Committee hears wide support for tougher standards on warming/cooling shelters and stronger enforcement of homeless bill of rights

Lede: Dozens of advocates, outreach workers and people who have lived outdoors told the House Committee on Municipal Government and Housing on April 2 that Rhode Island needs predictable, enforceable standards for warming and cooling shelters and stronger legal protections for people living unsheltered.

Nut graf: Two related bills drew the largest public turnout of the evening. Representative Tansey’s proposal (filed as House Bill 5953) would require municipalities and shelter operators to open designated warming or cooling centers when forecast temperatures cross defined thresholds and to provide basic items—cots, blankets, accessible sanitation and food—during prolonged extremes. Representative Stewart’s bill to amend the Homeless Bill of Rights (HB5665) would add explicit protections for people living in tents, require written policies from public safety and public works agencies, set notice rules for encampment relocations, and create a private right of action and fines for violations. Witnesses said gaps in notice and inconsistent shelter openings contributed to preventable deaths, severe frostbite and other harms during the past winter.

What wit…