Council tables two encampment measures after heated debate; subcommittee to draft notification letter

The Woonsocket City Council on March 17 voted to table two measures addressing homeless encampments after extended debate over property-owner liability, enforcement and the best way to help unhoused residents.

Councilwoman Sierra, chair of the city’s homelessness subcommittee, had presented a draft resolution asking the city law department to notify private and public property owners that encampments exist on their land and to outline possible risks and next steps. Sierra said the intent was to open communication with owners of the 14 encampments located on private property so the city could, after notice, discuss remediation plans or offer assistance. "The thought is that once the property owners receive these letters ... it gives the ability for the city to reach out after 30 days and say, hey, what do you want to do about the encampment?" she said.

Council members raised concerns about the city’s role and potential unintended effects. Councilwoman Harmon said landowners might be angered by a notice and attempt to remove encampment residents themselves, potentially creating dangerous confrontations. Councilwoman Fox and others asked that any property-notification letter also include human-services contact information and resources so landowners and neighbors know how to obtain assistance for the people living on those properties.

After discussion, the council voted to table the property-notification resolution and asked the homelessness subcommittee to draft a sample letter that would include available services and recommended next steps. The council president also noted the river and environmental risks from encampment debris as an additional reason for careful planning.

Separately, the council considered a subcommittee-backed pilot incentive program that would use an existing Department of Housing municipal homelessness grant to buy small gift cards (for food and basic necessities) as rewards to encampment residents who helped clean their sites. Councilwoman Sierra described the intent as a low-cost, non-city-labor way to encourage cleanup and build rapport: staff used grant funds to arrange dumpsters and case management, and councilors said some encampments had already begun self-cleanup.

The incentive resolution prompted sharp reactions. Some councilors — and at least one member of the public — called the idea "abusive," saying it would in effect ask unhoused people to perform hazardous cleanup for a small payment. Others, including Councilman DuBois and Councilwoman Fox, argued the approach is pragmatic: third-party hazardous-removal contractors charge thousands of dollars to clear encampments and the grant funding could reduce municipal expense while providing immediate benefits to people living on-site.

The vote to table the incentive resolution passed 5–2. Councilors asked staff and the subcommittee to refine the program details — including eligibility, health-and-safety rules (no needles present when a site qualifies) and how human services and police will participate — and return the draft to council. Director Morris of Human Services said she would administer the operational details if the council adopted a program and said staff already conduct weekly visits to encampments.

Why it matters: Encampments are a recurring, high-visibility public-safety and public-health concern that involve private-property rights, city liability and limited municipal resources. The council paused both measures to allow the subcommittee and staff to draft clearer procedures and notice language before the city sends communications to landowners or pilots an incentive program.