Posted inHousing, Local, Politics

RI House GOP leader raps ‘culture of secrecy’ on cost for pallet shelter

Rhode Island House GOP Leader Michael Chippendale says Gov. Dan McKee’s administration is stonewalling the release of public records explaining why the Echo Village pallet shelter in Providence wound up costing close to $5 million. Chippendale used an image of a Winnebago on social media last month to make a point — how pallet shelters […]

Posted inHousing, Local, Metro Desk

Long-awaited ECHO Village shelter set to open this week in Providence

A bed with a colorful quilt, an AC unit, a heater, a shelf to dry dishes — these are among the amenities homeless people can look forward to at ECHO Village, the pallet-shelter community opening in Providence this week. After years of conversation and months of delays, organizers expect people experiencing homelessness will finally start […]

Posted inHousing, Local, Metro Desk

RI Housing Secretary says pallet shelters at ECHO Village will open in a matter of weeks

The long-awaited 45 shelter beds at ECHO Village, Rhode Island’s first pallet shelter community, will soon be available to the state’s rapidly growing homeless population, according to testimony from Rhode Island Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard at a senate hearing on Tuesday afternoon.  “I’ve not given a date in the past because we’ve disappointed so many […]

Posted inHousing, Politics, The Weekly Catch

‘Safe storage’ gun bill moves forward, Providence’s new Comprehensive Plan, and more

After months of feedback from residents, the city of Providence has released a draft of a new Comprehensive Plan. Metro Reporter Olivia Ebertz tells us what it means for residents and their neighborhoods. And the Rhode Island Senate has approved a bill that would require gun owners to safely store firearms when not in use. It’s one of 19 pieces of gun safety legislation the General Assembly is considering this year. We talk with Melissa Carden, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Gun Violence. Also, homelessness is showing no signs of slowing in the Ocean State. This spring, a new project will provide temporary housing for 45 people in need of shelter. We hear from Laura Jaworski, Executive Director of House of Hope, a Warwick-based nonprofit partnering with the state on the project. And a new show from the Wilbury Theatre Group uses puppetry to tell the story of an international adoptee. Plus: a look back on the week in politics with WPRI Channel 12 Politics Editor Ted Nesi, and a few tips on what to do this week.

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