RHODE ISLAND: Homelessness for many just a
convergence of misfortunes
The Westerly (RI) Sun
By Ryan McBride
The Sun Staff
Originally published January 18, 2005
WESTERLY - It could take little more than an accident on a construction site, an unexpected layoff at the plant, or a grim diagnosis of a debilitating illness to drive a family into homelessness.
"Each family is unique, and every story is different," said the Rev. Jean Barry, who assists homeless families through her work as executive director of Westerly Area Rest Meals shelter.
The WARM shelter has 19 beds for short-term residents and accommodations for up to five people to transition to permanent housing - but no space for homeless families. In fact, social services agencies have confirmed that there is currently no shelter space for families in Washington County.
"I think the number (of homeless families) is outrageous," Barry said, "I'm counting the number of homeless as those living in motels."
Beach season for most ended months ago, yet more than half of the rooms at some local motels are occupied by families. They aren't staying there for vacation or to be close to the beach.
They're calling those motel rooms home.
Barry said that she's working with two families in which the "major" provider has become ill. One family has a self-employed parent without Temporary Disability Insurance.
None of these parents struggle with substance abuse problems (as has been the focus of recent media coverage of families living in motels), but all are at risk of becoming homeless, Barry noted.
"There are a great number of people who are working paycheck to paycheck," she said, "and if they miss one day (of work) it throws off their whole budget."
The weekly rate to stay at a local motel is about $200, according to renters and local motel managers. The estimated $800 monthly cost to live in a motel room exceeds what the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's has determined to be Fair Market Rent ($774) for a two-bedroom apartment in Westerly.
Many families get stuck at the motels because they're unable to save the approximately $2,400 - to pay for the initial security deposit and first and last months rent - needed to move into most apartments, Barry said.
Noreen Shawcross, executive director of the Rhode Island Coalition for the Homeless, attributes the "relatively new phenomenon" of more families becoming homeless to the high cost of housing.
"The housing situation has gotten so critical," Shawcross said, "that we've come to a whole new level of crisis."
Shawcross said that the state's 16 homeless shelters with space for families (the nearest of which to Westerly in Warwick) are constantly filled to capacity. And, meanwhile, the number of homeless families is on the rise, she said.
The current ratio of affordable apartments to those who need them is eight to two, according to the coalition.
The Westerly Housing Authority says that 168 households in town receive Section 8 (low-income) vouchers, while 187 people are on the waiting list for subsidized housing. The average wait for the vouchers is five years, according to the coalition.
Barry and Shawcross agreed that the state needs more affordable housing. But while it could take about 20 years to produce enough affordable housing, "what do you do in the meantime?" Barry asks.
Barry proposes that state, local and faith-based organizations unite to build a transitional-type housing development, where families could stay rent-free for three months or until they save for the initial deposit required to rent an apartment.
"If they are paying $800 in a motel, they can afford an $800 apartment," Barry said.
"We can't have the children growing up in motels," she added, "that just doesn't make any sense to me."