Rhode Island housing advocates rally against potential major cuts to homeless services

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Housing advocates rallied at the Rhode Island State House on Tuesday in response to Governor McKee’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year.

Housing advocacy group Open Doors Rhode Island said the proposal would reduce funding for homeless services from $33 million last year to just $15.2 million.

“We stand to lose right now, if nothing is given back, about 1,250 beds,” Don King said.

King is well acquainted with the issues of homelessness in Rhode Island because he’s lived it.

“I was homeless for about a year,” King said. “And in that year I went through some medical challenges, such as chemo and a few other things.”

King said the cost of cancer treatment is what put him on the streets.

“Three years of being diagnosed, and at the end of that, I was done,” he said. “I had no more money, I had nowhere to live, I was sleeping in a cemetery up the road.”

Open Doors said Governor McKee has proposed a budget amendment that would provide an additional $4.3 million, but would still leave a $13.5 million gap.

That budget will need the approval of the General Assembly, which is why advocates showed up Tuesday to voice their concerns.

House Speaker Joe Shekarchi said the state has spent more than $46 million for homelessness in the current year’s budget.

Speaker Shekarchi shared the following statement with ABC6:

“I will continue to prioritize addressing homelessness in the budget.  In recent years, the General Assembly has gone above and beyond the Governor’s budget requests for homeless assistance.  Despite an extremely challenging budget year, homelessness will remain a priority of the legislature.”

As the General Assembly tries to make difficult decisions in a tight budget year, King said the issue may be closer to home than some might think.

“Most of us, as Americans, are one paycheck away from being in serious trouble,” he said. “It’s hard to find housing, it’s hard to find a job, if you don’t know where you’re gonna wake up or shower and get dressed in the morning.”