and Public Relations, at Rhode Island Department of Housing was contacted with a noon deadline. She acknowledged the request, and responded after the deadline with this statement: “It is accurate that there are available beds in a number of shelters right now, as you can see from the latest daily utilization report from this morning (attached). However, it’s important to understand that this report is a snapshot in time. It is also important to note that some beds are for specific populations, such as for families. 

Here is the utilization report she provided – albeit not user friendly – we suggest downloading it and enlarging it to browse the data.

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Tara Granahan on WPRO

Tara, in the 9am to noon segment on WPRO radio, picked up the story at approximately 11:10am Friday morning and will, no doubt, be following up on Monday – she also calling the Governor’s office, the Coalition on Homeless, and receiving word that there is a mother with 4 children who is currently homeless. She gave the Governor’s office until noon to respond, and as we go to press, there has been no response. A mother with four children had no shelter and she was in touch with someone who is advocating on their behalf.

She called Crossroads at the request of a caller who works in the system and was told there are no beds, but even if they were, people have to come from the CES waiting list.

Later in the day, Tara posted that she was also sent the convoluted table as an answer to “are there shelter beds available” – and no agency would identify who was only at 66% use, instead referring back to the CES hotline, with the 2+ hour wait.

Temps are expected to fall to the teens by Monday. Saturday morning it was 26 degrees.

650 people are estimated to be living outside right now – 100 more than this time last year.

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Steve Ahlquist at Substack followed up with a story after hearing the interview.

Read his story here:

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IMAGINE THERE’S NO BOTTOM
by Rev. Duane Clinker, Pastor
Open Table of Christ, United Methodist Church, Providence, Rhode Island, 12/24
The freezing happens slowly at first. There are no shelter beds open to you. Your tent and meager belongings were destroyed weeks ago by the authorities in violation of the RI Homeless Bill of Rights. It is night and you are cold. You try to just keep moving to stay warm. Then a sharp wind begins. It quickly cuts through anything you have found to wear. It goes right to the bones. The shivering starts, spreads quickly. You can’t stop it. Your whole body shakes. You’ve got to get inside, but all doors are closed to you now. There is no rescue.

Then the whip of the wind begins its final work, lashing at you. Your feet and hands hurt and then go numb. Your fingers don’t work. Then the shivering stops and you realize your body is freezing. You have already tried everything. You couldn’t walk it off. That doorway didn’t help stop the wind. That dumpster is locked. You can’t break into the back of that truck. The terror and disorientation takes over. The heart slows, it seems the nerves themselves freeze, in what almost feels like comfort before the end.

We who are older, remember what young and middle-age adults have never experienced: a time when unhoused persons were rare on public streets. a time before people begging at intersections were a common sight. It was in those days there was still a kind of safety net for the people. If the unthinkable disease, or job loss, or disability happened, your economic fall might be stopped before you hit the street. You might at least be able to rent a low cost public housing unit to help you survive.

Now, such things are all but forgotten. Today the historic and economic causes of the housing crisis are ignored. Cuts in government housing programs began in earnest in the 1980s. In the 1990s perhaps the biggest fell quietly. The US government banned new HUD public housing units from being built, basically leaving things to the “free market.” But free-markets seek the highest profit, and there are more profits in expensive housing than in poor.

Now, mega-wealth balloons at the top while any effective actions on the problems at the bottom are endlessly postponed in avalanches meetings with no action. And so, the wealthy gain new power to take even more. Today most young working people cannot even dream of affording a home. (When did that become acceptable)? Now, any of us who experience a job loss or health failure may find ourselves caught in economic free fall. Prices for rentals skyrocket.

Our supposed moral compass as a society has been reset by government by the rich to navigate us away from the “common good.” Instead it points to the right of excessive wealth by the few at the expense of the all. A kind of moral cord, a certain human and social obligation, (always frayed in the
best of times), has completely snapped.

Our state is in moral free fall. There are not nearly enough shelter beds for the unhoused and the waiting list for new homeless seems endless, and the Governor refuses to act.

Even the few new shelter beds already built are left unoccupied as people huddle in the cold, because of pointless delays. The governor won’t work to cut the red tape. With nowhere but the street left, the governor permits the raiding and seizing of personal property and the destruction of temporary tents. The governor refuses to enforce Homeless Bill of Rights.

Vacant public buildings are available for remodeling as emergency shelter that could provide the hundreds of extra emergency shelter beds needed now. The Governor refuses to act.

In the midst skyrocketing rents, and evictions. Families live in terror of losing the ability to find housing of any type. Cities and towns refuse to open up zoning to allow more real low income housing and the governor fails to act.

The housing shortage threatens the life and well being of thousands. People will freeze and will die from sickness made worse by the street. Living without shelter can take decades off the lives even of those that survive. The Governor’s Department of Health doesn’t even identify and count the deaths caused by the crisis.

Is it we who have gone numb?
RI Governor McKee won’t declare a state of emergency to give him the power to effectively address this problem. This RI wealth-system pushes new people onto the street daily. We are in a time of great danger, and not just for those now unhoused. The governor won’t act.

We are all at risk unless WE do.
And, if not there will soon be no bottom to how far we can fall.

This is a developing story.

Our story yesterday:

Homeless in RI: There are no beds. But, Gov. McKee on WPRO, “Beds are available right now”.