On Dec. 7, people who have been sleeping outside in tents were given 48 hours to vacate the State House grounds or face fines or arrest. But some legal experts say the governor’s decision could be “criminalizing homelessness.”

The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness estimates that there are 80+ encampments across the state and that around 385 people are sleeping unhoused, including families with children, every night. Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee, who is actively seeking to evict an encampment on the State House plaza, disputed these numbers on Thursday...

Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee was in Pawtucket at noon today. Uprise RI and other news outlets were on hand to ask about his administration’s efforts to evict a homeless encampment from State House grounds.

Two biggest takeaways?

The Governor felt that the eviction is going “as well as an be expected” and the Governor disputes the number of homeless encampments and unhoused people in the state that is being given to him by providers...

In the afternoon after the news broke that the Administration of Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee was forcibly evicting people camping on State House grounds, Caitlin Frumerie, Executive Director at Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness spoke to the press to advocate for more resources for Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Gov. Dan McKee’s office has banned camping outside the Rhode Island State House, according to a spokesperson.

On Wednesday, the McKee administration began notifying individuals living on State House grounds that they must leave within 48 hours.

According to the governor’s office, outreach workers are coordinating with individuals to set them up in shelters and store their belongings...

“The claim is that they will be given shelter, but I don’t see how that is possible,” said PC professor Eric Hirsch, co-chair of the state’s Homeless Management Information System Steering Committee...