Dignity Bus starts nightly service; council accepts homelessness grants to support sheltering

Woonsocket’s Dignity Bus began nightly operation the week of Jan. 6, 2025, city officials told the City Council on Jan. 13. City staff and partner agencies reported initial nights with modest occupancy that increased over the first week; council members and staff reported 65 total sleeps logged in the first week and nightly counts of 10–13 on recent runs.

The council unanimously approved two Municipal Homelessness Support Initiative grants and authorized the mayor and finance director to sign related grant agreements (25 R14). Council discussion identified two awards referenced in the grant packet; councilors described one award in the tens of thousands of dollars intended to support an operated shelter and another larger award in the mid‑hundreds of thousands to support municipal homelessness efforts. The Harvest Community Church’s shelter operation was cited as a direct beneficiary of one of the grants.

Councilwoman Gonzales and other officials described operational details of the Dignity Bus: capacity is limited to 19 bunks (the city reserved a twentieth bunk for emergencies), participants are assigned specific bunks each night, the bus is started before client arrival to increase onboard temperature, and partners (Sales Street Family Shelter, CCA, Milagros Project and other human‑services providers) coordinate referrals through the coordinated entry system (CES). Council members said the service has run without incident since its launch and emphasized wraparound follow‑up and a goal of connecting people with longer‑term shelter or services.

Mayor Beauchamp and staff said the bus was refurbished by the seller and that outside volunteers helped repair heating and other issues at no cost to the city.