New 50-person emergency shelter opens in Woonsocket

WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WLNE) — A new emergency shelter opened in Woonsocket this week on Cumberland Street, with a 50-person capacity leading up to colder winter months.

The shelter, operated by OpenDoors, is a replacement for the company’s 40-bed shelter on Clinton Street.

The previous shelter had been housing residents since August.

A goal of the new shelter is to help residents transition from homelessness to permanent housing.

Essential services are also offered at the facility.

“This project builds on the work we have done over the past several months at our previous Woonsocket site,” said Nick Horton, Co-Executive Director of OpenDoors.

“It allows us to continue providing safe, stable emergency shelter and supportive services for Woonsocket residents who might otherwise be without a place to stay, especially as we head into the winter.”

The Cumberland Street shelter will operate under a contract that will keep the facility open through September 30, 2026.

The new shelter was opened through a partnership between OpenDoors, the Rhode Island Executive Office of Housing and the City of Woonsocket.