The state of homelessness in Rhode Island remains grim, according to a newly-released report from the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness. More people reported experiencing homelessness this year than in 2023, and vulnerable groups, like families and people living outside, have seen particularly sharp increases. “Shelters are overcrowded. Advocates are overwhelmed,” Wilma Smith, an […]
Homelessness
Posted inPolitics, The Weekly Catch
What’s the cause of the recent increase in homelessness in Rhode Island, and what can be done about it?
One of the pressing questions going into next month’s Democratic Convention is who Vice President Kamala Harris will pick for her running mate. Former Rhode Island governor Gina Raimondo is on the short list. We talk with political pundits from Brown University and the Boston Globe about that story and more. 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. And Cajun and Zydeco music is synonymous with life down in Louisiana. But, the local group Magnolia has brought the rich sounds of the Bayou to southern New England. Plus our picks for what to do this week.
Posted inHealth, Local
Providence’s crackdown on homeless encampments complicates efforts to prevent overdoses
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.” Santiago and her co-workers […]
Posted inNPR
The Supreme Court says cities can punish people for sleeping in public places
The decision is a win for Western cities that wanted more powers to manage record homelessness. But advocates for the unhoused say the decision will do nothing to solve the larger problem
Posted inNPR
They sacrificed to care for family and ended up on the street
Many people lose income when they become caregivers for a family member. Some even end up losing their home.
Posted inHealth, Housing, The Weekly Catch
Supreme Court to decide how cities can respond to homelessness, Brown faculty call for reform, and more
Last week, police shut down two homeless encampments in Providence. We hear about a U.S. Supreme Court case that could change how cities across the country work with homeless communities. Also, a few professors who visited the pro-Palestine encampment at Brown University received letters threatening faculty discipline. Some are calling for institutional reform to protect academic freedom. And we hear from Marty Sinnott, CEO of a child advocacy nonprofit, who for years has been sounding the alarm on Rhode Island’s overloaded child welfare system. Plus, we take you on a journey through some of the rare books, art and history at the Providence Athenaeum. That and more on this week’s show.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Housing, Local
Why homelessness advocates in RI are watching a U.S. Supreme Court case
Several bags of belongings, a bicycle and small furniture sat just outside one of the entrances to a clearing off Houghton Street in Providence, where until recently roughly 35 homeless people lived. The encampment’s unhoused residents had gathered their belongings so they could move them gradually, sometimes on foot, to new locations. In early May, […]
Posted inHousing, Local
Advocates, outreach workers pressure Mayor Smiley to delay plans to clear homeless encampments
Advocates gathered at Providence City Hall on Wednesday to pressure Mayor Brett Smiley and other officials to delay plans to evict the residents of two encampments in the city. “This is a violent process,” said Karen Andes, director of the Master of Public Health program at Brown University. “Removing people by police and bulldozer is […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Housing, Local
Providence Police plan to clear two of the city’s largest encampments of homeless people
The Providence Police Department plans to clear out two of the city’s largest homeless encampments next week, according to a letter PPD sent to homelessness advocates and obtained by The Public’s Radio. Roughly 50 people currently live in tents in the encampments, which are off different sections of Branch Ave., according to Paula Hudson, director […]
Posted inNPR
Supreme Court appears to side with an Oregon city’s crackdown on homelessness
Lower courts ruled it’s “cruel and unusual” to fine or jail people on public land if no shelter is available. An Oregon city says that’s hamstrung efforts to keep public spaces safe and open to all.
