Homeless in RI: Cranston visits encampments, faith leaders, Dignity Bus, around US – no ROI

Where is the Rhode Island’s ROI report?

Back in 2023, Stefan Pryor, the housing czar, promised a new report that would evaluate what has been done with the millions directed to homeless programs in the state. He, as well as Gov. McKee, said they would provide a public report with funds given, to which program, and how many people were served in finding housing. The simple ROI report is not coming – refer to the story down earlier this week to hear the interviews with Stefan Pryor and Tara Granahan and Gene Valicenti and Governor McKee:

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Cranston’s new ordinance

Cranston is in the process of considering approval of a new ordinance which makes encampments on city property illegal and subject to a $50 fine. The City Council has sent it to committee and the Cranston Police Chief indicated his support, so the police have a legal leg to stand on when removing encampers who refuse to leave. The $50 fine will more than likely, if not already, be removed.

Cranston city councilors were invited to go with the police on a tour of the encampments. Councilwoman Renzulli and Campopiano reported on their visit:

At a late August meeting the City Council decided to establish a Committee on Homelessness, and encampments, in particular, which will be considered at the next meeting of the Ordinance Committee.

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Coventry

700 new homes will be built in Coventry – 15% will be affordable housing

California

45,000 are homeless in LA with 16,000 shelter beds available – as dispersing encampments continues. Large boulders are being placed under bridges and overpasses so encampments can’t be put back.

Hundreds are now camping on the side of the road and sidewalk on the Pacific Coast Highway.

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MASSACHUSETTS EXPERIENCES

Governor Maura Healey is announcing changes to Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system.The state will limit stays in overflow shelters to five days for migrants beginning next month. Healey said that the state must prioritize vulnerable Massachusetts families over migrants. The state is offering to pay for plane tickets and other travel expenses for those who want to leave.

Hundreds of migrant families currently staying in the four state-run overflow shelters in Chelsea, Norfolk, Cambridge and Lexington are currently able to stay for 30 days with options to re-apply for an extension. The plan is to “transition them to a five-day stay limit next month”. The state has also said the children housed there will not go to local schools, but that has met with skepticism.

750 people are on the waiting list for temporary housing in Boston – this leaves people who were evicted from the airport on the streets with nowhere to go – most hang around large institutions during the day, such as hospitals, MBTA stations, etc. Most hospitals have instituted policies prohibiting migrants from sleeping in the ER and some are putting people into RideShares to go to a handful of emergency shelter locations outside of the city.

The emergency shelter network for homeless families relies heavily on private hotels. The owners of the Methuen hotel were paid $7.5 million over a year. 330 health violations were documented, including presence of rats, bedbugs, water damage and mold. Two hotel groups control most of the rooms that the state has rented out. The Patel family (Jamsan) has formed LLCs with other partners and have $35M in state contracts. Giri Hotel Management have contracts worth an estimated $79M (Boston Globe)

Cape Cod

A Cape Cod-based housing assistance agency is looking to convert a former Dennis, MA nursing home into a “family transitional shelter” for the homeless. It would house 79 homeless families, or 177 individuals, mostly single mothers with infants and young children. The city’s Planning Board wants to limit the shelter or only U.S. citizens. The Housing Assistance office said the community’s fear is unfounded. Tenants would be required to take lessons on financial management, family planning, MassHealth enrollment, housing search, parenting, cooking, and other educational interventions. The renovated nursing home would be 272-square-foot rooms featuring a half-bathroom, refrigerator and microwave, with a shared communal kitchen and shower. While the facility is located in Dennis, entrance is from a Harwich-located entrance. It is unclear if steps have been taken for the shelter to open, or if the communities will take legal action to prevent it.

Quincy, MA

One church is offering its parking lot for a homeless encampment for those in need, especially those evicted from Boston temporary housing that the state has shut down.

New Bedford, MA

Homeless disagreement between a woman and a man sleeping outdoors erupted over a blanket – young woman stomped on the head of another homeless person which resulted in the other person’s death. Person was sleeping out side Seabra’s market door.

Boston, MA

Our Saviors Lutheran Church in So. Boston is taking in dozens of migrants with nowhere to go – church leaders are asking other churches to stand up to do the same.

About 50 Haitian people, half of them children, slept on the ground with blankets given them by a social service agency, outside the Wollaston MBTA Station on Monday night. A new “Mass and Cass” area has also sprung up.

Dennis, MA

Minutes after the Dennis Planning Board began its review of a proposal to turn a former nursing home into a shelter for homeless families, the meeting ended when a lawyer for the proposed nonprofit shelter operator objected to the process.

Martha’s Vineyard

Two encampments of about 20 people were removed from the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest. Harbor Homes is actively working to ensure that people have a safe place to go, but all shelters are presently full. A court-appointed defense attorney for Dukes County said she’s seen an increase in additional charges pressed against individuals experiencing homelessness on the Island following a state-ordered clearing of the State Forest last month.

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RI Faith Leaders

Dozens of churches in Boston challenging each other to open their real estate to the homeless. We asked what was done by the leaders who sat in on the Winter Shelter Strategy meeting at the RI State House in 2023. The Diocese of Providence has expanded their men’s shelter, Emmanuel House, begun a women’s shelter, and is involved in many way in responding to the needs of the homeless. Similar with Mathewson Street Church and Grace Church. No response has been received to the request about other churches.

Photos of Winter Shelter Strategy kickoff meeting held at the RI State House, with front two rows being faith leaders.

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Oregon

Portland has a new restriction law against camping in public rights of way. However, Portland police only arrest for felonies or state ordinance violations. Police were trying to process a homeless person in a tent who has refused repeated offers of a shelter bed or a stay at a tiny home, rather than camping on a public street.

A boat off the coast of Portland caught fire – it was occupied by homeless individuals – the boat fire was put out, and it remains floating, with no one on board – an investigation is underway.

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Dignity Bus – Florida

Florida’s The Search just launched its 5th Dignity Bus program in Vero Beach, FL. Others are located in Indian River County (3), 1 in Woonsocket, RI, and 1 in Illinois.

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Dignity Bus – Woonsocket

The bus has been closed until a second round of funding comes in the fall of 2024. 10 new job postings for CCA, which is the funding group. The city’s Dignity Bus for homeless residents should reactivate within weeks, City Council Vice President Valerie Gonzalez.

Pat Ford of the Libertarian Mutual Aid, Ford said he delivers water to 22 homeless encampments around northern Rhode Island each Friday, five of which are in Woonsocket. Ford said a wrong turn led him to the Dignity Bus, which he deemed “a $150,000 failure” that’s currently sitting unused.

The Dignity Bus, which Woonsocket purchased from The Source Ministries last year for $150,000, is a mobile emergency shelter that can provide a safe place for 20 people to sleep overnight in pods resembling bunk beds. It also has a restroom, lockers, and places for pets to sleep. Ford posted a picture of the bus shortly before Monday’s meeting began with a statement he obtained from The Source CEO Anthony Zorbaugh confirming that the organization provided staff training to Community Care Alliance upon its sale last July and again in December shortly before it opened.

Councilor Gonzalez addressed the comments pertaining to the Dignity Bus, saying she tried to call Ford twice on the day of the meeting.

“The Dignity Bus (served) from December to May 31 when we were expecting some funding that did not go through,” said Gonzalez. “All the shelters got shut down. We are currently working on the funding.”

She also said that Woonsocket’s secretary of housing has committed $40,000 in funding that should come through by early next month that “is going to get us by until the new municipality homeless funds are going to be funding the Dignity Bus.”

Gonzalez pointed out that even if the bus were active, it doesn’t open until 9 p.m. daily when individuals can store supplies under the bus, enter one at a time into pods, then close the curtain to sleep.

“If you ask any of the people that have stayed on the Dignity Bus, they would argue that it’s some of the best rest that they have had,” said Gonzalez, who also noted that there’s no communication once individuals enter the bus and there were zero incidents in the five months that it was active.

Gonzalez also said she’s currently running a recovery center after receiving training from Yale University. It serves people meals, offers recovery services, and will then transport people to the Dignity Bus when it is reactivated.

“It did not go exactly as we expected, but that doesn’t mean it’s a failure,” said Gonzalez.

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A Message from Community Care Alliance CEO, Woonsocket, Ben Lessing:

“Community Care Alliance spent over a year advocating with the State of RI to bring the Dignity Bus to Woonsocket as a means of providing emergency shelter to local residents. When the State discontinued its efforts, we worked with the Woonsocket City Council, the City’s Solicitor, Father Dan Sweet and the Diocese to bring the Bus to the City. In addition, we had worked with the RI Foundation to provide six months of operating funding after which time we requested ongoing funding from the State’s Dept. of Housing. To date, we have heard nothing from the Dept. of Housing as to the proposal submitted. Subsequent to the arrival of the Dignity Bus, there was a delay in implementation due to the legal process, approval by the City Council and finally hiring staff. As such, implementation did not begin until December 2023. Upon implementation, we encountered heating and electrical concerns and eventually mechanical issues, all of which are well documented.

We worked through all of these issues to resolution in collaboration with our City partners, particularly Councilwoman Gonzalez and Mayor Beauchamp. On each occasion that the Bus could not be safely used due to the issues referenced, CCA provided alternative temporary space for homeless individuals in which to continue operations. We did so until there were no additional funds in which to support the project with operations being concluded in May 2024. Community Care Alliance continues to believe that the Dignity Bus is an important asset for providing emergency shelter and should be funded by the Department of Housing. In order to view the report submitted to the RI Foundation, go to: DIGNITY REPORT“

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RINEWSTODAY begins a series written by homeless individuals on Monday.