PROVIDENCE – With the closure of the Cranston Street Armory emergency shelter on Monday, the state announced additional shelter options to serve around 100 Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness.
The 100 new shelter openings follow an announcement last week that a Motel 6 in Warwick would provide beds for 55 of the individuals who had been staying at the armory, although the openings are not set aside specifically for people previously staying in the building, according to the R.I. Department of Housing.
In addition to the Motel 6, one Woonsocket and two North Smithfield hotels will provide 40 additional rooms collectively, overseen by the Woonsocket nonprofit Community Care Alliance. The housing department did not specify which hotels will be used.
Crossroads Rhode Island will provide another 10 beds at its Broad Street location, while Emmanuel House in Providence will provide another 20 beds. All locations begin accepting new occupants Monday.
In Monday’s announcement, the Department of Housing said that “further expansions of Rhode Island’s emergency shelter capacity are being pursued on an ongoing basis, such as shelter options in Burrillville for 10 families, and more sites are being explored and considered.”
The Cranston Street Armory opened as a temporary shelter in late 2022 and has since served over 700 individuals, according to Eric Hirsch, a professor at Providence College and member of the Rhode Island Homeless Advocacy Project.
At its peak during the winter, the building sheltered around 200 people, according to the housing department, and continued to serve around 150 individuals as recently as early May.
Jacquelyn Voghel is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Voghel@PBN.com.
