According to Marshall, “RAPs are structured as broad service hubs, better equipped to assess needs, provide referrals, and connect individuals to housing supports beyond emergency shelter, which helps individuals and families prevent homelessness before it begins,” she continued.

From October through December, shelter enrollments increased by approximately 38% from the prior year, “suggesting that more Rhode Islanders in need are successfully accessing shelter through this model,” she said.

Model relies on people physically visiting the access points

Still, Krahe and other volunteers grumble about unanswered calls and staff bouncing callers from one RAP to the next. What, they ask, if a person doesn’t have a phone or transportation to travel to a RAP? 

“The reality is, even if someone answered the phone, there’s no housing,” Paula Hudson, executive director of Better Lives Rhode Island. The response callers get is “full, full, full.”

Ideally, Marshall said, individuals should physically visit a RAP instead of placing a call.

“The emphasis is on building a stronger, person-centered connection that allows staff to fully understand someone’s situation and identify the most appropriate next steps, which may not always be shelter,” she said. 

She stressed that anyone in Rhode Island can seek assistance at any RAP location, and that they can access the state’s emergency shelter system by going directly to a shelter or by calling United Way’s 211 line.

“If someone is unable to travel to a site, RAP staff can coordinate with Street Outreach Teams to meet unsheltered individuals where they are, at a time and location that works for them,” she said.

She acknowledged that RAP phone lines are not staffed around the clock, but noted that they provide more hours than their predecessor, the single-line coordinated entry system that led to delays in people accessing shelter, she said.

How is the system working in Woonsocket?

At the RAP operated by Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket, messages seeking housing are forwarded by email to a handful of staff. The agency has seen 950 unique contacts since the system launched and makes “every effort” to call people back, said Michelle Taylor, vice president of social health services at Community Care Alliance.

According to Taylor, the problem with the system is that it exists in a state with a lack of affordable housing.

“There just isn’t enough housing to be had, affordable housing. The wait list is backed up. All of us are working as hard as we can,” Taylor said.

And as temperatures climb, winter shelters will close, making the situation even more dire, she said.

“There’s no more room at the inn. We can’t take anyone,” Taylor said, adding “We all have limits based on our facilities and our ability to meet the needs.” 

She noted, too, that the state does not have a RAP servicing the Warwick region.

How is the system working in Westerly?

The WARM Center in Westerly is caring for people as far off as West Warwick, said Amy Santiago, the organization’s regional access point navigator. A Journal reporter’s call to the line received a response within minutes, as did the call to Woonsocket.

Santiago and another staffer take the phone home with them at night and on weekends and respond to calls well into the evening, she said.

“There’s no one who doesn’t get a call back,” Santiago said. “I try to give them a dose of hope, but I can’t give shelter I do not have.”

She’s seen the needs climb during the housing crisis due to unscrupulous landlords, and others who are decent but simply can’t afford the taxes.

“We have more homeless families in this state than ever before,” she said.

Santiago tries to locate beds for callers wherever they may be in the state, she said. They transport people to shelters and hospitals if needed and try to travel to people who don’t have a phone to provide case management.

“We take them. We all have cars,” she said.

Newport Mental Health provides RAP services

The Newport Mental Health RAP is providing services, not only to Newport and Bristol County but to anyone who calls, according to David Boscia, chief clinical director.

Data shows that 98% of the calls to the line are answered and voicemails generally receive a response within 5½ minutes, he said. The agency also operates a 24-hour crisis line.

Partaja Spann, who manages the Newport RAP, said staffers first work with callers to see if there is someone they could stay with and, if not, can sometimes offer space at their warming center. They also have access to a list of available shelter beds and can arrange to secure one and pick up and transport an individual, regardless of the location, she said.