Wilma Smith of Pawtucket stood before a crowd of nearly 200 people at CIC Providence this week and told her story.

She talked about aging out of foster care at 18 with a baby to care for. She explained how they went from shelter to shelter until one day she finally was able to get an apartment in Massachusetts. Things were better for a while, she told the crowd, until the building was sold and the family was back on the street.

Despite historic levels of funding for housing, shelters, and supportive services, rates of homelessness in Rhode Island continued to rise, according to the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness hosted the 2024 State of Homelessness event at the CIC Providence last night.

The evening addressed the current data and outlined solutions to preventing and ending homelessness.

In partnership with the RI Coalition to End Homelessness (RICEH) and Newport Housing Hotline, the Overlap gallery in Newport opened its “No Place Like Home” exhibit, centering around the theme of homelessness, on Saturday. 54 artworks were selected in an array of media and styles, with each artist interpreting what “home” means to them.

I had the honor of being the emcee at the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness’s 2024 State of Homelessness event at the CIC Providence last night. The evening addressed the current data and outlined solutions to preventing and ending homelessness. Board Chair Susan Gunter and Executive Director Kimberly Simmons led the presentation.

Nearly 200 responses were re­ceived to Overlap’s “call for artists” for the exhibition, which runs Nov. 16 to Dec. 21. All works are avail­able for purchase, with 50 percent of proceeds directly benefitting the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness and the Newport Housing Hotline. Artists will re­ceive 50 percent of the sale price.

A show at Overlap Gallery, titled “No Place Like Home,” embraces the vision and memory of home from 47 artists and raise funds for two agencies that fight homeless­ness.

In 2023, the median value of single-family homes in Rhode Island increased by 15.1%, marking the greatest increase in the country, according to a new report from HousingWorks RI.

The Coalition joined RI Elder Info for a Friday Friends podcast episode on elderly homelessness.

The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness held its annual Homeless Memorial service at Mathewson Street United Methodist Church on Thursday, honoring those who have tragically passed while experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island throughout the last year. The memorial provides those who experienced homelessness with these individuals and worked directly with these individuals the opportunity to honor their lives.

An upcoming art exhibition at OVERLAP Gallery in Newport aims to inspire conversation about the meaning of home while raising funds for two local organizations dedicated to housing assistance. Titled “No Place Like Home,” the exhibit will run from November 16 to December 21, 2024, and will feature works by 47 local and regional artists. The gallery, located at 112 Van Zandt Avenue, will host an opening reception on November 16 from 3–5 p.m., where attendees can enjoy refreshments and take part in a raffle.

What is the cost of homelessness in Rhode Island? Do we measure it in dollars, hours, square footage? Or is it measured by sleepless nights, persistent coughs, uncertain futures? The reasons Rhode Islanders remain unhoused are varied, but the results are the same: marginalization and the fight to keep a stable footing.

"The ordinance raises numerous and serious policy and legal concerns," wrote advocates for the unhoused.

The report provides a framework to build an action plan with specific steps toward alleviating homelessness and building more affordable housing.

Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, today introduced the Affordable Housing Construction Act, new legislation to address the housing affordability crisis that’s squeezing Rhode Island families.

The Rhode Island Department of Housing expects to close on its purchase ​​of the former Charlesgate Nursing Center in Providence within the next 10 days, and for $100,000 less than anticipated last fall.

It is no secret that the nation is experiencing an unprecedented homeless crisis. A record high 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2023. The increase in homelessness is also evident in our communities. According to the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, the state has seen a 35% surge in homelessness over the past year—rising from 1,810 individuals in 2023 to 2,442 in 2024.

CRANSTON, R.I. (WLNE) — Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins has issued an executive order allowing police to work with members of public works to disperse of homeless encampments in the community.

Cranston, R.I., mayor's executive order allows police to clear homeless encampments. The executive order from Republican Mayor Kenneth Hopkins came less than a week after city councilors voiced issue with a proposal he filed ..

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Cranston Mayor Ken Hopkins said police are working to disperse an encampment next to the police station after he signed an executive order Wednesday.

According to the executive order shared with Target 12, Cranston police are allowed to coordinate with the Department of Public Works to break up encampments, though they must first reach out to “any social services necessary in an effort to relocate and provide temporary housing.”

CRANSTON – As California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week directed state agencies to start clearing homeless encampments from public land, Cranston leaders took a first look at a measure that would bar tent dwellers from city land.

The number of people experiencing homelessness in the Ocean State is up from last year – by a lot. We’ll talk with the new head of the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness about fighting back myths and getting lawmakers to do more.

Outreach worker Amy Santiago had not seen her homeless client, Tracy, in more than a week. Not since a woman in the encampment where Tracy was living died of a drug overdose.

“When you have emergency medical personnel and the police come into your encampment,’’ Santiago said, “it’s a frightening experience.”

Jennifer Barrera: We're going through the 2024 Annual Homeless Point in Time count and HIC (Housing Inventory Count). These are reports that the HMIS (Homeless Management Information System), which is housed here at the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, is required to submit on behalf of the entire continuum. HUD compiles this data throughout the year and in late December, they issue the AHAR (Annual Homeless Assessment Report) to Congress.

(WJAR) — The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness will release its Point in Time report on Thursday.

The report shows a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island.

The number of unhoused Rhode Islanders has risen 35%, according to the state’s latest Point in Time census released Thursday.

​

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Roughly 70 people were displaced from two homeless encampments in Providence on Tuesday, some of them moving their tents to St. Edwards Church on Branch Avenue.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — People facing a Tuesday evening deadline to vacate two homeless encampments in Providence began to clear out.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The deadline for roughly 70 people living in two homeless encampments to move elsewhere has come and gone.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence Mayor Brett Smiley’s office said people living in two homeless encampments will now have until Tuesday to leave.

Previously, the city was planning to issue 48-hour notices to vacate on Friday, but after pushback from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, Smiley’s office extended that deadline.

PROVIDENCE − Dawn Barnett climbs up an embankment toward her home, cursing her decision to live at the top, or what she calls the "upstairs," in a cluster of three tents at a scattered encampment in the north end of the city.

Advocates, outreach workers pressure Mayor Smiley to delay plans to clear homeless encampments

Homeless advocates and community organizations held a news conference on Wednesday to urge the city of Providence not to clear out two encampments. The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness asked the city to halt an impending 48-hour notice to vacate, which it says will displace nearly 70 people.

Dozens of providers, advocates, and persons with lived experience are gathering at the Providence City Hall on Wednesday to oppose impending raids at two Providence encampments. The evictions will displace close to seventy Rhode Islanders who already reside on the streets, have nowhere else to go, and will be forced to relocate to another unsheltered location. Advocates are calling for the Administration of Providence Mayor Brett Smiley to address the underlying issues of homelessness including shelter capacity and lack of affordable housing.

Homeless advocates will be protesting the upcoming removal of two encampments in Providence Wednesday.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness said it organized a press conference outside Providence City Hall protesting the impending clearing of two homeless encampments.

PROVIDENCE — Over a dozen homeless advocates and care providers gathered on the steps of City Hall Wednesday afternoon to demand Providence Mayor Brett Smiley and other city officials halt plans to clear out two of the capital city’s largest encampments on Friday.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Homeless advocates and community leaders held a news conference on Wednesday to urge the city of Providence not to clear out two encampments later this week.

PROVIDENCE — A week ago when the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness announced it would hold a rally Tuesday at the State House, the plan was to call on state leaders to allocate $30 million in the state’s fiscal year 2025 budget in order to maintain current services for homeless people.

But when dozens of lawmakers, shelter providers, and advocates convened Tuesday afternoon, the House Lounge they had reserved instead became a celebration space.

Just 24 hours before the event, Gov. Dan McKee announced plans to amend his proposed fiscal year 2025 budget with a plan that could produce up to $31 million in funding to tackle the state’s rise in homelessness.

PROVIDENCE – Gov. Dan McKee wants to tap unspent federal pandemic aid for a down payment on a new westbound Washington Bridge, to help businesses hurt by the shutdown of the old span – and to boost services for Rhode Islanders without a place to live.

In a flurry of amendments to his state budget plan for next year, McKee on Monday asked lawmakers to spend:

- $20 million on the state's share of new Washington Bridge construction
- $24 million to replenish the state's unemployment insurance trust fund
- $16.6 million on homeless services
- $1.3 million on businesses hurt by the bridge's closing

Shelter providers are raising alarm bells about a looming crisis in funding to combat homelessness as the number of unsheltered Rhode Islanders continues to grow.

An influx of federal COVID-19 relief dollars has helped the state more than double the number of shelter beds since 2020. But that funding has dried up, and providers worry the state lacks a concrete plan for how to fill the gap.

A new report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) finds that there are 49,468 extremely low-income households in Rhode Island, but a shortage of roughly 24,054 affordable rental homes available to them, leaving only 51 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income households in the state.

The report, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes, also reveals a national shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental homes for extremely low-income renter households – those with incomes at or below the poverty level or 30% of their area median income, whichever is greater – resulting in just 34 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income renter households nationwide.

PROVIDENCE – Kimberly Simmons on Monday was named the new executive director of The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. Simmons has served as interim executive director since September 2023, when Caitlin Frumerie stepped down to spend more time with her family.

The hotline unhoused people can call to access shelter and housing in Rhode Island received roughly 10,000 calls a month last summer. Just four operators answered the bulk of those calls, and the people calling sometimes waited on hold for nearly three hours, according to a little-noticed report delivered to state agencies last fall.

“The volume of calls is more than they can handle,” the report states.

Rhode Island Housing, the quasi-public state housing finance agency, paid a consultant to evaluate the hotline and the “coordinated entry” system that surrounds it. Federally-mandated and publicly funded, the Coordinated Entry System is intended to ensure the unhoused people most in need of housing and shelter receive it first.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Las temperaturas bajas en Rhode Island durante las últimas dos semanas constituyen un peligro para cualquier persona que pase demasiado tiempo expuesta al frío y al viento. María Elena Wah-Fitta conversó con Juan Espinoza, director de comunicaciones de Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness o bien la Coalición para Eliminar la Falta de Vivienda en Rhode Island, quien afirmó que actualmente existen 720 personas o casi 450 grupos de personas sin vivienda en el estado.

WARREN – The residents of these quiet side streets east of the Kickemuit River answer their doors when you knock and welcome strangers – unless they're trying to build 40 apartments in a field next door.

Then they will band together, sticking red-lettered signs on the front lawns urging people to "Stop Penny Lane," an affordable housing development and the latest battleground in Rhode Island's housing wars.

The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness conducted their 2024 Point in Time count on Jan. 24. The PIT is a nationwide count, mandated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, to assess the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night of the year in the last two weeks of January.

Beyond PIT, the R.I. Coalition to End Homelessness and other service providers conducted surveys across a period of one week to determine individuals housing situation on the night of Jan. 24. Results of the 2024 count will be available in late May or early June this year, according to a press release from the R.I. Coalition to End Homelessness.

A state-based pilot program launched last month aims to provide 125 permanent supportive housing slots for especially vulnerable unhoused individuals by Sep. 30, 2025 using private investor funding.

The pay-for-success program — which reduces the government’s investment risk by only paying private investors if they achieve specific targets — will serve those who are high utilizers of Medicaid, have a high level of involvement with the Department of Corrections, or are high utilizers of homelessness services based on Homeless Management & Information System data.

(WJAR) — The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness on Wednesday will count people experiencing homelessness in Rhode Island.

Their 2024 Point in Time count aims to find a snapshot of homelessness in the Ocean State.

Last year, 1,810 Rhode Islanders were experiencing homelessness on the night of January 24, 2023.

A vacant 4-acre field on Victor Street in Providence is the state’s chosen location to build a community of 45 tiny house shelters for people experiencing homelessness — right behind a well-known strip club.

The Smith Hill site near the Foxy Lady, located on Chalkstone Avenue, was chosen because it was close to transportation options, amenities, and services, Housing Department spokesperson Patti Doyle confirmed Thursday morning.

In pushing for a bill of rights for homeless Michiganders, Democratic state Rep. Emily Dievendorf encountered a “cruel irony”: A homeless constituent providing advice on the measure was denied entry to the state Capitol because he didn’t have a photo ID.

Under Dievendorf’s bill, homeless people in Michigan would have the right to “move freely” in parks, on sidewalks and in other public spaces, and could not be denied employment for lacking a permanent address. They also would be guaranteed emergency medical care, privacy protections for their personal belongings and access to the official documentation required to cast a vote in Michigan — in other words, a photo ID.

PROVIDENCE — An initial aimed at remedying increasing homelessness around the state was recently announced by key players involved in the effort.

The Rhode Island "Pay for Success" program is a four-year public-private partnership to reduce persistent homelessness here. The project is led by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, with funding from Maycomb Capital and Rhode Island Foundation, evaluation from the Faulkner Consulting Group, and technical assistance from Social Finance. Of note, one of the local partners is the East Bay Community Action Program.

PROVIDENCE − Four service providers for homeless residents have started vetting candidates for a new permanent supportive housing program that rewards private investors if the clients do well.

The public/private partnership is being spearheaded by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness while four service providers have signed on to provide permanent supportive housing and wraparound services to 125 people who are 'using a disproportionate amount of Medicaid, Department of Corrections (DOC) and Homeless services,' Coalition Spokesman Juan Espinoza said.

BOSTON (AP) — A push to develop affordable housing on publicly owned land and a requirement that renters receive a four-month notice of planned rent hikes are just two of the ideas being pitched to Rhode Island lawmakers to help address rising housing costs in the state.

Other proposals, including policies aimed at discouraging investment firms from snapping up single-family homes, were raised Thursday during a meeting of a commission charged with coming up with possible bills for the 2024 legislative commission to encourage affordable housing development.

On this special report, journalist Bill Bartholomew explores some of the key issues that are contributing to Rhode Island's housing crisis.

NEWPORT, RI — BankNewport's All in Giving program collected 1,800 pairs of new adult and children's socks from its employees and community members to help homeless people across Rhode Island, the company said in a news release Wednesday.

In our tiny but mighty state, affordable housing has — understandably and belatedly — dominated much of the conversation with the number of Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness on the rise. We’ve seen lawmakers, advocates and other leaders move rapidly to prioritize the construction of affordable housing to tackle the state’s lingering crisis and protect the state from taking any additional steps backward in our collective fight against homelessness.

Fall just arrived, but winter's just around the corner.

On Friday, Governor Dan McKee and Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor unveiled the state's 'winter shelter strategy' for unhoused people in the Ocean State.

PROVIDENCE – What shelter beds?

That's what advocates for the homeless, service providers and protesters are asking as cities and towns across the state raid homeless encampments and say that the people being displaced or arrested – whose belongings are often thrown away – have been offered shelter.

PROVIDENCE – Caitlin Frumerie, who has led the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless for six years, announced this week she will step down as executive director of the nonprofit organization.

Frumerle, who recently adopted her son Luis, is leaving her post to spend more time with her family.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The McKee administration is making an effort to ramp up the state’s efforts to fight the housing and homelessness crises as the colder months approach.

The Rhode Island Department of Housing announced they’re issuing $10 million in awards to a wide range of organizations across the state through the Consolidated Homeless Fund.

PROVIDENCE — A Cambridge, Massachusetts-based social equity firm has been selected by the Rhode Island Department of Housing to publish a series of reports for a statewide housing plan through 2024.

Rhode Island Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor informed 15 fellow members of the Special Legislative Commission to Study Housing Affordability of the move during a presentation at the State House Thursday. The state entered into the contract with Abt Associates earlier this week with an initial investment of $339,316.

"Yesterday, as outreach providers, volunteers, and staff were there to assist and evacuate residents of the Charles Street Tent Encampment, contractors from the Rhode Island Department of Transportation began using heavy machinery to clear out encampment 'debris'” notes a press release from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. "The operation of machinery delayed outreach efforts by outreach providers on-site and put residents, staff, and volunteers at risk, including a pregnant resident. This was despite several calls to the Department of Housing, local law enforcement, and even a call to 911 asking to stop the machinery from operating.

(WJAR) — The clearing out of another homeless encampment in Providence has advocates pushing for alternatives.

The call comes a day after a homeless encampment was evicted in Providence on Charles Street.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — A homeless encampment on Charles Street in Providence will be cleared Monday.

It's been the center of controversy for months.

The nearly two dozen people living at the encampment will need to pack up and leave the area.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — As homeless encampments continue to pop up around the state, more than three dozen people were ordered removed from a site in Providence on Monday.

The encampment was set up on a plot of private property on Charles Street. Officials said 40 to 50 people were living in the woods there, and police gave them a notice Friday to vacate within 48 hours.

PROVIDENCE — More than a dozen homeless individuals were packing up what was left of their belongings at a long-standing encampment Monday as two Providence police officers paced back and forth nearby. Residents of the encampment on Charles Street in Providence, which had existed behind the Da Vinci Center for several years and recently ballooned to more than 40 people, were told in eviction notices on Friday that the area would need to be completely cleared by the end of the day on Monday, and those living there would need to vacate the vicinity.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A homeless encampment on Charles Street in Providence was cleared on Monday.

Protestors gathered near the site as those living at the encampment were asked to gather their belongings and leave.

Providence, RI – The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness strongly condemns recent raids on encampments throughout the state, including the recent raid in Cranston requiring residents to leave by tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM.

“These raids not only violate the fundamental rights of individuals experiencing homelessness but also continue to perpetuate a cycle of marginalization and discrimination for Rhode Islanders who do not have a place to go,” said Caitlin Frumerie, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. “Rather than resorting to raids and forced evictions, we ask local officials to lead thoughtfully and compassionately. We must prioritize long-term strategies that address the root causes of homelessness and provide sustainable support to those in need. Until we have enough housing for everyone, encampment raids are unfair, inhumane, and cruel.

In the community room of the B Wing of the Motel 6, cartoons played in the background. A microwave and a thermos of hot water sat on the otherwise empty table. The wall is sparsely decorated with reminders of daily schedules and chores.

Melisa Lawrence has been living in the motel for a month through the program coordinated by OpenDoors RI, a nonprofit organization that operates multiple homeless shelters in the state. She sat at one of the small tables and ran her fingers through her auburn hair. She said she feels “safer here” and can “appreciate life more” than when she was living on the streets out of her car.

The latest statewide Point-In-Time Count data uncovered 1,810 Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness on the night of January 25, 2023. Additionally, 334 Rhode Islanders were unsheltered – a 370 percent increase from 2019. While these numbers are fluid, the trend over the past five years shows homelessness is rising, not decreasing, in the Ocean State. The data tells us that homelessness is a structural deficiency, and not a mysterious surge in people down on their luck.

PROVIDENCE — The number of unsheltered Rhode Islanders nearly quadrupled over the last four years, according to the results of a recent census released Tuesday at the State House.

The Point In Time count, run by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development with many local partners to measure homelessness, is conducted annually on a single night in January. Volunteers from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness conducted this year’s count on Jan. 25.

The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness (Coalition) released the 2023 Point in Time (PIT) count results at a Rhode Island State House Library press conference on Tuesday. Margaux Morisseau, Deputy Director of the Coalition, acted as emcee for the event. The Point in Time count is conducted annually in Rhode Island and provides the community with a snapshot of how many people may be experiencing homelessness on any given night.

PROVIDENCE — The overwhelming majority of Rhode Islanders who held an unused rapid rehousing voucher were forced to continue staying in emergency homeless shelters — and outside — during the coldest months this winter. Due to the extreme lack of housing in Rhode Island, there weren’t any units available for them to move into.

Approximately 1,810 people were experiencing homelessness on the night of Jan. 25, according to new data from the state’s latest Point-in-Time count, a mandated annual count of all people experiencing homelessness in America. That’s an increase of 15 percent compared with 2022.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Cranston Street Armory shelter in Providence officially closed Monday after five months in operation. The Rhode Island Department of Housing announced new emergency shelter locations in various areas across the state to help those who are still experiencing homelessness.

Rhode Island is currently conducting its first point-in-time count of youth and young adults experiencing homelessness since 2018, according to a press release from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness and the Rhode Island Continuum of Care’s Youth Action Board.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) — Local residents and a nonprofit are raising concerns over a nearby homeless encampment in the North End of the capital city.

In a change of course, the state announced on Friday that it will keep the Cranston Street Armory open as a shelter until May 15. Initially, the shelter was to close at the end of April, though recently it became clear the state had not fully developed a concrete plan for where the armory's residents would move next.

BARRINGTON, R.I. (WJAR) — As a small homeless encampment in Barrington is close to being shut down, police say they'll be flexible with those living there and the timeline. Police told NBC 10 News three people have been living in tents in the woods of Veterans Memorial Park in the town for some time. The encampment is just south of the East Bay bike path and west of the park's baseball field and the neighboring Bayside YMCA.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WJAR) — Two overpasses along I-95 in Pawtucket were cleared out and cleaned up Monday after state and city leaders notified those living there to vacate. A notice to vacate order came down ten days ago, giving folks under the George and Garden Street overpasses until 9 a.m. Monday to leave or potentially face arrest or fines.

PROVIDENECE – Winter's end will begin a new challenge for Rhode Island's unhoused population: Where to go when warming centers and seasonal beds disappear. As of the last two weeks, nearly 1,400 people in the state are without a home. They spend their days living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, in their cars or outside. But with fewer than 950 shelter beds, not counting warming sites, the state doesn't have enough to provide for them all. That's according to the bleak presentation offered by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness to Providence City Council members Monday night.

OpenDoors R.I., an organization that works to support formerly incarcerated individuals and their families, began operating a 24-hour warming shelter at 1139 Main Street in Pawtucket late last month. The shelter offers occupants three meals a day, peer recovery support services, assistance with ID and license reinstatement and addiction treatment program entry, according to Dina Bruce, program director at OpenDoors R.I.

“When there isn’t enough supply, people are left with nowhere to go and often end up living outdoors” said Caitlin Frumerie, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. “In the last two weeks, there were 379 Rhode Islanders who are unsheltered and scores more who are housing insecure. We must address this gap before the crisis worsens.”

Pryor steps into his new position with a clean slate and a low bar. But the literal life and death problems he’s been tasked to solved are enormous, and there are millions, – potentially billions – of dollars at play here.

“The state does not have a plan in place,” said Eileen Hayes, president and CEO of Amos House. “We need a new plan to end homelessness that includes temporary shelter, housing development, recovery beds, (and) family housing."

With temperatures expected to drop below zero this weekend, people who are homeless and living outside are at risk of frostbite and even death. Health Reporter Lynn Arditi talked with Eric Hirsch, a Providence College sociology professor who co-chairs the state’s Homeless Management Information System Steering Committee.

PROVIDENCE, RI (January 17, 2023) — Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI) continues to address housing-related health inequities by awarding $740,000 in 2023 -- $335,000 in grants to five organizations that improve access to safe, stable, and affordable housing throughout Rhode Island and $405,000 for successful 2022 grantees. Funding for these organizations comes from BCBSRI’s cornerstone grant program, BlueAngel Community Health Grants (BACHG), which celebrated its 20th year in 2022.

Another $405,000 in BACHG funds was awarded to 2022 grant recipients who applied for an additional year of funding. Recipients included DARE (Direct Action for Rights and Equality), Housing Network of Rhode Island, NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, ONE Neighborhood Builders, Pawtucket Central Falls Development, and Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. Grant recipients can apply for transitional funding when successful performance outcomes have been achieved in the first year.

“What was done last week in our city was cruel and thoughtless. City officials that ordered the bulldozing showed a lack of empathy,” said Margaux Morisseau, Deputy Director of the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. “This is not how we treat our neighbors. Everyone deserves compassion.”

WOONSOCKET – Residents of a tent encampment along the Blackstone River awoke on Wednesday to warnings they had a half-hour to pack up their possessions and leave before the site would be cleared.

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...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Bank Rhode Island has awarded $95,100 in charitable grants to 36 different nonprofit organizations across the state.

Some of the organizations chosen have a focus on hunger and food insecurity, youth education and emergency needs.

One organization that received a grant from the bank...

The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness delivered its first ever State of Homelessness Address in the CIC Providence Building on Dyer Street Monday evening. The event presented and highlighted local and state-wide data on homelessness gathered by Coalition staff and partners.

CRANSTON, R.I. (WPRI) — Housing the homeless is an issue many communities face, and Cranston is no exception.