21-02-2025
Why are hundreds of people living outside in Rhode Island?
We claim it's because they have substance use disorders, mental illness, or like to camp out so they don't have to pay rent. In fact, most people with substance use disorders or behavioral health issues have housing. And few people like to camp out in subfreezing temperatures.
The actual reason for homelessness is the
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Adult homeless shelter clients are
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How many people are living outside? We conduct a comprehensive
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These huge increases were largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced a reduction in the number of shelters to limit the spread of the virus, and also made it dangerous for people to remain 'doubled up' with friends and family. The pandemic's economic impact led to a greater number of evictions. And while the federal government implemented measures such as an eviction moratorium, rent relief, and cash payments, these were temporary and once they ended in 2022, evictions rose to
Our homeless service system has been unable to handle this increase. The main problem is that our ability to place very low-income households in housing has depended primarily on federally subsidized Housing Choice Vouchers. They require the recipient to find a private landlord who rejects stereotypes about people experiencing homelessness, and is willing to have an inspection and accept a rent that is often below market rate. In a hot rental market, these conditions are rarely met. And if we can't place enough people in housing, our emergency shelters fill up and we don't have sufficient vacant beds to meet the need.
It is not only the homeless service system that has failed, it is also Rhode Island's housing production system. Rhode Island ranked
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We must take full advantage of Rhode Island's new Department of Housing. Under former secretary of housing Stefan Pryor, we made important gains by increasing the number of shelter beds, acquiring the
The portable Housing Choice Voucher program requiring private landlords to accept vouchers is no longer a viable solution for those currently experiencing homelessness. We must create a
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Finally, we must fully staff the Department of Housing and the Interagency Council on Homelessness, and make sure we have the leadership in place to deliver on a plan to end long-term homelessness in Rhode Island.
Providence College Professor
is chair of the R.I. Homeless Management Information System Steering Committee, and the interim director of the R.I. Homeless Advocacy Project. The views expressed here are his and do not necessarily reflect the views of any organization.
