Harrington Hall bathrooms not ADA compliant

As the legislature considers investing $600,000 in Harrington Hall, the overnight shelter in Cranston, it’s worth pointing out that the conditions there are not only deplorable, they are also illegal.

In November, when I spent the night at the homeless shelter, I learned that the showers are not handicap accessible. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, all “places of public accommodation” (even privately operated hotels) must have handicap-accessible bathing facilities “whenever typical inaccessible units are provided.”

As you can see by this picture of the shower facility at Harrington Hall, it’s not only pretty nasty, there also isn’t a safety bar:

The problem was explained to me by a homeless man, confined to a wheelchair, who has been staying at Harrington Hall for five years.

I slept at Harrington Hall as part of my Homeless Like Me project. It’s really worth reading my post about it.

Here are some more pictures of Harrington Hall: