Rhode Island
Razing encampments satisfies the public, hurts the homeless | Opinion
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.
Rhode Island
Why a Taylor Swift wedding might shut down Westerly streets
Forget limos, Taylor Swift will need buses for her wedding guests
Airline Express Limousine Owner Chuck O’Koomian tells us why.
As Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce eye possibly getting married at her Watch Hill, Rhode Island, mansion, The Providence Journal is surveying various wedding vendors about what it would take for the Ocean State to host a wedding befitting the most popular woman in the world.
Imagine a crowd of A-list celebrities descending on the village of Watch Hill in Westerly this summer to attend the wedding of mega celebrity Taylor Swift and football star Travis Kelce.
To Chuck O’Koomian, who owns Airline Express Limousine and Car Service with his wife Ginny Cauley, it’s like a scene out of a horror movie.
“It’s gonna be a logistical nightmare,” O’Koomian told The Providence Journal.
How will guests arrive at Taylor Swift’s wedding in Westerly?
While Swift has not announced when or where her wedding will be, O’Koomian talked about what would be involved in getting a large celebrity crowd to the wedding, if it were held at her Bluff Avenue mansion, the nearby Ocean House resort or the Watch Hill Chapel, where Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo tied the know with football player Christian McCaffrey in 2024.
O’Koomian, who has provided transportation for comedian Jay Leno, who has a home in Newport, said there would be three distinct phases of ground transportation:
- Getting people from airports to their hotels
- Getting people from their hotels to the wedding activities
- Getting them back to the airports
The middle phase, delivering people to wedding activities, very well may not be just a one-day affair. Many say Swift won’t have a wedding day; they’re expecting a wedding week.
While some guests, especially those in New York or Connecticut, would probably just have their drivers bring them to Westerly, others would fly in by private jets, probably landing at Westerly State Airport or Quonset State Airport, whose military runway is long enough to handle larger jets. From there, guests would need a ride to where they are staying.
What Westerly residents have to say
Folks in Westerly have surmised that, even if it’s not the site of the ceremony or reception, the Ocean House, along with its sister property the Weekapaug Inn, plus several rented, private mansions would be needed to accommodate guests.
O’Koomian expects that a large limousine company – such as Boston Corporate Coach or Carey Limousine, in Massachusetts, or Hy’s Limousine, in Connecticut – with more than 120 cars each, would get the contract to serve Taylor Swift’s wedding. “There’s not even 120 cars in Rhode Island, all the companies combined,” he said, adding that, as a subcontractor, he would hope to get a piece of the business.
Could a fleet of private cars filled with stars snarl traffic in Westerly?
This first phase of local transportation would involve many trips of smaller parties. “They may come in two, three, four at a time,” he said.
While that is suitable for limousine service, getting from hotels to the ceremony, reception and other events, would require a different strategy for that second phase. “It’s like they’re transporting a football team,” he said.
That would mean “coaches,” the upscale version of buses. They would ease the traffic burden that would be created by limousines ferrying some 300 wedding guests around the tiny village of Watch Hill.
“It’s gonna take a lot of coordination if it’s Westerly,” O’Koomian said. “They’re going to have to shut down half the city. Police would have to shut down streets.”
Rhode Island
Rhode Island man crashes into house in Raynham after apparent medical episode
A car crashed into a home in Raynham Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they responded to a report for a vehicle that crashed into a home shortly before 1 p.m. on Broadway Street.
Officers at the scene said they found a sedan that had crashed into the lower brick portion of the home.
Investigators said a man from Rhode Island appeared to suffer from a medical episode before leaving the roadway and crashing into the home.
Police said the driver suffered non life-threatening injuries. He was transported to Boston Medical Center – South in Brockton.
Officers said the home was empty at the time of the crash.
The Raynham Building Department responded to assess the home for structural damage.
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The crash is under investigation.
Rhode Island
RI Lottery Powerball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 12, 2026
The Rhode Island Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 12, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
05-27-45-56-59, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
21-23-24-28-39, Lucky Ball: 01
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Numbers numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
Midday: 3-5-2-8
Evening: 4-3-6-1
Check Numbers payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Wild Money numbers from Jan. 12 drawing
05-08-09-22-30, Extra: 11
Check Wild Money payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes less than $600 can be claimed at any Rhode Island Lottery Retailer. Prizes of $600 and above must be claimed at Lottery Headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave., Cranston, Rhode Island 02920.
- Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot winners can decide on cash or annuity payment within 60 days after becoming entitled to the prize. The annuitized prize shall be paid in 30 graduated annual installments.
- Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment.
When are the Rhode Island Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 10:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Midday): 1:30 p.m. ET daily.
- Numbers (Evening): 7:29 p.m. ET daily.
- Wild Money: 7:29 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Rhode Island editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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