Homelessness increased in Rhode Island by 35% last year, according to report

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness hosted the 2024 State of Homelessness event at the CIC Providence last night.

The evening addressed the current data and outlined solutions to preventing and ending homelessness.

The annual point-in time count resulted in an increase in persons experiencing homelessness since last year of 34.9%.

New clients are continuing to enter the system at a high rate, with new clients coming into the system for the very first time. A total of 2,716 people are documented as unhoused in Rhode Island, with a total of 1,795 unhoused families.

The data presented by the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness found that a Rhode Islander must work 78 hours per week to afford a 1-bedroom rental home at a fair market rent.

The minimum wage is currently $14 in Rhode Island, and rent affordable with full-time paying minimum wage is $728. However, a 1-bedroom fair market rent in Rhode Island is $1,417.

More than a third of Rhode Island households, or 143,023 of them, are cost burdened.

According to the National Low Income House Coalition, Rhode Island ranks 12th highest ranks 12th highest in the nation for the wage needed to afford to rent.

Courtesy of RI Coalition to End Homelessness.

Data pulled from the Homeless Management Information System showed that 1,055 people are currently waiting for shelter in Rhode Island in the last year, however there were only an average of 7 openings per day.

According to the U.S. Housing and Urban Development, even though new Emergency Units have been added to the system each year, there is still a gap when compared to the growing number of persons outside.

There are also currently 2,013 people waiting for housing, but in the last year, there were only an average of 24 openings per month.

Rhode Island’s U.S. Housing and Urban Development Reported that the number of available housing units within the system have not kept up with the increasing number of persons experiencing homelessness in the state.

“This year, the state of housing, high cost of rent and homeownership, is a national topic for both sides of the aisle,” Senator Jack Reed said.

Courtesy of RI Coalition to End Homelessness.

“I am hoping that this newfound attention will push Congress to make substantial investments that are long overdue. I am committed to working with each of you to find innovative solutions and to ensure we have the resources to put those solutions to work,” he continued.

The Coalition’s Voices of Homelessness speaker, Wilma Smith, shared her story of her lived experience and journey to getting back on her feet.

“We need to be humane when connecting people with the problem, and have a compassionate approach toward those experiencing homelessness,” Smith said.

“No one asked to be put in that position; it’s not a blame game.”

Some of the solutions presented to combat the growing issue in the state and the country are listed below:

Courtesy of RI Coalition to End Homelessness.