Woonsocket leaders cite new shelter beds and urge enforcement of no-camping ordinance as encampments shrink
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Summary
City officials said the new Open Doors shelter and other bed increases have reduced encampment populations; council members urged enforcement of the city's no-camping ordinance while continuing outreach and services for people experiencing homelessness.
Woonsocket City Council members on Monday highlighted recent increases in shelter capacity and said the city is ready to begin enforcing its ordinance that prohibits camping on public property.
Council President Gendron said the city recently gained shelter capacity in a set of moves that together provide about 130 beds inside Woonsocket and regionally available resources, and that council members had delayed enforcement while shelter capacity was being expanded. "We provided places for a 130 people," Gendron said, adding that the city had acted with compassion while increasing available beds.
The council and staff described a multi-pronged response: the Open Doors shelter at 181 Cumberland Street opened Saturday with a net gain of 10 beds (moving people from a winter shelter), the Dignity Bus is operating and taking people off the street, and the winter shelter will reopen Nov. 10 to provide an additional roughly 40 beds. Human Services Director Margo Moroso said staff observed that encampment populations had been "dwindling steadily" and that one encampment behind Kennedy Manor had closed as residents moved into shelter.
Local residents who addressed the council emphasized both compassion and the need for enforcement. "We have an ordinance against outdoor camping in the city, and I think it's time to start enforcing that because we've done our part," said resident John Brienne, who praised the shelter openings but said enforcement protects people who live and work in the city.
Other speakers, including Jim Heuling, urged planning for people who cannot access shelter beds. Heuling said estimates vary but that "we could have between 30 and 50 people that can't get into shelters" on some nights, and asked whether the city has a centralized plan for overflow or winter response for those who remain unsheltered.
Council members and city staff said they would continue outreach and use regional access points to place people; Moroso said city staff had called Community Care Alliance to gauge waiting lists and that the Nov. 10 reopening of the winter shelter would enable officials to "make a major dent" in demand.
The council also signaled it will balance enforcement and services: officials said enforcement of the no-camping ordinance will be pursued as shelter capacity becomes reliably available, but stressed continued casework in encampments and cooperation with regional partners to move people into shelter.
Looking ahead, council members said they will monitor bed counts and encampments and continue community coordination among the human-services division, public safety, and providers.
