Senate President Supports Rental Vouchers
Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed said she supports legislation that would allocate $3.25 million for rental vouchers and shelter costs to help address Rhode Island’s increasing homeless population. But she said the spending proposal would likely be part of budget negotiations rather than stand alone legislation. She offered her support after a group of munchkins [...]
Local Homeless Left Out Of Economic Recovery
While the real estate and stock markets are ticking up and unemployment is ticking down, there’s one group of Rhode Islanders who are being passed over by the alleged economic recovery: the homeless. The homeless population in Rhode Island has increased by more than 10 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to Dr. Eric Hirsch, [...]
John Joyce and Cade Tompkins’ Chair
Today is John Joyce’s memorial service. He died way too young at age 50 and was a bona fide friend and hero to the people on the streets. His job, his mission in life, was to connect with the homeless people of Providence. Just to connect with them. After food, water and warmth connection is [...]
Why We Honor Our Dead With A Homeless Memorial
It dropped down to single digit temperatures this week; conditions perilous for anyone caught on the street. Some will be fortunate enough to spend the nights in their cars. Others will find shelter at a system that is already short 156 beds. But many will sleep outside; beneath bridges, in abandoned lots, behind dumpsters, in [...]
RIP, Richard Walton
Legendary local progressive activist, author and one-time vice presidential candidate Richard Walton has passed away, confirms the Providence Journal. The word first spread via his Facebook page, where a friend wrote this morning, “Richard Walton, former reporter, teacher, activist for social justice and the man who got me online in 1989, has died. Peace at [...]
Homeless Numbers Show System At Tipping Point
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 [...]
Homeless Like Me: 48 Hours on the Streets of Providence
As you sit down to your second helping of Thanksgiving dinner to watch the Patriots game on your big screen TV, please take a moment to think about the almost 5,000 of your neighbors here in the Ocean State who are homeless.
As you settle in for the second half, and maybe a third helping of turkey with all the fixings, they will either be vying for one of the too few beds at the local shelters. Or, worse, looking for a place to sleep outside for the night.
And I’m going to be there with them. I’m celebrating Thanksgiving this year by spending 48 hours on the streets of Providence.
Homeless Bill of Rights Passes General Assembly
To applause from the gallery on both sides, the Homeless Bill of Rights passed out of the General Assembly and now heads to the Governor’s desk for signing. Officially titled the Rhode Island Fair Housing Practices Act, it was introduced in both chambers back in January. A revised version passed the Senate on May 2nd. [...]
Homeless Bill of Rights Passes State Senate
Taking a “historic step” forward according to advocates, the Rhode Island Senate voted 33-2 to pass Senate Bill 2052, a.k.a. the Homeless Bill of Rights. The law provides homeless people with protections against discrimination based on their housing status, preventing them from being told to move along if they enter libraries or sit on park [...]
Lawmakers Briefed on Plan to End Homelessness
As marchers gathered for their May Day march on the west side of Providence to protest unfair economic conditions, a crowd of over thirty people, nine of whom were sitting legislators, listened to a briefing in the Rhode Island Senate lounge on the state’s Plan to End Homelessness, known as Opening Doors Rhode Island. The [...]
Low Income, Homelessness Issues at State House Today
The powerful House Finance Committee will hear a bill today that would restore the $12 million cut from the Neighborhood Opportunities Program last legislative session. According to Housing WorksRI’s website, the NOP program is “a unique, state-funded program designed to provide homes for low-wage working families and individuals with disabilities. The program provides funds to [...]
RI Progress Report: Same Sex Divorce, Newt and Neumont
The Wall Street Journal has covered Rhode Island so much lately, it ought to devote a beat to us – if not a dedicated section. Yesterday, the Rupert Murdoch-owned paper reported that Chafee sent $70 million in early state aid payments for struggling cities and towns. Also, a WSJ op/ed yesterday lauded Rhode Island for [...]
Homeless and Advocates Fight for Help at Senate Hearing
The State Senators of the Committee on Housing and Municipal Government met to hear testimony from homeless people and their advocates about the state’s emergency winter shelter and the move of the men’s shelter currently situated at Harrington Hall to the Gloria MacDonald building at the ACI. Homeless people, advocates, service providers, and their supporters [...]
State Senator Nicholas Kettle has Learned What, Exactly?
Yesterdays’s Projo ran a piece on freshman Senator Nicholas Kettle. Kettle also happens to be the youngest Senator at age 20. You might remember Kettle, who rode into office as a Republican Tea Party candidate with no experience whatsoever. He very soon established his Tea Party bona fides by insulting the homeless community in RI [...]
New Comments