Homelessness in Rhode Island has doubled in five years, HUD report confirms – The Boston Globe

Rhode Island’s homeless crisis has made headlines in recent weeks — and for good reason. In my 30+ year career in homeless services, I have never seen the levels of homelessness that we are seeing in our state today.

A recent report from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development confirms my own observations: Homelessness here has more than doubled over the last five years — and unfortunately, we expect Rhode Island’s homeless numbers to be even higher this year.

Even more alarming, the number of people who are staying outside in the Ocean State soared by 400 percent over the same period. As temperatures plunged to life-threatening levels this week, 650 people were living outside in Rhode Island according to local homeless advocates. Clearly, that is not acceptable.

In response to the urgent need, Crossroads quickly expanded our warming center capacity as dozens of people scrambled to come in out of the bitter cold. Providence City Hall also opened its doors to give cold-weary Rhode Islanders a safe place to stay, and I applaud them for their compassion.

But setting up a make-shift warming center in City Hall would not be necessary if the state had enough shelter beds. While I continue to believe that housing is the only proven long-term solution for ending homelessness, building housing takes time, often several years from concept to completion. With hundreds of Rhode Islanders currently staying outside in life-threatening conditions, it’s clear that we also need to meet the moment and scale up the state’s shelter capacity.

As the state’s leading provider of housing and services to those experiencing homelessness, Crossroads stands prepared to expand our current shelter services assuming adequate funding. We currently operate five temporary emergency shelters, including the state’s largest men’s shelter, a women’s shelter, a domestic violence shelter, a family shelter and the state’s only couples shelter. Last year, more than 1,500 people stayed in one of our shelters while we worked with them to help them secure stable homes.

While we ramp up shelter capacity, however, it’s critical that we also continue to stay focused on addressing the most urgent underlying issue contributing to the current crisis: a lack of affordable housing.

Governor Dan McKee, Speaker Joseph Shekarchi, and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley all deserve credit for prioritizing housing in recent years. Thanks in part to their investments, construction of our Summer Street Apartments in Providence is currently well underway, and when complete later this year, will provide affordable one-bedroom apartments for more than 176 formerly homeless adults.

This spring, Crossroads will be breaking ground on nearby 371 Pine St. in Providence, a 35-unit, innovative health and housing complex for medically vulnerable adults experiencing homelessness. A complete renovation of our Travelers Aid Housing at 160 Broad St. is also in the pipeline, and will add more than 80 studio and one-bedroom permanent supportive apartments to the state’s inventory.

When complete in 2027, these three affordable-apartment buildings will help reduce homelessness in Rhode Island, but of course, more is needed. That’s why, in what is expected to be a tough budget year, I urge state and local governments to continue to prioritize basic human needs.

State and local officials have tough decisions to make in the months ahead. Expanding shelter capacity is not optional — it is a life-saving necessity this winter. But shelter alone won’t end homelessness. Housing is the only proven long-term solution, and continued investment is absolutely essential to reducing homelessness throughout Rhode Island.

Michelle Wilcox is president & CEO of Crossroads Rhode Island.