New England states have seen some of the sharpest increases in counts of unhoused people as rents climb and lawmakers try to add more affordable housing
The warming center in Rhode Island’s capital opened in December of last year.PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Inside a cavernous armory building in Rhode Island’s capital city, up to 185 people have recently gathered each night to get out of the cold.
The federal- and state-funded site in Providence was slated to handle up to 66 people when it opened in mid-December to provide warmth for unhoused people. It has consistently seen much higher numbers, said Eileen Hayes, chief executive at Amos House, the nonprofit running the site. “More and more of our folks are falling behind and falling through the cracks,” she said.