McKee expands homeless aid

PAWTUCKET – Gov. Dan McKee on Thursday announced the expansion of emergency shelter programs for the homeless through four service providers, including Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket and Providence-based Amos House, which will open a family shelter in a portion of the former Memorial Hospital.

Accompanied by Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos at the headquarters of the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness on Main Street, McKee said the initiative would create a total of 130 more shelter beds, including 80 at the Memorial Hospital site. CCA, he said, would add 10 hotel vouchers in the Woonsocket area starting next week,

In addition, McKee said House of Hope in East Providence would add 25 more beds and Open Doors in Providence, 25 more.

“It is crucial that we provide

shelter to get Rhode Islanders off the streets – now,” said McKee. “Addressing this crisis requires a combination of short-term and long-term initiatives, and today’s announcement is an immediate and necessary step to help those experiencing homelessness. The McKee-Matos Administration has made it a priority to provide shelter to housing insecure families and individuals. Thanks to a roughly $5 million investment that we recently made available to our homelessness service providers, we’ve seen roughly 220 new emergency beds in shelters and hotels come online in the past six weeks alone. But we knew more was needed.”

McKee’s announcement comes as the Woonsocket City Council has pledged to create a voucher program in partnership with the Woonsocket Motor Inn that will reserve at least 10 beds for the homeless from Jan. 1 to