December 19, 2012 – RI Future

December 19, 2012December 19, 2012

Don’t Push Jobless Rhode Islanders off Fiscal Cliff

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Where’s the Work?, an organization of unemployed and underemployed workers in Rhode Island joined together at the netWORK RI office in Providence to call on Congress to extend unemployment insurance before the end of the year. Some 8,700 of Rhode Island’s jobless will lose their unemployment insurance on December 29 unless the program is reauthorized.

Some members of Congress are including the extension of Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) in the deal making process on resolving the so-called “fiscal cliff,” using the program as a bargaining chip. All of the White House’s proposals have included extending EUC, and House Democrats demand the program be reauthorized. Speaker Boehner’s “Plan B” proposal does not include an extension.

“Unemployment insurance provides our unemployed workers with a critical lifeline to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table as they search for work in these tough economic times and is critical to our local economy.” Said George Nee, President of the RI AFL-CIO. “Congress should stop playing games and extend unemployment insurance now. Jobless Rhode Islanders deserve the peace of mind this holiday season that they will be able to feed their families in the New Year.”

Stanley Banach, a member of Where’s the Work, lost his job in May after being injured in a car accident. Banach will lose his benefits soon if Congress does not extend unemployment insurance. “I am trying to find a job as quickly as possible, but without unemployment insurance I don’t know how I’ll pay for transportation to job interviews or take my son to the doctor. Nobody wins if Congress fails to extend unemployment insurance.”

Another Where’s the Work member and unemployed Rhode Islander, Lisa Buteau added “I’m deeply concerned that some of our national leaders do not have the vision to see the importance of this program and what it means – not only to those who receive this benefit directly, but also for the economy as a whole.”

The Congressional Budget Office has reported that extending the program through 2013 could save 300,000 jobs, and the Economic Policy Institute puts the number of jobs saved or created at 400,000.

Reverend Duane Clinker, of the Open Table of Christ, closed with this: “We are reminded at this time of year to keep our hearts open to the needs of our community, and that through compassion, solidarity and faith we can carry each other through difficult times. I urge Congress to do just that and extend unemployment insurance.”

While other aspects of the “fiscal cliff” are set to slowly phase in over the coming year, EUC will expire abruptly at year’s end. There has been speculation that Congress could adjourn without reaching a deal, but that later in January thew Congress could cut a deal that applies retroactively. But that won’t help the unemployed workers in Rhode Island and around the country face losing their unemployment insurance next week.

Long-term unemployment continues to be severe, with the average length of unemployment still around 40 weeks. Every member of Rhode Island’s Federal delegation is fully in support of reauthorizing federal unemployment insurance (see here and here, for example).

December 19, 2012December 20, 2012

Homeless Numbers Show System At Tipping Point

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Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness, advocates, and service providers hold aloft signs showing the numbers of homeless individuals in Rhode Island communities on December 12, 2012

Surrounded by 88 bunk beds at Harrington Hall, the state’s largest congregate shelter, the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless (RICH) and other affordable housing and homeless prevention advocates released the most recent numbers of homelessness in the state and called upon Governor Chafee to act immediately to address a significant shortage of shelter beds and funds to operate shelters for the upcoming winter season. Additionally, they called upon the Governor to address the long-term solutions by including adequate funding in his upcoming budget for Opening Doors Rhode Island, the state’s plan to end homelessness.

A recent Winter Shelter Assessment Point in Time Count, taken on Wednesday, December 12th, reveals that there were 996 Rhode Islanders homeless on that day. This is 146 more Rhode Islanders experiencing homeless than last year’s September 2011 count of 850 found. The state’s shelter bed capacity is 577, which leaves the system at a deficit of 419 beds.

This year’s count also showed:

728 Rhode Islanders in shelter beds
112 Rhode Islanders on mats in seasonal shelters
156 Rhode Islanders living outside

Dr. Eric Hirsch, Professor at Providence College and Chair of the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Committee, believes the shortfall number of 419 actually under estimates the problem as the Point in Time Count was an informal and incomplete count unable to capture all those who are unsheltered around the state. Hirsch also pointed out that the count does not include those who are couch surfing or living in doubled up situations.

“These increases in homelessness are being driven by economic forces: unemployment, foreclosures and evictions,” stated Hirsch. “It is morally wrong to allow people to die on our streets when it would cost very little to give them a warm, clean bed to sleep in. We need to provide emergency shelter now, but over the long run it will be most cost effective to provide permanent housing for those families and individuals who cannot access what is a very expensive rental housing market.”

With the cold weather approaching, a sluggish economy yet to recover and a continued high rate of unemployment and foreclosures in Rhode Island, advocates fear that the emergency shelter system is woefully inadequate to meet the continued growing need. The United Way’s 211 Helpline found in November a 38% increase of callers seeking housing and a 44% increase in those seeking assistance with a pending foreclosure situation.

Advocates called on the Governor to show his commitment to ending homelessness in Rhode Island by including in his upcoming budget funding to continue implementing Opening Doors Rhode Island, the state’s plan to end homelessness. Opening Doors Rhode Island outlines a plan that significantly transforms the provision of services to Rhode Islanders experiencing homelessness. Consistent with the new federal plan to end homelessness, the plan seeks to sharply decrease the numbers of people experiencing homelessness and the length of time people spend homeless.

The plan proposes to finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in five years and to prevent and end all homelessness among Veterans in the state in the same time period. It also outlines strategies to substantially decrease the numbers of homeless families and young people and to end this homelessness in ten years. Finally, the plan will reduce all other homelessness in the state and establish the framework for system transformation that will reduce the numbers of people who experience homelessness for the first time.

The state’s Emergency Winter Shelter Task Force has estimated that there still exists a current funding gap for this year’s emergency winter shelters. Once again, non-profits, philanthropic, business, faith and individual donors have responded to the call for help and donated monies to ensure that no Rhode Islander is forced to sleep outside this winter. Advocates contend that the system cannot continue to count on the generosity of the community and that the state of Rhode Island must stand up as a partner on the financial side too.

Reverend Don Anderson, Executive Director of the RI State Council of Churches summed up the moral outrage of those at the press conference when he stated, “The Hebrew prophet, Habakkuk, addresses the issue of extended neglect in addressing the needs of the most vulnerable among us. He says that the time will come when “the very stones will cry” on their behalf. The time has come for the stones to cry out.” The Reverend then called upon Rhode Islanders to call up their legislators and the Governor and demand that these crises end and that Rhode Island works to end homelessness.

December 19, 2012December 18, 2012

New Providence Bike Plan Looks for Safer Routes

By JOANNA DETZ/ecoRI News

PROVIDENCE — Those who had cycled to the Bike Providence Public Workshop at Exchange Terrace downtown arrived to find there was no bike rack. Instead, they made do by hitching their rides to lampposts and parking signs.

The omission of amenities such as bike racks in commercial hubs was just one of the topics discussed in the first of two workshops designed to engage the community in a new bike plan for the city.

Providence’s original bike plan was implemented in 2007 and 2008 and included signing and striping bike corridors throughout the city. The final piece of the original plan was completed in fall 2011 with the striping of bike lanes on Broadway.

This new bike plan, spearheaded by the city of Providence and Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB), an engineering firm headquartered in Waltham, Mass., is being funded with a $33,000 challenge grant from the state Department of Transportation, and will guide the investment of future funding into the city’s bicycle network through a program of recommended short-, medium- and long-term capital improvements.

Most in attendance at a Dec. 13 workshop were avid bikers who cycle daily. When asked about the biggest hurdle to biking in Providence, many in the audience jokingly called out, “hills.” But the unanimous and serious answer was “lack of safe bike routes.”

Since many of the routes that were signed and striped in the city’s original bike plan were highly trafficked roads suitable only for cyclists confident in navigating the perils of urban bicycling, the new plan is working to identify alternate routes on less-traveled roadways. Once identified, these roadways will be designated with signage as shared lanes — bikes and cars.

However, any long-term solutions, such as the addition of dedicated bike lanes, will need to be tied to the city’s $40 million road repaving project set to begin this spring.

Between now and then the city and VHB are looking to cyclists to provide input on best routes to commercial centers and hubs around the city by logging their rides using a smartphone app.

David Everett, the city’s principal planner, said the bike plan is scheduled to be completed by early spring to coincide with the beginning of the city’s repaving project.

“We want to get more people to cycle and bring biking into the mainstream as a viable form of transportation,” Everett said.

ecoRI News is a Providence-based nonprofit journalistic initiative devoted to educating readers about the causes, consequences and solutions to local environmental issues and problems.