This column was originally featured on Newportri.com.
Three residents approached me earlier this year, asking how they could help the homeless folks in their neighborhood. They were worried about these folks, who they have come to know over the past year. They also wanted to know why we are seeing so many more people living on the street. At Newport Mental Health, we are also noticing more and more people falling into homelessness. Each person has a unique story and everyone deserves a home and community.
It is no secret that the nation is experiencing an unprecedented homeless crisis. A record high 653,104 Americans experienced homelessness on a single night in January 2023. (1) The increase in homelessness is also evident in our communities. According to the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, the state has seen a 35% surge in homelessness over the past year—rising from 1,810 individuals in 2023 to 2,442 in 2024. (2)
Local nonprofits are seeing this increase in real time. “Most of the people who use our daily breakfast program are unhoused,” says Heather Hole Strout, Executive Director of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. “The program has grown significantly from 20-25 prior to the pandemic to 75-80 people every weekday. That is very telling about the status of housing in our community.”
Newport Mental Health’s Street Outreach team, a team dedicated to housing the homeless individuals and families living in Newport County, engages individuals in housing search, placement, and stabilization. Despite the lack of affordable housing, this team has grown from finding housing for five people per year to more than 40 in 2024 so far.
What is driving the increase in homelessness in Newport County?
“Skyrocketing rents and a housing shortage,” says Hole Strout. “People are seeing huge increases in their rents almost overnight and they have nowhere to go. Just last week, we had a family come to the Center, new to being on the street. They’d lived in a house in a Newport neighborhood for many years, then had to move to their car, which has since broken down. Now the family is completely homeless.”
The number of newly homeless individuals and families, like the one Hole Strout describes, is growing far faster than the supply of affordable housing.
Leah Voccio, Housing Director at Newport Mental Health, plays a key role in housing in Newport and collaborates closely with Deb Johnston and Ken Robinson from the McKinney Shelter to develop permanent housing and employment plans for the homeless individuals in shelters. “There are lots of great people trying to help, but we don’t need more shelters; we need more housing,” Voccio says. Despite the challenges in the housing market, her team has secured local housing for many NMH clients. “We are lucky to have affordable housing at 50 Washington Square. The units have been refurbished and more added, so we can house people rapidly. We also work with West Broadway Property Management and Church Community Housing. But finding housing takes all hands on deck.”
Newport Mental Health enters our data into the state’s Housing Management Information System (HMIS) both to help to match individuals to statewide housing subsidies, units, and services, as well as to help Newport County track the homeless data. This system feeds into a national database that allows local, state, and federal agencies to assess gaps and resources. This data tells us that 87% of our homeless individuals and families living on the street have roots in Newport County. This data dispels a persistent rumor that our homeless services bring people from other towns to Newport.
Last winter, the MLK Community Center operated an overnight warming center, in collaboration with the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, Newport Mental Health, and CODAC. Most of the individuals using the warming center are from Newport County. The others are transient folks who may have roots here, but who have been homeless for so long they have lost their original connections to family, friends, and services. Newport only has a very small cadre of shelter and warming center resources, so it does not draw the homeless like urban centers might. Those who do come for one night of life-saving shelter services do not stay. As Hole Strout points out “Newport is a very special place, and we have services to offer people in need. That is something we should be proud of. We are all human beings, and we should support each other, especially the most vulnerable.”
Newport County stands out in its response to the rising trend in homelessness with its strong community collaborations and partnerships. “We made an effort to bring in partners like Visiting Nurse Home & Hospice, CODAC, Strategic Prevention Partnerships, and Newport Mental Health, to meet people where they are and connect them to services and food,” says Hole Strout of the breakfast program. Newport Mental Health recently established our Rhode Island Outreach (RIO) team, which sends trained specialists out in the community, including to the MLK Community Center breakfasts and warming center, regularly providing individual support and spreading awareness of community services.
Newport Mental Health and our many partners take a Housing First approach to homelessness; we are all working to find permanent housing for those on the streets. This evidence-based model focuses on providing individuals with stable housing as the priority, followed by job assistance, voluntary support services such as behavioral health programs, and case management. Research shows that Housing First consistently yields significantly better outcomes compared to traditional approaches that require individuals to participate in programs or treatment before qualifying for housing. (For more information on the effectiveness of Housing First, see the resources below.)
Here are some meaningful ways you can make a difference:
Engage your community in the solution. If you are a landlord or have friends or family or neighbors with rental property, encourage them to partner with us. They will get tenants who are supported with services designed to help them succeed. “We are committed to their lifelong welfare and to helping them be good tenants and neighbors,” says Voccio. “We are not just dropping people off. We work with clients, other providers, and property managers to help them be successful in housing.”
Support Housing First organizations. Help prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place. Consider donating to the Newport Housing Hotline, Newport Mental Health’s Annual Fund, the MLK Community Center, or Child and Family Services. . . any of the many organizations that play a role in helping individuals and families maintain or secure housing.
Show that you care. Take a moment to talk with those you see in your neighborhood who might be struggling or engage with local service organizations that run food pantries or meal programs. “Our volunteers get to know our clients,” says Strout, “ Those connections lead to some amazing conversations. Sometimes just talking with someone who cares enough to listen is enough to start a person on the path to a better place.”
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Resources: (1) The national point in time count can be found here. https://www.usich.gov/news-events/news/usich-leaders-and-staff-participate-2024-homelessness-count.
(2) The Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness’ “Point in Time Count” can be found here: https://www.rihomeless.org/point-in-time. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research’s article describing Housing First and the evidence of its success can be found here: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/periodicals/em/spring-summer-23/highlight1.html
