Temporary housing community set to open up in Providence this spring

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A few dozen temporary homes are going up in Providence, tucked away in a field off of I-95 South.

Advocates say Echo Village was a dream for years, and they’ve had to overcome quite a few hurdles to get it off the ground.

It’s been a long road to bring temporary pallet housing to the Ocean state.

Looking for the perfect spot, getting the community on board and making sure it’s affordable were all barriers that made it hard, even when community leaders want to help.

“A lot of people say…‘we really care about homeless people and we really want to solve this problem statewide, but,'” said Eric Hirsch with the Rhode Island Housing Advocacy Project. “The ‘but’ is always ‘this is the wrong place for it.’”

That’s one of the draws of the Victor Street location for Echo Village, where the nearest buildings are auto body shops and the Foxy Lady.

These 45 single-occupant shelters are set to make a big difference, but advocates say the unhoused population in Providence is growing every month.

“It went from 377 to 436, to 539 over the last three months,” Hirsch said. “It’s going in the wrong direction, despite the efforts of the department of housing to open new shelter beds.”

The shelters come with fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, electrical outlets, heating and cooling.

But they’re only a temporary solution, as the housing market issue looms large.

“You know with rents over 2,000 dollars a month on average in the city…I think that’s even statewide now…let’s say they’re 2,500 a month,” Hirsch said. “At 30% of income, you have to make 100,000 a year to be able to afford that. How many people make 100,000 a year in the state?”

Hirsch says any step forward is a good step, and the shelters are a great option for people who dislike mass shelters.

“There are a lot of people who, right now, are living in tents outside who are very resistant to go to large congregate shelters,” Hirsch said.

“There could be 100 people in one room on bunk beds or mats on the floor and it’s just very difficult,” he added. “You have no privacy.”

ABC 6 news crews reached out to the RI Department of Housing and House of Hope, who are leading the project.

They said the goal is to open up in early spring.