The annual federal count of homeless people across the country began this week amid a freeze in much of the nation that has left Rhode Island homeless shelters overflowing, state legislators seeking solutions and a long-awaited temporary village of one-room shelter units now expected to open by the end of February.
State Senator Victoria Gu, D-District 38 (Westerly, Charlestown, South Kingstown), one of 20 senators who were part of the oversight committee meeting this week believes that previous counts of homeless in Rhode Island have been understated.
Last year, she said, the Point in Time Count by the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported 2,400 homeless in the state, an increase of 35 percent over the previous year. Moreover, she said, the increase for households with at least one adult and one child increased 48 percent.
HUD defines homelessness as those without a permanent home – those who are virtually living on the streets, those in shelters, and those who are what they call “couch surfing,” moving from one friend or relative to another.
At the shelters, there’s little room. Russ Partridge, who is the executive director of three South County shelters, said “these are the nights I have a lot of anxiety.”
At the Welcome House in Wakefield, Patridge said they have people sleeping on cots. In other centers, he said, there are people sleeping on cots, mats and even chairs, “a place to come in out of the cold.” Those outside, he said, are at “high risk for hypothermia and even death.”
A few weeks ago, Patridge had said the state was to release funds to shelters to arrange for emergency housing, often in motels that during the vacation season are occupied by tourists. The money is flowing better now, and he said motel rooms are now being used for families.
One shelter that has been at issue for some time is Echo Village, a collection of forty-five, 70 square foot one-room units that had initially been expected to open in June 2023. Partridge there have been a series of delays, many related to regulatory issues.
Now, acting Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard told legislators she expects Echo Village on Victor Street in Providence to open by the end of February.
Goddard is the fourth Secretary of Housing of a department that was established in January 2023.
“The last couple of years there’s been a lot of transition in leadership,” Gu said. “Four different secretaries. We definitely need the leadership … we need to recruit the right person for the role.”
Goddard was appointed by Gov. Dan McKee in November and has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, Gu said.
“Secretary Goddard has a decent amount of experience from New York,” Gu said.
Goddard has more than 40 years housing experience in both the public and private sectors. Before taking the acting secretary’s job, she was head of DJ Goddard Consulting in Massachusetts. Before that she was Executive Vice President for Capital Projects at New York City’s Housing Authority for three years Before that she was Managing Director of Policy and Program Development at MassHousing.
