RI Homeless: Not Enough Beds This Year
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Rhode Island’s swelling homeless population will again struggle to find shelter this winter, according to advocates who say severe cuts in state aid in combination with a still-struggling economy has forced the demand for beds to be at an all-time high.
The first emergency winter shelter will open next week, according to the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless. The group will hold a press conference at 10am next Wednesday, October 19 at Emmanuel House, 239 Public St. in Providence to officially open the shelter and release the latest homeless numbers, which are expected to show that more than 200 people could be sleeping on the streets this winter.
But the organization’s Executive Director, Jim Ryczek, calls the scenario of people being forced to sleep out in the cold unacceptable. He said there is real concern homeless people could lose their lives if forced into a non-shelter situation on the coldest days of the year.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“We anecdotally have heard about more people passing away, more than ever before,” he said. “We already have a well-overcrowded year round system.”
Ryczek said the actual number of people that aren’t staying in shelters right now is difficult to estimate.
“Over 200 are in non shelter situations, that’s the highest it has been since I’ve been here,” he said. “We know that’s an undercount. We hear about lots of people that just camping now.”
State Budget Doesn’t Help
In addition to rising homeless numbers, advocates say an additional burden has been added thanks to the state legislature’s inability to fund the Neighborhood Opportunities Program (NOP) for the 2012 fiscal year. In July, the Coalition for the Homeless circulated an e-mail expressing how much a lack of funding will hurt the homeless.
“Despite letters, emails, and calls from thousands of Rhode Islanders, the legislature passed a $7.7-billion state budget which includes zero state funding for NOP,” the e-mail said. “Instead, the budget instructs Rhode Island Housing, an independent quasi-state agency which receives no state funding, to provide $1.5 million for the program.”
The group called the state budget devastating to those who are currently homeless and to the affordable housing community at large.
“By not funding NOP, the state of Rhode Island is depriving homeless Rhode Islanders of the resources they need to obtain stable housing,” the group said. “Existing NOP units will be able to continue operating but no new affordable housing will be created. According to Rhode Island Housing, funding NOP will divert resources from other critical programs.”
A Pressing Need to Reinvest
The Winter Shelter assessment count indicates that there are currently over 200 homeless individuals sleeping outside across the states. Family shelters have been reporting overcrowding at record levels, and Dr. Eric Hirsch of the Homeless Management Information System – who will speak at the press conference – is projecting an unprecedented number of homeless people sleeping on the streets in the coming months.
Other speakers include Bishop Tobin of the Diocese of Providence, Dr. Michael Fine of the Dept. of Health, and United Way RI President and CEO Tony Maione as well as various homeless constituents and providers. They will address the state’s emergency winter shelter plan in order to avoid a crisis based on growing need.
Ocean State Action Executive Director said now is the time to help Rhode Islanders who need it the most.
"This underscores the pressing need to reinvest in creating a robust social safety net to help Rhode Islanders weather the economic crisis,” she said. “No one should be forced to sleep on the streets throughout a New England winter, and we should be ashamed of ourselves as a state if we allow that to happen."
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