As winter weather sets in, Rhode Island is ramping up its efforts to provide emergency shelter space. But while these short-term facilities serve an important purpose, observers say, the state needs to focus on long-term housing and prevention to combat surging homelessness rates.
“The goal is to move from shelter-based to housing-based in the long-term,” said Brenda Clement, executive director of HousingWorks RI at Roger Williams University. “But you do need to have interim steps to not leave anyone behind or out in the cold.”
Among those interim steps, the state purchased the former Charlesgate Nursing Center for nearly $7 million for use as an emergency shelter, with the nonprofit Amos House overseeing operations. The shelter quickly reached full capacity when it opened in June, said Jessica Salter, the nonprofit’s chief philanthropy and communications officer. It has remained full, currently accommodating 41 families.
Providence-based homelessness services nonprofit Crossroads Rhode Island has also opened additional shelter spaces, said CEO Karen Santilli. But, like Clement, Santilli noted this step as “something that is necessary right now, but it’s not the solution. ... People are still homeless when they’re in a shelter.”
Crossroads is ramping up its efforts to keep people housed – particularly those in immediate danger of becoming homeless, such as residents who are nearing an eviction deadline. One initiative focuses on “housing problem-solving,” Santilli said, which emphasizes rapid resolutions for people who are newly homeless, or about to become homeless.
The initiative, which draws from a mix of federal and state money and donations, sometimes provides residents with one-time financial support, such as money for a security deposit, utilities or first month’s rent.
But other times, Santilli said, the program involves nonmonetary assistance, such as Crossroads mediating a conversation between a tenant and landlord in response to a rent hike – “creative problem-solving around the situation,” she said.
While the need for housing, shelter and affordable housing remains dire, Santilli and Clement both say they’re encouraged by recent state efforts to address the crisis, such as the fiscal 2023 budget’s $250 million allocation toward housing, and the passage of a legislative package last session intended to foster affordable housing.
When reached for comment, Patti Doyle, a spokesperson for the R.I. Department of Housing, provided a press release highlighting these efforts, as well as additional data on housing production and other initiatives. For instance, the department has established a program to provide Rhode Islanders with legal assistance when facing eviction.
As to whether emergency efforts will provide enough beds to reach those in need, Santilli says it’s too early to say. But over the years, the number of Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness has surged. HousingWorks RI’s 2023 Fact Book, released in October, noted a 72% increase in homelessness within the state since 2019.
And in June, the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness reported 555 Rhode Islanders were on a waitlist for shelter.
Salter anticipates that the need will only continue to increase as winter progresses. The nonprofit is adding another floor of beds to accommodate 16 additional families at Charlesgate in the next two weeks.
“Based on the number of families currently waiting for housing on the Coordinated Entry System, we anticipate that as soon as those new rooms are added, they will be filled,” she said. “Each time a family moves out and into housing, another family from the CES list moves in.” n