The city of Woonsocket is moving forward with a new ordinance that makes it illegal to camp on public property and carries a fine of up to $250 for repeat violators. Critics say the change is going to harm unhoused people who will be burdened with legal troubles and fines they can’t pay. Months after […]
Homelessness
Posted inNPR
Burnout is a problem for caseworkers serving unhoused people
People who provide assistance to the unhoused often feel traumatized by their work.
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
Behind the Point-In-Time count: Measuring homelessness in Rhode Island
Last week, the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness conducted its annual Point-In-Time count, measuring how many people are experiencing homelessness across the state on a given night. Last year’s count showed a 35% increase over the previous year. Jennifer Barrera, chief strategy officer for the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, was among the […]
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 inNPR
Trump nominee to lead HUD says the agency is failing in its mission
Scott Turner pledged to make HUD programs more streamlined and efficient. He declined to say whether he would oppose major budget cuts to the agency if Trump proposes them again.
Posted inHousing, Local, Metro Desk
As winter drags on, Providence’s unhoused people want to see long-term solutions
Durell Parker arrived at Providence City Hall last Tuesday evening, dubious. With wind chill, the temperature outside felt like the single digits. He’d spent the previous night, and most nights before that for the past several years, outside, in a tent. When an outreach worker told him the city council was using its chambers as […]
Posted inEducation, Housing, The Weekly Catch
Mayor Smiley on plans for Providence schools, homelessness crisis
After more than five years under state control, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley is asking state lawmakers to force the Department of Education to return the city’s schools to local control. Meanwhile, during the recent drop in temperatures, the Providence City Council opened its doors this week as an emergency warming center. We talk with the mayor about his plans for the city’s schools and the homelessness crisis. Plus, the Weird Island podcast delves into strange and little-known stories from Rhode Island history. We hear from the creator, Sara Corben. That and more on this week’s show.
Posted inNPR
In D.C.’s bitter cold, a homeless shelter offers hot food and some hope
NPR visited a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C., to see how residents and staff are faring during a cold emergency. The shelter is busy year-round, though the frigid weather brings in more people.
Posted inHousing, Local, Metro Desk
Providence City Council opens makeshift warming center in council chambers
The council chambers at Providence City Hall transformed into an impromptu overnight warming center on Tuesday night. Volunteers dropped off hot pizza, fresh fruit, bottled water, and winter coats as unhoused people filtered in off the streets. “I’ve got to stay here because I have nowhere else to stay. I’ve been sleeping outside,” 62-year-old Bill […]
