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Rebecca Karb, MD, is an emergency and Street Medicine physician.
Under the guise of public health and safety, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley recently announced plans to evict people from several large tent encampments in Providence.
It is important for us to be open and transparent about this fact: forced displacement of people from encampments does nothing to end homelessness. We have seen time and again that when we break up encampments in one location, new encampments emerge in other locations. The people living in those encampments do not just disappear, and predictably end up back outside in the absence of a comprehensive plan for permanent supportive housing. Far from helpful, encampment sweeps cost money, waste valuable time and resources, and are ultimately counterproductive.
On any given night in Rhode Island there are around 1,800 people experiencing homelessness, and this number is on the rise. In the wake of the pandemic, the housing supply has dwindled (the rental vacancy rate in Providence is at a low of about 3%, far below the preferred 6% to 8% needed to defend against constant upward pressure on rental prices) and affordable housing is scarce. Providence boasts the highest rental cost increases in the country over the past year.
More: Last year, ‘pallet shelters’ looked like a quick way to provide cheap roofs. Where are they?
Meanwhile, there are only 1,125 shelter beds, with over 600 people on a waiting list. All of these factors have contributed to the rise in unsheltered homelessness (people forced to sleep in uninhabitable spaces such as tent encampments, sidewalks, parks, and abandoned buildings). The encampments seen on the sides of streets or tucked behind parks are evidence of our systemic failure to address the spiraling housing crisis.
It can be difficult to bear witness to human beings living in such inhumane conditions so close to us, and perhaps natural to want to remove from sight a reality that elicits such complicated and contradictory emotions as sadness, guilt, empathy, fear and anger. To be fair, encampments are inherently unhealthy places to live. The lack of access to running water, bathrooms, electricity, and protection from the elements all pose significant health risks.
However, encampments also offer advantages to people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Communal living on the street provides safety, security for people’s belongings, companionship, and the sharing of pooled resources to meet basic needs. Encampments allow couples, families and pets to stay together when there are no shelter options. Encampments also allow social service and medical teams reliable and consistent access to provide services and support.
Encampment sweeps harm people experiencing homelessness and undermine the work that outreach teams have been doing to build trust and connect individuals with resources and medical care. Sweeps disrupt daily routines and force individuals to spend time, energy and money on figuring out new sleeping arrangements, re-working transportation routes, and replacing lost or damaged supplies, documents and medications. Following sweeps, individuals can become disconnected from outreach teams, lost to follow up, and derailed from often hard-fought-for treatments plans.
More: RI has a Homeless Bill of Rights. Why advocates say it needs an expansion.
For example, our Street Medicine team will need to spend valuable time and energy simply locating patients in new places, and we will inevitably lose contact with some patients with whom we have worked hard to establish trusting relationships. This compromises the quality of care we are able to provide, and ultimately leads to worse health outcomes for this already underserved population.
The high costs of these disruptions to community and safety are certainly not worth the perceived (but false) public perception that encampment sweeps are solving the problem of homelessness. It is time for our government leaders to offer real solutions in the form of an adequate supply of safe, affordable, supportive housing and low-barrier access to health care.
Until that can be offered, do not destroy the communities of care, resilience and support that people form to survive the harsh reality of homelessness and do not make it more difficult for the social service providers and medical outreach teams who are trying to serve them.
Local News
A Rhode Island husband and wife in their 50s were identified as the two people killed in a Swansea car crash Friday night.
Carlolyn Carcasi, 54, and James Carcasi, 53, of Bristol, Rhode Island, were killed in the Feb. 27 crash, the office of Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said in a press release Monday.
The crash occurred at the intersection of Route 136 and Route 6 in Swansea, Quinn’s office said.
Police in Cranston, Rhode Island identified the driver who allegedly hit the couple as Demitri Sousa, 28. Sousa allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island nearly four hours before the crash, Cranston police said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said previously.
The couple was driving southbound on Route 136 when the Sousa crashed into the side of a Subaru Ascent. Both cars had “catastrophic damage,” and the Subaru was engulfed in flames, Swansea fire and police officials said.
Both occupants of the Subaru were declared dead at the scene, Swansea officials said.
Sousa was transported to a local hospital, where he is being treated for serious injuries. He is expected to live and will be held in Cranston police custody until he is medically cleared, police said Sunday.
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CRANSTON, R.I. (WJAR) — Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday.
The event was held at the Cranston Public Library at 9 a.m.
Reed and other leaders of WFRI hosted a panel discussion with women leaders in environmental and agricultural advocacy, education, community resilience, housing, finance, workforce development, and more, officials said.
Women’s Fund of Rhode Island and U.S. Sen. Jack Reed celebrated Women’s History Month in Cranston with a panel discussion on Monday. (WJAR)
“Women have played a critical role in this process, most often without any recognition,” Reed said. “Today’s panel brings together an extraordinary group of women who are addressing the challenged of sustainability from various angles and I want to thank you all for your great efforts.”
The panelists highlighted their experiences, shared insights and tips on lifting up women’s voices, provided strategies for sparking change and more.
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According to officials, some of the panelists included Executive Director of the Rhode Island Food Policy Council Nessa Richman, Executive Director of Strategic Initiatives at Rhode Island College Kim Bright, Newport Housing Authority Executive Director Rhonda Mitchell and more.
Local News
A Seekonk man is accused of murder after he allegedly shot and killed a man in Rhode Island before causing a car crash in Swansea that killed two people last week, police said.
Demitri Sousa, 28, is charged with murder, using a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license, the Cranston Police Department said.
The shooting occurred Thursday night in Cranston, police said in a press release.
That night, Sousa allegedly arrived at the Cranston home of Javon Lawson, 35. Sousa began banging on the side door of the home, police said.
When Lawson approached the door, he was hit by gunfire from outside, police said.
First responders transported Lawson to the Rhode Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Cranston police said.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the motive is believed to be a dispute between the suspect and the victim over a mutual female acquaintance. Detectives are continuing this investigation to gain more insight, as well as to collect and analyze evidence,” Colonel Michael Winquist, Chief of Cranston police, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.
Neighbors gave police video footage that “showed a male subject wearing dark clothing and a mask walking toward the residence moments before the shooting and fleeing immediately afterward,” Winquist said.
The suspect was also seen running to a white Infiniti sedan which then drove off, the Cranston police chief said.
Shortly after the shooting, a license plate reader captured the vehicle driving southbound on Route 10, and then later in Fall River and Westport, Massachusetts. The sedan’s license plate was registered in Sousa’s name, Winquist said.
At around 12:18 a.m. Friday, Swansea police spotted Sousa’s Infiniti barreling down Route 6, Swansea officials said.
Just moments later, Sousa allegedly “crashed into the side of another vehicle, a blue 2022 Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136,” Swansea Police Chief Mark Foley and Fire Chief Eric Hajder said in a joint press release.
Both vehicles had “catastrophic damage,” and the struck car was engulfed in flames, the Swansea officials said.
The driver and passenger of the hit car — a man and a woman — were declared dead at the scene, they said.
“Swansea Police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect vehicle. However, Swansea Police were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the crash,” the Swansea chiefs wrote. Swansea official have not announced charges related to the fatal crash.
Sousa had been driving the Infiniti and appeared to be suffering from serious injuries, Winquist said. Inside the car, police found a pistol and “additional .22 caliber ammunition was recovered” from Sousa at Rhode Island Hospital, Winquist said.
Police arrested Sousa and transported him to Rhode Island Hospital. Sousa is expected to survive, Winquist said. Sousa will be held in Cranston police custody until he is conscious and medically cleared, Winquist said.
“On behalf of the Cranston Police Department, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Javon Lawson and the two individuals who were killed in the crash in Swansea,” Winquist said.
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