More than a place to sleep: In R.I., a 'housing first' solution for chronic homelessness

6.25.12: With a homeless population consistently in excess of 4,000 people, Rhode Island advocates hope to follow a housing-first model and national trend to put a permanent end to the cycling of homeless people in and out of shelters and save money in medical costs at the same time. Larry Kraus of Providence, who has spent years in and out of the state's largest homeless shelter, Harrington Hall, at the Pastore center in Cranston, hopes for a place of his own, while William Howard of Warren moves into an apartment, thanks to a federal grant to The Providence Center.

Providence Journal video by John Freidah

• Category

  News & Politics

[Mucka500]

Great video.. so well done.

[rejco100]

Homeless people are no more crazy, addicted, and alcoholic than housed people; you housed people's responsible drinking habits would get you labeled a street-gutter alcoholic by the homeless agencies requiring lifetime treatment & 12-Step religious cult meetings; any drinking by a homeless person is always considered street-gutter alcoholism.

[yotoober1]

I once last summer stopped to talk to one of the homeless begging on the offramp from Rt. 37 coming onto Pontiac ave. He was very polite and after giving him a couple bucks, he told me that the conditions there at Harvington hall are deplorable.

[yotoober1]

The toilets have no doors, the showers have no curtains and the floor is filthy, you could easily get a bacteria infecton there. Sometimes the food is cold and/or spoiled.

He also said, that for most of the people there, that homelessnes is the result of poor choices that theyve made in life.

He said that you could put many of them there in a house and give them $100, 000 and in a year or less, that they would be back.

continued below

[yotoober1]

They need other types of help as many of them there are either alcoholic, drug abusers, on probations/ex-convicts or have some type of metal illness, or are simply lacking everyday living skills and/or are uneduacted to live, ie., how to pay bills, balance a checking acct., washing up/showering, how to prepare food, etc.

These will never get out of there because of their issues unrelated to homelessness.

They need intensive help.

[mattgriffin5]

I criticize the projo quite a bit, but this was surprisingly well-done. Thank you for putting this together.

[mattgriffin5]

I criticize the promo quite a bit, but this was surprisingly well-done. Thank you for putting this together.